Think you need a backend? Think again. With the huge number of plugins, apps and services you can drop into static sites, there’s not a lot you can’t do.
There’s no hiding it, we love static websites. They’re simple, easy to maintain and super fast. Not everyone shares our slightly obsessive point of view though. The main reasons we hear for not using static websites are:
Non-technical users can’t update static websites easily. This is a problem we’re working hard to solve at CloudCannon.
I can’t do this without a backend. With the huge number of apps and services you can drop into static websites there’s actually not a lot you can’t do with static websites.
Today I’m rounding up the best of these services.
Capture email addresses and send periodic newsletters.
Build communities by allowing your visitors to post comments on your website.
Add contact forms without having to do any backend coding.
Chat directly with visitors.
Simple e-commerce is possible on static websites.
Get feedback by adding a survey to your site.
Full search capability for static websites.
Even full backends with authentication are available for static websites.
Analyse what visitors are doing on your website.
Content you can drop into your static websites.
Flickr
SoundCloud
Ted Talks
Spotify
Slideshare
SpeakerDeck
Vevo
Vine
Codepen
Wolfram Alpha
Youtube
Google Maps
Vimeo
Wistia
Sketch FabAs you add more JavaScript to your website it's worth tracking any errors that arise.
This is only scratching the surface of the apps and services available for static websites.
What services have I missed?
MailChimp
Campaign Monitor
AWeber
Sendicate
MailerLite
Disqus
IntenseDebate
Facebook Comments
LiveFyre
FormKeep
Formstack
Wufoo
Jotform
Brace Forms
Zoho
FormSite
Olark
Zopim
SnapEngage
LiveChat
SnipCart
PayPal
Gumroad
Stripe
VHX
TypeForm
SurveyMonkey
PollDaddy
Google Forms
Qualaroo
Swiftype
Kimono Labs
FireBase
Hull
Parse
Clicky
CrazyEgg
Kissmetrics
Mixpanel
Segment
Hubspot
Optimizely
Heap
Gauges
NewRelic
Errorception
GetSentry
Raygun