A simpler way

I have the following theory: WordPress is not a good solution if you aim to build landing pages as a freelancer.

I think that using WordPress to build one static page is like using a cannon to kill a fly. I'm not even arguing that it could be a bad tool, I've worked with it for at least 3 years by now, it's just that nowadays building landing pages got a lot easier if you are someone with a minimal technical background (or even if you just use vibe code tools).

If WordPress's goal is to facilitate the website building process, the idea is that it would make it easier for non-devs to build something without touching code.

But, when the goal is to create an optimized static page instead of a dynamic website, using WordPress might not be the ideal solution.

Why? Because a WordPress page relies on a lot of things like... A theme, some plugins like page builders if you want something fresh looking, a database... Each characteristic adds complexity in the project. And complexity makes it harder to maintain and repair in the future if anything goes wrong, like breaking changes in plugins updates and malware.

Even if you choose a bad hosting provider you may encounter a lot of problems in the future with your project. If you get a good VPS, the deploying process will be harder but the performance will be better. The customer support of the hosting also plays an important role in keeping the project alive in the long run.

My point is that using WordPress for a static page just adds unnecessary complexity.

I see it as a good tool for blogs, or for multi-pages websites because it also comes with a database configured. It already comes with easier ways to set default layouts and different solutions as plugins for the majority of problems that you will face.

It's good. But not always needed. Mostly if you are a developer.

Let's say you built a page with Elementor, that's another unnecessary cost if you had the skills to build it on your own with code, and won't have to rely on third party solutions.

If a plugin has a recently discovered vulnerability (and it happens a lot), you just got a security issue in a project that you even forgot about already.

When any problem happens in WordPress and you are not someone that works in it with a technical background, everything becomes a headache and the website becomes a lot more expensive than if a real professional did it from the beginning.

So, in my personal opinion, using a cannon to kill a fly just adds complexity and makes it expensive. You are setting more problems for the future.

And it's a lot easier (if you work with that) to code a single page, and a lot cheaper in the long run to pay someone to do it (if you are the client).

I wouldn't even tell non-technical people to rely on AI to build projects because if you make a breaking change, it might be harder than you expect to fix it. As AI does exactly what you ask it, and if you don't know what to ask, it will not create quality code. Each request increases the chance of messing it up.

And when it breaks, you will need someone who knows what he's doing to fix it. And fixing something broken is not cheaper than building something good from the start.

A simple static page can be hosted on something like Vercel (I'm not paid to say that) and there is less complexity in maintaining it.

Lay people that wanted to save money using something that was intended to make building a website easier will, in the future/in the long run, have to spend more money and time than the people that pay a developer.

If you don't have the money for it, there's no way around. But you have to understand that at a point in time, it will break.

But if your idea is to create a good brand from the get go, a professional business, well made and that will bring you fewer problems in the future, it's simpler to hire someone that knows how to do it without unnecessary complexity.