Is a static website right for a charity or community group?

Usually, yes. Most charities, CICs, community groups and small teams need a fast, secure, low-cost site with a handful of pages that change occasionally. A static site is ideal for that: nothing to hack, nothing to update, and very cheap to host. It is less suitable if many non-technical people need to publish content every day, or if you need a large shop, member portal, or heavily dynamic features.

What is the difference between a static site and a CMS like WordPress?

A static site is made of plain, pre-built files served extremely fast with no database. A CMS such as WordPress generates pages from a database on every visit and needs ongoing updates, plugins and security patching. Static sites are faster, cheaper and more secure for most small organisations; a CMS makes more sense when lots of people publish constantly or you need complex dynamic functionality.

Can Cited move my existing site to or from a CMS?

Yes. We migrate sites in either direction: from a slow or insecure CMS onto a clean static build, or from a static site onto a CMS if you outgrow it. We handle the content, the structure, and the redirects so nothing breaks and you keep your search visibility.

How much does a static website cost to run?

There is a one-off project-based build fee sized to what you need, then a small ongoing lights-on hosting fee via Cloudflare. There is no developer retainer. Concessionary rates are available for qualifying grassroots organisations, and SEO and AI-visibility basics are folded into the build in-kind.

Static site builds

A fast website you actually own

I build fast static websites for organisations that do not need a complicated publishing system. The files are yours, the hosting is cheap, and I show you how the thing works before I hand it over.

Talk about a build See the design range

Same brief, different directions

These nine quick directions use the same fictional community arts brief. They show how much can change through type, spacing, colour and movement before we settle on the right character for your organisation.

yourgroup.org

Northside. AboutWhat's onSupport us

Community arts · Sheffield

Bringing people together through art

A welcoming space for workshops, events and creative projects right across the city. Drop in, learn something new, and make it your own.

Get involved

WorkshopsWeekly sessions, all ages.

EventsExhibitions & showcases.

Showing: House style — Cited's own look: calm paper, forest green, Fraunces & DM Sans.

When static is the right answer

Static suits many grassroots sites. It does not suit every publishing job. This is how I make the call.

Where static shines

Fast and secure. No database or CMS to slow things down or get hacked.
Cheap to run. Hosted on Cloudflare's global edge for a small lights-on fee.
Built for visibility. Clean, fast, indexable pages that search engines and AI tools read easily.
No maintenance treadmill. No plugins to update, nothing to break overnight.
Yours to keep. Plain files you own, not content locked inside someone else's platform.

When a CMS suits you better

Daily edits by many hands. If lots of non-technical people need to publish constantly, a CMS may suit you better.
Large shops or catalogues. Big e-commerce or complex logged-in features usually want a different setup.
Heavily dynamic content. Booking systems, member portals, and live data may need more than static can give.
If you outgrow it. We'll tell you plainly — and help you move off a static setup cleanly when the reasoning makes sense.

If you are not sure, show me how the site is edited now and who needs to use it. I will tell you which setup fits. If a move is needed, I can handle the content and redirects so useful pages do not disappear.

What you get from me

The aim is a site your organisation understands, not a new dependency.

Built properly, handed over

I design and build the site, then show you how to update its text, images and pages. You leave knowing what it is made of.

Lights-on hosting

I host it on Cloudflare for a small ongoing fee that covers keeping it online. The cost is agreed up front.

Hands-on or hands-off

You can run it yourself, ask me to make changes, or move between the two as your capacity changes.

SEO & AI visibility, in-kind

Page structure, metadata, performance and the evidence search and AI systems need are part of the build.

Migration either way

I can move you off a slow CMS or into one when your publishing needs grow, with the content and redirects handled properly.

Scoped to your budget

The build is priced as a project and sized to the actual brief. Grassroots organisations can ask about concessionary rates.

Built this way

Real, live examples — including the site you're on right now.

scocic.uk

Sheffield City Opportunities CIC

A fast, expressive site for a Sheffield CIC running breaking, mural and community arts projects, with its support routes and live programmes built in.

Visit site →

getcited.uk

Cited

This site is also a static build on Cloudflare. The style preview above is part of the same set of plain files.

Explore the site →

What does the site need to do?

Tell me who needs to use it, who needs to update it and what is wrong with the current setup. I will tell you whether static fits and what it would cost.

Get in touch Ask about a free consult