Why my site runs on neither WordPress, Webflow nor Framer

I build light, clear, fast sites for my clients. It would have been awkward for mine to be a heavy theme stuffed with plugins. Here is why I hand-coded it, and when that choice is wrong.

My site is entirely coded in HTML and CSS. No CMS, no visual builder, no subscription. This is not purism: it is a direct consequence of what I sell.

A choice, not an accident

When you call yourself a designer and front-end developer, you may as well prove it in your main tool: your own site. Semantic structure, modular CSS, minimal JavaScript. The site is not a shop window, it is a silent demonstration of the method.

The four reasons

• Code modularity. Every line is optimized and controlled. No imposed theme, no superfluous plugin adding three dependencies for one button.
• Evolution. I evolve the code at my own pace, without depending on a tool, a subscription or a closed ecosystem. The day a vendor triples its pricing or drops a feature, it does not concern me.
• Eco-design. Few requests, no useless scripts, minimal footprint. Less weight also means better ranking.
• An experience designed, not generated. Every interaction and animation is decided, not inherited from a generic template.

Add accessibility, built in from the start rather than patched afterwards: contrast, keyboard navigation, a coherent heading structure.

Hand-coding is not refusing tools. It is refusing to let a tool decide what my site is allowed to become.

Is it the right choice for you?

Let us be honest: not always. This choice assumes someone masters the code and handles maintenance. For a client publishing several articles a week who wants autonomy over content, a well-configured CMS remains the right call, and that is what I recommend then.

The real question is not the technology, it is dependency: what happens the day the tool changes its rules? If the answer is a total block or a costly migration, the choice deserves a second look.

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Frequently asked questions

Should every site be hand-coded?

No. For a publishing-heavy site where the client must be autonomous, a well-configured CMS fits better. Bespoke suits demonstration, conversion or performance-critical sites.

Is a hand-coded site hard to evolve?

Quite the opposite, if the code is clean and modular. What is hard to evolve is a theme with fifteen plugins layered on top.

What is the real gain?

Fewer requests, less weight, better SEO, built-in accessibility, and above all no dependency on an ecosystem that can change its rules or its pricing.