Our Guide to Static Websites (Examples + Limitations) (2024)

Static websites are the foundation of the internet, thanks to their simplicity and speed.

According to Hosting Tribunal, out of the 2 billion websites that exist online, only about 400 million are active.

They're ideal for web development beginners or anyone who wants a fast, secure, and reliable online presence.

In this Pineapple Builder guide, we will look at various static website examples and explain why you might want to think about alternatives to static websites.

Let’s get started.

What Is a Static Website?

A static website consists of pre-built files that contain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These files are delivered to visitors’ browsers without any server-side processing or database. Any “dynamic” features of the static site are handled by the client side, which means the code runs in visitors’ browsers instead of on the server.

In simple terms, this means that your host sends the website files to visitors’ browsers as they exist on the server. Every visitor receives the same static file in their browsers, which means they have similar experiences and see the same content.

Static websites are a practical option for projects with basic needs and limited resources.

3 Static Website Examples

1. Ruby on Rails

The Ruby on Rails website is a comprehensive, reliable, and user-friendly resource for anyone interested in learning about or using the Ruby on Rails framework. It follows many of the best practices for static website design.

Firstly, it provides comprehensive information about the framework, like its features, capabilities, and how to get started. It also showcases real-world examples and case studies that can help users understand the benefits and applications of the framework.

Secondly, it has a clean and professional design that enhances the user experience. The homepage’s layout is straightforward yet highly effective. It uses whitespace along the margins to direct the visitor’s attention towards the page’s center. That’s where Rails on Rails turns its focus to the copy.

The headlines are catchy and stand out through their bright red color while clearly describing the platform’s benefits. The supporting copy follows the same format—it’s emboldened, concise, and strikes a perfect balance between being informative and engaging.

Third, it has a clear and easy-to-navigate structure that allows users to find the information they need quickly and efficiently. It's also regularly updated with the latest news and updates about the framework, ensuring that users always have access to the most current and relevant information.

Ruby on Rails also includes a long-form video tutorial beneath the main headline. This gives users a glimpse into how the platform works and encourages them to try it for themselves. The video also aims to get visitors engaged, leading to increased dwell times and decreased bounce rates.

2. Bootstrap

The website is a guide to Bootstrap, a responsive framework that helps developers create websites that look and function well on different devices. It explains what Bootstrap is, how to use it, and what features it offers.

The website is easy to navigate, with a clear layout and a navigation bar that links to different sections of the site. Its interactive elements include navigation buttons and hyperlinks. It also has a dark mode selector and uses icons for the social media account redirection buttons.

The site also has a clean and modern design that uses a consistent color scheme and typography. Bootstrap’s website mainly consists of text without animations or many visual elements. This simplicity results in faster loading speed, since smaller website files are quicker to download.

3. TwitchCon

Twitch uses Jekyll (a simple, blog-aware static site generator) to create its annual convention event website. The website provides the essential details about the event, like when and where it will take place. Users can easily grasp the main idea of the website and the event without being overwhelmed by too much information.

The website has a simple and intuitive design, with a clear layout and navigation. It's primarily composed of text, icons, and promotional videos. Users can effortlessly find the information they need, like the schedule, the speakers, the sponsors, and the tickets.

The website has a bunch of interactive buttons that work like hyperlinks. These buttons not only take you to other pages on the site but also send you to Twitch's blog and main website. It's a seamless integration that gives users access to a ton of info without leaving Twitch.

Now, let's talk about how the website looks. It's got this cool color scheme that matches the Twitch brand, and the images are top-notch. They really show off the event and the community. All of this makes for a great user experience that's engaging and visually appealing.

Here's something interesting: the static website for the annual convention doesn't have a ton of pages. That's because all the general info about Twitch is on the other two websites—the blog and the main site. By keeping the static website light and simple, Twitch makes sure it loads super fast.

Limitations of Static Websites

While static websites are good for certain situations (like the ones mentioned above), they're limited in a few key areas.

Let’s quickly look at the limitations of a static website:

1. Limited Scalability

One of the biggest issues with static websites is that they aren’t easy to scale. If you want to add new content, you have to manually update the HTML and CSS code. This can be time-consuming, especially if you don’t have any coding skills.

For use cases where the content is predetermined (e.g., event websites) and unlikely to change, static websites are perfect. For business websites where content is dynamic and ever-changing, static websites are a poor choice.

2. Lack of Interactivity

Static websites also lack features for user interaction—things like accounts, social logins, content sharing, and payment integration. These features are essential for many web applications (e.g., e-commerce stores, membership communities, etc.) and aren’t available on static websites.

In contrast, active websites like the ones Pineapple Builder provides have the ability to support all kinds of interactive features.

3. Time-Consuming Updates

This point is similar to the first one—updating a static website is more cumbersome and time-consuming than updating an active website. Even small changes to your branding will require updating all of your pages manually.

In contrast, an active website allows you to make changes more quickly and easily, since most of the content is managed in one place.

Some active website builders like Pineapple Builder even let you edit websites and web pages conversationally. Our AI Designer lets you describe the changes you’re looking for in natural language, and then transforms that into code. This makes it much easier to keep your website up-to-date without any coding knowledge.

4. Limited Features

Static website builders and generators tend to be light on features for things like SEO, analytics, and social media. With an active website builder like Pineapple Builder, you can easily take advantage of these features without any coding knowledge.

We have built-in tools for generating SEO-friendly blog posts, optimizing pages for SERP rankings, tracking visitors, and much more. Plus, you can connect your website to other tools in your stack to add in functionalities like scheduling, pixel tracking, and more.

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced web developer, Pineapple Builder has the features to make your website stand out.

5. Limited Customization

Finally, a static website cannot offer you the same level of customization as an active website. With a static site, you are limited to only using HTML and CSS code to customize your site’s appearance and layout.

An active website, however, will provide you with access to more advanced features like databases, dynamic content, e-commerce solutions, and form builders. For example, Pineapple Builder allows you to build a membership community by collecting emails through simple web forms and storing them in connected database tools.

All of this would be impossible on a static website.

Gain the Benefits of Static Websites Without the Flaws

Static websites are simple, straightforward, and efficient. But unfortunately, that comes at the cost of customization and powerful features. With Pineapple Builder, you can have the best of both worlds—an active website that’s simple to build, fast, and full of features that allow you to customize its look, feel, and layout.

Get started for free and see what Pineapple Builder can do.