Short answer: A code based website is built directly in code, without WordPress, Elementor or other page builders. It loads faster, has fewer security holes and needs no plugins that have to be updated. It suits almost every small business that wants a fast site that shows up in Google and AI search, as long as you do not want to rebuild pages yourself every week.
How is it different from WordPress?
A WordPress site builds the page the moment someone visits. The server pulls text from a database, runs plugins and assembles the page. Often a page builder like Elementor loads on top, with its own scripts and stylesheets.
A code based site does that work once, when it is published. The result is finished files sent straight to the visitor. There is no database to hack and no plugins going stale.
| WordPress with a page builder | Code based website | |
|---|---|---|
| How a page is made | On every visit, from a database | Once, when published |
| Plugins to update | Often five to twenty | None |
| Typical load | Many files and scripts | Few files, almost no scripts |
| Security | Login, database and plugins can be attacked | Only finished files on the server |
| Edit it yourself | Easy in an editor | Through whoever runs the site |
What happened when we switched?
We measured our old WordPress site before rebuilding augebitur.com in code. Same test for both: home page, desktop, no cache.
| Old site (WordPress) | New site (code) | |
|---|---|---|
| Files loaded | 104 | 15 |
| Scripts | 46 | 2 |
| Data downloaded | 1.65 MB | 0.15 MB |
| Plugins | Elementor, Elementor Pro, Rank Math, Site Kit, Cookiebot | None |
How we do it: We build with Astro and Claude Code. Claude Code writes and tests the code, we design, review and answer for every line that goes live. The whole site lives on GitHub and is published automatically through Cloudflare whenever we make a change.
Why does speed matter?
A fast site is better for the visitor, and the visitor is what Google and AI services care about. Google measures loading and stability with Core Web Vitals. AI services like ChatGPT and Perplexity read pages with their own crawlers, and a page that is complete right away, without waiting for scripts, is easier for them to read.
It shows most on mobile, where most of your customers are, often on a weaker connection.
When does a code based website fit?
It suits you if you:
- want a site that loads instantly and shows up in Google and AI search
- would rather email a change than log into an editor
- are tired of updates, plugin conflicts and security warnings
- want to skip the cookie banner for your analytics
- want the site to get a little better every month
It suits you less if you have your own web editor building new page layouts every week. Then a regular content management system is simpler.
What happens to my old site and my rankings?
Rankings carry over if the move is done right. Every old address that changes should send visitors on to its new match with a permanent redirect (301). When we moved augebitur.com we added 56 of those redirects. Read more in the guide on moving a website without losing Google rankings.
What does it cost?
A code based website does not have to cost more than a WordPress site. The build is quick with Claude Code, and running it is cheap with no plugins to pay for. With us it costs from €99 a month with hosting, SEO and small changes included. The guide on what a website costs explains how to compare a one off price with a monthly price.
