Tools
I develop static websites using the Eleventy SSG and CloudCannon CMS - a powerful, flexible and user-friendly combination for creating and managing websites.
CloudCannon CMS
A Content Management System
CloudCannon is a breath of fresh air when it comes to editing your website. No more jumping into an admin panel that looks more at home in NASA’s control room!
CloudCannon acts as the friendly interface between you and the static site files (from pretty much any static site generator, not just Eleventy). The admin is customised so that all the editable fields you need for that page are available - and nothing more. Editing becomes a breeze not a chore.
I can't emphasize enough how good CloudCannon is for both developers and non-techy site editors.
Eleventy SSG
A Static Site Generator
With a static site generator like Eleventy, pages are pre-built, so the server only needs to serve files—fast, simple, and secure. There's no database or server-side code involved and a lot less moving parts.
HTML, CSS & JavaScript
The nuts and bolts
To keep the code bloat down and performance up, I like to spin up my own vanilla javascript components for things like modals, tabs, accordions and sliders.
I don't want to reinvent the wheel though, so using tools for specific tasks (like the GSAP animation library for silky animations and transitions) is just the bees knees!
Web builders
Why not use Squarespace, Webflow, Wix, WordPress...?
These are great tools for getting a website up and running quickly, especially for skilled designers or developers. However, they are generally a lot more complex under the hood than a static site. This can lead to poor site speed, security, flexibility and ease of maintenance.
Often there's a one-size-fits-all editor that's packed with functionality but overwhelming for non-tech people. CloudCannon provides a much more tailored editing experience, giving you only the editable fields or blocks needed for that particular section.
What about AI?
Can AI build my website?
Yes... but with some caveats.
Current publicly available AI is based on Large Language Models (LLMs), trained on vast amounts of existing data. LLMs pattern match and look at probabilities to determine the output. Powerful stuff, but AI can get important things wrong. It won't know it's wrong - and you won't necessarily know it either.
I use AI assistance to help me write code and provide design ideas. But I still understand the nuances and context of that code, the AI doesn't. At least not yet.
Is a static site right for my business or organisation?
A static site is a great fit for many small to medium-sized business websites, portfolios, blogs and documentation sites. Lets talk about how it can work for you.