Most websites today run on a content management system (CMS) like WordPress. Every time someone visits, the server runs PHP code, queries a database and pulls in plugins and a theme to assemble the page. It’s flexible, but every one of those moving parts needs updates, and each one is another door someone could try to open.
A hand-coded HTML website works differently. We design your site, then write the HTML, CSS and JavaScript ourselves. Visitors receive finished pages, so there’s no database, no admin login and nothing running on the server to slow things down. Pages load almost instantly, and there’s very little for hackers to target.
The website you’re reading right now is built this way. It’s our favourite approach for businesses and organizations whose content changes every few weeks rather than every day.
Most hacked websites aren’t targeted by name. Automated bots crawl the internet looking for known weaknesses in popular platforms: an outdated plugin, an old version of PHP, an unpatched theme or a login page with a weak password. When a flaw is found in a popular plugin, thousands of sites can be exposed overnight.
A hand-coded HTML website doesn’t have most of those weak spots. There’s no PHP building your pages, no database to inject code into, no admin login to guess and no plugins waiting for a security patch.
Security still matters: your hosting, domain, email and contact forms need protecting. That’s why these websites are hosted with us. We keep the server hardened and updated, the SSL certificate renewed, the backups running and the forms protected from spam.
There’s no dashboard to log in to. Instead, you send us your changes (new text, photos, a new team member or an updated price list) and we make them for you, usually within one or two business days. It’s like having your own web team on call.
Small edits are billed at our hourly rate or covered by the edit time in our maintenance plans. With no plugins, themes or CMS updates to apply, ongoing care takes far less time than a WordPress site, which keeps costs down year after year.
If you’ll be posting several times a week, running a large online store or need members to log in, we’ll recommend WordPress or an e-commerce platform instead.
Every project gets a custom quote at $100/h + HST. Hand-coded websites require a CryoDragon hosting plan, since we keep the source code and publish every update for you.
Hand-Coded Custom Website · −273.15°C
Example cost of a 5-page site: $8,250 + HST
Required Website Hosting
A static HTML website is crafted line by line, so planning matters. We agree on every page and feature up front, then design and code it carefully for speed, accessibility and search.
You’ll work directly with Craig and Brenda from the first conversation to the final file. No account managers, no outsourcing, and no surprises on your invoice.
Phase 1 · Map every page
We learn about your goals and audience, then map out each page and how visitors move between them. We also agree on how updates will work after launch.
Phase 2 · Design from scratch
We design custom wireframes and mockups for your approval. With no theme to work around, every layout is made to fit your content and brand.
Phase 3 · Hand-code it
We write clean HTML, CSS and JavaScript, then test on phones, browsers and screen readers. Pages are built with schema markup and fast loading in mind.
Phase 4 · Launch and look after it
We publish your site on our secure Canadian hosting with SSL. From then on, you send us changes and we make them, usually within a business day or two.
Every website is either static or dynamic, and the difference decides how it’s built, how fast it loads, how you update it and how much care it needs. We build both, and we’ll always recommend the one that fits how you work.
Pages are finished files, written in HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Nothing is assembled when someone visits, so pages load almost instantly and there’s very little to hack. Updates are made by us. Best for websites whose content changes every few weeks. See our Absolute package.
A content management system (CMS) builds each page from a database when it’s requested. That makes it easy for your team to log in and edit pages, publish blog posts, run an online store or offer member logins, but the software needs regular updates and maintenance.
For dynamic websites, WordPress is our CMS of choice. It’s open source, so you’re never locked in; it’s easy for non-technical people to use; it has the largest ecosystem of tools; and it handles stores, memberships, bookings and multilingual sites. Learn more about our WordPress development.
A hand-coded HTML website is a great fit when your content doesn’t change every day and you value speed, security and low maintenance over editing pages yourself. Professional firms, clinics, consultants, research groups, trades and local businesses are often ideal candidates.
With no database, no plugins and no admin login, there’s far less that can go wrong: no weekly plugin updates, and no risk of an update breaking your layout. If you need many people editing content daily, an online store or member logins, WordPress is usually the better choice, and we’ll say so.
Search engines reward websites that load quickly, work well on phones and have clear, well-structured content. Hand-written code gives us complete control over all three.
One clear H1 per page, logical headings and meaningful markup that search engines and screen readers understand.
Lean pages score well on Google’s measures of loading speed, responsiveness and visual stability.
Structured data tells Google about your business, services, reviews and FAQs.
Modern WebP images, sized for every screen and lazy-loaded below the fold.
Static HTML websites don’t come with an editing dashboard, so updates are made by us. Most clients find this easier: send us an email with what you’d like changed and it’s done. If your team needs to edit content daily, a WordPress website may suit you better.
We hold the source code and publish every change, so the site needs to live on servers we manage. It also means one team looks after your code, hosting, security, SSL, domain and backups, with nothing falling through the cracks.
The build usually costs a bit more than a template-based site because everything is designed and written from scratch. Over time it often costs less: there are no plugin licences, no theme updates and much less maintenance.
It has far fewer ways in. Without PHP, a database, an admin login or plugins, the most common causes of hacked websites simply don’t exist. Your hosting, forms and domain still need protecting, which our hosting takes care of.
Yes. Search engines love fast, clean, well-structured pages. We include page titles, descriptions, schema markup, a sitemap and accessible headings, and we can add ongoing SEO if you want to climb further.
Yes. Contact and quote forms, galleries, maps, videos, animations and embedded booking or newsletter tools all work well. Features that need user accounts or a large product catalogue are better suited to WordPress or Shopify.
Yes. Once the project is complete and paid for, the website and its code are yours. If you ever decide to move on, we’ll hand over the files.
Absolutely. We can rebuild your existing site by hand, keep your page addresses or set up redirects so you don’t lose your Google rankings, and retire the old plugins for good.
You send us your changes by email and we make them, usually within a business day or two. Small updates are billed at our hourly rate or covered by a maintenance plan.
Yes. We can add a blog section that we update for you, or set up a simple publishing workflow if you post often.
Yes. We hand-code every page to WCAG 2.0 Level AA standards, which helps you meet AODA requirements in Ontario.
Absolutely. We can add pages and features over time, or move to a content management system later if your needs change.
