Interactive graph
Static Site Client Scope
Table of Contents
Static sites fit text and images on git push - not live databases or mystery WordPress admins.
Key Concept
- Scope the sales call before I quote Selling Static Sites - say no to bad fits in the room, not after deposit.
- Good fits: portfolio, org brochure, small business presence, project docs, blog where owner learns Git or pays retainer.
- Bad fits: e-commerce you host, member login, booking engines, five daily non-technical editors with no retainer.
- Redirect honestly to Shopify, WordPress, or a dynamic stack.
- Outcomes Over Pitch Decks - pick by fruit, not by what I want to sell. Before I quote, ask: who updates content and how often?
- Anything private behind login?
- Real-time database changes?
- Cart or checkout I must host?
- What if I am unavailable a month?
- Two or more dynamic yes answers → not this stack.
- Plain Commitments at Work: say no in the room, not after deposit.
- Updates that still fit static: owner learns Git via Client Site Pass-Off retainer batches.
- Git-Based CMS when buttons beat terminal.
- Seasonal pages, external embeds (donate link, Formspree, Calendly) - site stays static, tool carries the dynamic part.
- Minimum Effective Dose: smallest site that solves the job - do not force Hugo where WordPress was honest.
Level 1 - Recognize
Static site client scope is deciding which website jobs fit the static stack before you name a price.
Level 2 - Explain
Text and images on git push fit; live databases, member login, and five daily non-technical editors without retainer do not.
Level 3 - Use
Ask who updates content and how often on the first sales call - two or more dynamic yes answers means not this stack.
Level 4 - Connect
Because saying no after deposit wastes leverage, filter bad fits in the room while you can still walk away.
Level 5 - Create
Redirect honestly to Shopify or WordPress when needed - Plain Commitments at Work says no face to face; Outcomes Over Pitch Decks picks by fruit.
Examples
- Glad cafe owner got menu page plus link to existing delivery app when online ordering was out of scope.
- Gym wanted class schedule from booking SaaS - embed the vendor widget; static shell around it was fine.
Note Relationships
| Relationship | Wikilink | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| contradicts | There Is No Perfect Solution | when I take a bad-fit job because saying no feels awkward |
| extends | Free Tier Hosting Stack | Scope matches what the static stack can actually carry |
| extends | Git-Based CMS | Middle path for non-Git editors without full WordPress |
| extends | Minimum Effective Dose | Smallest site that solves the job - not static forced onto dynamic needs |
| extends | Outcomes Over Pitch Decks | Pick stack by what the client needs to produce, not my preferred tool |
| extends | Plain Commitments at Work | Clear yes/no on scope before deposit |
| extends | Selling Static Sites | Defines what I sell before I quote a build |
| implements | Client Site Pass-Off | Scope note names the boundary - pass-off is how you finish passing the site to the client |
