Cheap and editable static websites as an alternative to smaller Drupal builds

A static website is one that consists of HTML, CSS, and Javascript files along with other static assets. Static websites do not run a dynamic server or complicated database on the backend and thus can be hosted cheaply to serve millions of impressions for a few dollars. If you are willing to work within the contstraints of services like Github Pages, static sites can be hosted absolutely free. Static websites face limited security threats, require less maintenance and contrary to popular opinion ARE editable by non-technical users.

For smaller internal projects or even client-facing websites that have flatter content hierarchies and relationships, using a static workflow might be an attractive alternative. Drupal development is slow and painful for front-end heavy projects, but the decision is often made to go with Drupal for the simplest of sites because non-technical users may need to make minor changes or add X content. With a little CI fairy dust, Markdown, and our imagination we can tap into some interesting workflows that make easily editing and adding periodic content to static sites possible.

This session will draw from my experience building a small Drupal site for a well-known agency contrasted to building a similar website for my own agency staticly. Attendees that have already created a small Drupal website will walk out understanding the advantages, disadvantages, whens and hows of building a small website staticly.