Why I Moved My Agency Workflow to Hugo (And Abandoned WordPress and Next.js)

As a developer running an agency, selecting a core tech stack isn’t just about what’s trendy, it’s about balancing performance, hosting costs, security, and long-term maintenance.

For years, the default answers to building websites have been WordPress for content management or Next.js for modern, dynamic web experiences. I have built plenty of projects using both. But recently, I completely migrated my workflow and my clients’ websites over to Hugo.

Here is exactly why I moved away from the giants and why a static-site generator paired with a Git-based CMS is the ultimate setup for modern agencies.

1. The Reality Check: 9 Out of 10 Clients Don’t Need a Heavy Backend

Let’s be honest about how clients actually use their websites. The industry standard says you must hand over a massive dynamic CMS. But in reality, 9 out of 10 clients barely update their content. They don’t accept backend orders, they don’t process dynamic checkouts on-site, and they certainly don’t need a heavy database running 24/7 just to serve a services page.

Using a massive backend framework for a site that doesn’t strictly require server-side computing is pure overkill. For projects that do need minor interactive features, we have already solved half of those problems using lightweight, decoupled API implementations rather than locking ourselves into a heavy monolithic CMS.

2. The WordPress Headache: Legacy Bloat & Gutenberg Frustration

Maintaining a WordPress website is a constant, low-level headache. I grew deeply frustrated with its legacy core architecture and the bloated theme/plugin ecosystem required just to keep basic features running safely.

While the Gutenberg block editor has its merits, it is incredibly frustrating when you are trying to execute precise, custom designs. You spend hours fighting the editor, only to miss the exact output you were expecting. Sure, you can fix it by constantly relearning its quirks, but when compared to dedicated page builders like Squarespace or Wix, Gutenberg just feels miles behind in UX.

Worse yet, running a dynamic PHP/MySQL server footprint for simple business sites means higher hosting bills. As a freelancer or small agency, hosting static sites is incredibly affordable, highly scalable, and completely eliminates database management stress.

3. Next.js: From First Choice to Maintenance Nightmare

When I wanted to build modern frontend experiences, Next.js was originally my first choice. It solved what core React lacked out of the box with its brilliant directory-based routing and Server-Side Rendering (SSR).

However, it recently became a massive maintenance nightmare. When a major CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) hit the news, I had multiple client sites running live on Vercel that needed immediate security patching. I applied the recommended fixes, only for the updates to break production builds across multiple sites. I had to manually spend hours debugging dependency hell just to get my clients’ sites up and running again.

When security patches break minor portfolio websites, the ecosystem has become too complex for its own good.

4. Why Hugo is Damn Cool (And How We Power It)

Switching to Hugo felt like breathing fresh air. It is ridiculously fast, easy to structure, and leaves you in absolute control.

• Zero Bloat: You get complete freedom to include only the HTML, CSS, and JS you explicitly write. No underlying database, no ghost plugins.
• Build Once, Run Anywhere: Once Hugo compiles your markdown into static files, it can be hosted anywhere (Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages, traditional storage buckets) for next to nothing.
• The Static CMS Solution: To solve the dashboard problem for the clients who do need to edit content, we couple Hugo with powerful, flexible, open-source Git-CMS tools like Sveltia CMS or Decap CMS. The client gets a clean, lightweight UI to change text or upload images, which saves changes directly back to our repository.

The One Catch: The Git Handoff

If there is any downside to this stack, it’s the Git-based workflow. Because every content save triggers a static deployment build, updates aren’t instantaneous like updating a live WordPress database. It takes a minute or two for the static host to rebuild the site.

While it requires managing client expectations slightly, for the vast majority of SMB and startup clients, a 2-minute build delay is an incredibly minor trade-off for a website that is un-hackable, blazing fast, and costs virtually nothing to host.

Conclusion

Moving to Hugo wasn’t about downgrading; it was about optimizing. By stripping away unnecessary databases, fragile node modules, and clunky legacy editors, I can deliver websites with perfect performance metrics, bulletproof security, and zero long-term maintenance overhead.