Static Sites vs WordPress: Wrapping Up and What's Next - Part 10

When I started this series, I had one simple goal: to rebuild my personal blog in a way that felt secure, fast, and sustainable. What began as a technical reboot turned into something bigger: a chance to reflect on how I write, publish, and share ideas.

Now that the foundation is in place, it feels like the right moment to wrap up this series and look ahead to what comes next.

Previous posts in this series:

• Part 1: Static Sites vs WordPress: Rebuilding My Personal Blog After a Hack
• Part 2: Choosing the Right Static Site Generator
• Part 3: Hosting My Static Site
• Part 4: Analytics Without Breaking the Bank
• Part 5: My Content Workflow (Powered by Cursor)
• Part 6: Designing and Customizing the Blog
• Part 7: Security by Design
• Part 8: Should I Monetize?
• Part 9: Driving Traffic - My Next Step

Looking Back at the Journey

This series documented the step by step process I went through, from walking away from WordPress to setting up Hugo and Netlify. Along the way, I made decisions about analytics, workflow, design, security, and even whether or not to monetize.

Here’s a quick recap:

Static Sites vs WordPress
Why I left WordPress behind after two hacks and chose a simpler, safer path.

Choosing Hugo
The reasons I landed on Hugo as my static site generator: it was fast, simple, and fit naturally into the tools I already use.

Hosting on Netlify
Why Netlify’s free tier, speed, and GitHub integration made it the perfect hosting option.

Analytics Without Breaking the Bank
Why I stuck with Google Analytics despite the trend toward lighter tools: it’s free, powerful, and didn’t hurt performance.

My Content Workflow (Powered by Cursor)
How drafting in Notes or ChatGPT, then refining in Cursor, gives me the best of both worlds.

Designing and Customizing the Blog
Why I started with a clean Hugo theme and customized only what mattered: clarity, simplicity, and personal touches.

Security by Design
How static sites eliminate entire categories of attacks, giving me the peace of mind I never had with WordPress.

Should I Monetize?
Why I’m keeping the blog clean and ad-free for now, focusing on writing and authority first.

Driving Traffic (My Next Step)
My forward-looking plan: SEO basics, consistent publishing, repurposing content, and engaging with readers.

Lessons Learned

A few themes stand out across all these decisions:

Simplicity wins — The fewer moving parts, the better. Hugo + Netlify + GitHub gave me speed and security without complexity.

Tools shape habits — Drafting where I’m comfortable (Notes, ChatGPT) and editing where I’m precise (Cursor) makes me more likely to write.

Security matters most when it’s invisible — By design, the static setup avoids entire categories of vulnerabilities. It doesn’t add work to my plate; it removes it.

Authority is the long game — This blog isn’t about short term clicks. It’s about building a voice, one post at a time.

What’s Next

This series was about the mechanics of blogging: how I rebuilt the site and why I made certain decisions. Going forward, the focus will shift.

I’ll be writing more about the areas where I spend most of my professional energy:

Software engineering and architecture — Real world lessons from building large systems and managing complex projects.

AI and its impact — From coding workflows to product innovation, exploring how AI is reshaping the industry.

Engineering leadership — Lessons from managing teams, balancing strategy with execution, and scaling organizations.

Side projects and experiments — Sharing what I learn as I build and test SaaS ideas, tools, and products.

The blog is no longer just a place to host posts. It’s becoming part of my broader professional presence: a place to explore, teach, and connect.

Thank You

If you’ve read through this series, thank you. Your time and attention are the most valuable things you can give, and I don’t take that lightly.

This reboot wasn’t just about moving away from WordPress. It was about creating a sustainable way to share ideas again. And now that the foundation is solid, I’m excited to move on to the next series and the next set of topics.

Series Overview

If you want to catch up or revisit any part, here’s the full series in one place:

1. Static Sites vs WordPress: Rebuilding My Personal Blog After a Hack
2. Choosing the Right Static Site Generator
3. Hosting My Static Site
4. Analytics Without Breaking the Bank
5. My Content Workflow (Powered by Cursor)
6. Designing and Customizing the Blog
7. Security by Design
8. Should I Monetize?
9. Driving Traffic: My Next Step
10. Wrapping Up and What’s Next (this post)

Final Thoughts

This series was about rebooting. The next will be about building forward.

If you’re considering your own blog reboot, I hope this gave you both inspiration and a practical roadmap. And if you’ve been following along, stay tuned: the best part of this journey is still ahead.

Series navigation:

• Part 1: Static Sites vs WordPress: Rebuilding My Personal Blog After a Hack
• Part 2: Choosing the Right Static Site Generator
• Part 3: Hosting My Static Site
• Part 4: Analytics Without Breaking the Bank
• Part 5: My Content Workflow (Powered by Cursor)
• Part 6: Designing and Customizing the Blog
• Part 7: Security by Design
• Part 8: Should I Monetize?
• Part 9: Driving Traffic - My Next Step
• Part 10: Wrapping Up and What’s Next (this post)

Thank you for following along with this series! What’s your experience with blog reboots or static site generators? I’d love to hear about your own journey and what you’re planning to write about next.