How I build websites
Why your site runs on Cloudflare — not WordPress
Most web designers reach for WordPress because everyone knows it. I reach for what actually makes your site fast, secure, and cheap to run — then tell you honestly when WordPress is the right answer instead.
The honest bit most won't say
WordPress powers 40% of the web. It's also, for most small Irish business sites, significantly more than you need — and that overhead costs you every month in hosting, maintenance, and page-load time.
Cloudflare vs WordPress
Faster, safer, cheaper hosting for your Irish business website
I build websites on Cloudflare's global network instead of WordPress — so your site loads almost instantly across Ireland, has nothing to hack, and costs next to nothing to run.
WordPress is the default most web designers reach for because everyone knows it. But for a typical small business site it's slow by design, needs constant security updates and plugins, and racks up monthly hosting and maintenance costs. A fast, static site avoids all of that — and faster pages rank better on Google through Core Web Vitals.
Not sure which is right for you? Tell me what you're trying to do and I'll give you a straight answer — even if that means recommending WordPress, Shopify, or something other than what I build. No jargon, no hard sell.
No obligation · same-day reply
Get a straight answer
A quick line about your current site or what you're planning. I'll tell you the honest best approach.
Speed
Loads almost instantly — everywhere in Ireland
There's no server generating a page on the fly, no database query to wait for. The page is already built and sitting on Cloudflare's global network — 300+ locations worldwide. It loads from a server near your visitor, almost instantly, every time.
WordPress sites load from a single server. They run PHP, query a database, assemble a page, and then send it. Every. Single. Time. Even with caching plugins, you're fighting against the architecture. Google sees slow sites. Your customers leave.
Speed is a ranking signal
Google ranks fast sites higher. Full stop.
Core Web Vitals are a direct ranking factor. A slow WordPress site with bad LCP and CLS scores is being penalised in search results right now. A fast, static site starts with a structural advantage that plugins can't replicate.
How ranking works
Security
Nothing to hack — because there's nothing to get into
WordPress sites get hacked constantly — not because WordPress is poorly built, but because the attack surface is enormous. PHP running on a server. A database with credentials. Dozens of plugins, each one maintained by different people, each one a potential vulnerability.
A static site has none of that. There's no server to compromise, no database to dump, no PHP to exploit. The files are just HTML, CSS, and JavaScript sitting on Cloudflare's infrastructure. There's simply nothing there to attack.
- No PHP — nothing executing on a server
- No database — no credentials to steal
- No plugin vulnerabilities — no plugins
- No "your site has been hacked" 3am email
Running costs
Costs almost nothing to run — no monthly surprises
A typical WordPress setup for an Irish business costs €20–€80 per month: managed hosting, SSL certificate, a backup plugin, a security plugin, a caching plugin, maybe a page builder licence. That's before anything breaks.
Cloudflare Pages is free for most sites. Your domain costs around €15 a year. That's it. Your money goes on the work that actually brings in customers — not on keeping the lights on.
WordPress typical monthly cost
€30–€80/mo
- Managed hosting
- Security plugin
- Backup service
- Caching plugin
Cloudflare Pages monthly cost
€0/mo
- Hosting: free
- SSL: free
- CDN: free
- No plugins needed
Built properly from day one
No plugins. No patches. No monthly drama.
The businesses that spend the least time worrying about their website are the ones that had it built right in the first place. Clean code, fast hosting, nothing to maintain.
Side by side
Cloudflare Pages vs WordPress — the honest comparison
Including where WordPress still wins.
| Factor | WordPress + shared hosting | Cloudflare Pages (how I build) |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Often slow by default — needs plugins + tuning to fix | Instant, globally. Built on 300+ data centres. |
| Security | Constant updates, plugin vulnerabilities, regular hacks | No database, no PHP, nothing to exploit. Static. |
| Monthly cost | €20–€80+/mo: hosting + SSL + backups + plugins | Cloudflare Pages: free to €25/mo. No surprises. |
| Uptime & reliability | Dependent on one server — can go down | Cloudflare's global network. 99.99% uptime. |
| Google ranking (speed) | Slow WordPress hurts Core Web Vitals scores | Fast sites rank better. This is engineered for it. |
| Maintenance | Ongoing: plugin updates, backups, security patches | Near zero. No plugins, no database to maintain. |
| Lock-in | Can move, but it takes effort and export/import faff | Your code, your domain, your content. Take it anywhere. |
| When WordPress wins | Complex CMS, e-commerce, user logins, forums. Real reasons. | Most business sites don't need any of that. |
The honest bit
When WordPress is actually the right answer
I'd rather lose a project than build the wrong thing. There are genuine cases where WordPress (or Shopify) is the correct tool:
- Real e-commerce with a shopping cart and checkout
- Membership areas or user accounts
- Forums or community features
- Complex multi-author publishing workflows
- Booking systems with real-time availability
If you need any of those, I'll tell you — and point you toward the right approach. For the other 90% of Irish small business sites, the faster, cheaper, more secure option is what I build.
Tell me what you needBuilt for Irish businesses
Fast enough to rank. Simple enough to own.
Every site I build loads almost instantly, costs almost nothing to run, and belongs entirely to you. No monthly fees, no lock-in, no surprises.
See what I buildCommon questions
Questions about how it's built
Can I update my own content without a developer?
Yes. For most small business sites I build in a simple content layer so you can update text, images and prices yourself. If your site is mostly static (opening hours, services, location), you'll rarely need to.
What if I already have a WordPress site?
That's fine. If it's working, we keep it. If it's slow, insecure, or costing you too much to maintain, I'll tell you honestly whether a rebuild is worth it — and what you'd gain. Sometimes it isn't worth it.
Is this harder for Google to crawl than WordPress?
No — it's actually easier. There's no JavaScript framework for Google to wrestle with, no slow server to wait on. Clean HTML, fast load times, and proper structured data. Google loves it.
What about WooCommerce / online booking / membership sites?
For real e-commerce or complex user-login stuff, WordPress (or Shopify) is often the right tool. I'll tell you that honestly rather than trying to shoehorn the wrong solution.
Can I switch hosting providers later?
Yes, completely. The code is yours. The domain is yours. Cloudflare Pages is free to leave. You're never locked in.
