Keep the architecture light.
Use semantic HTML and ordinary CSS first. Add a framework only when the interactions or product complexity make it worthwhile.
Small site, solid foundations
Best practices for a site that stays simple.
A straightforward website can be fast, accessible, secure, and easy to own. The goal is not to add more technology; it is to remove avoidable friction.
Foundational habits
Do the basics well.
These are good defaults for a small marketing or publishing site built with plain HTML, CSS, and a little JavaScript.
Design for every screen.
Use responsive layouts, readable line lengths, useful tap targets, and test the navigation on a narrow screen—not only on a desktop.
Make accessibility the default.
Use landmarks, a logical heading order, labels for form controls, visible keyboard focus, useful link text, and sufficient color contrast.
Protect performance.
Keep images sized appropriately, avoid unnecessary libraries, minimize blocking scripts, and use caching defaults unless measurements show a problem.
Make each page understandable.
Write a unique page title and description, give visitors a clear next step, use descriptive headings, and link related pages together.
Make maintenance predictable.
Keep page structure consistent, share styles and scripts, track source changes in Git, and remove stale content instead of letting it linger.
Before launch
One pass through the essentials.
Use this checklist before publishing and whenever you make a meaningful change.
- Every navigation link works on every page.
- The site works with a keyboard alone.
- Headings follow a sensible hierarchy.
- Pages are readable on phone-sized screens.
- Titles and meta descriptions are unique.
- Images have useful alt text, or are decorative.
- Contact details and business information are verified.
- No demo copy, broken links, or placeholder data remain.
- JavaScript-disabled browsing still exposes core content.
- Deployment output contains a top-level index.html.
- Security headers are configured where appropriate.
- A custom 404 page helps visitors recover.
Put the basics to work
Small surface area. Strong fundamentals.
For this site, a static HTML/CSS structure is enough. You can add a content system later if publishing needs outgrow the simple workflow.