Three Gaits: JavaScript Website Rebuild vs WordPress
Overview
During the Three Gaits website refresh planning session, Mark and Jolie aligned on rebuilding the site in JavaScript rather than continuing with WordPress. This decision was made in the context of a full site rebuild — not a theme update — and was reinforced by the fact that an AI-generated prototype had already produced working JavaScript code as a natural starting point.
The Decision
Rebuild in JavaScript, not WordPress.
The decision emerged organically: the AI mock-up tool generated a working JavaScript prototype of the homepage during the meeting itself. Rather than translate that into a WordPress theme, the team agreed to use the generated code as the foundation and build forward from it.
"Another thought — we're rebuilding the Asymmetric site and we're also building some other sites, but I'm building them in JavaScript instead of WordPress. And so it's like this right here is already kind of built, right? You can just say, okay, let's start with this and add on to it."
— Mark Hope
Rationale
| Factor | Detail |
|---|---|
| Performance | JavaScript sites are faster and lighter weight than WordPress |
| Maintenance | Eliminates WordPress plugin management and associated security/compatibility issues |
| Starting point | AI prototype already generated working JS code, making it the natural foundation |
| Expertise tradeoff | Requires more developer expertise, but Asymmetric has that capability in-house |
SEO Preservation
A key concern with any full rebuild is losing search engine ranking. The mitigation strategy is straightforward: preserve all existing URLs.
- The About, Programs, Volunteer, and other page URLs will remain identical
- No redirects needed; the same paths serve the new content
- SEO equity accumulated on the current WordPress site is retained
"I think it's going to be just as easy to rebuild your website because we'll use the same URLs, like the About URL, the Program URL, the Volunteer URL. So we won't lose any SEO, but we can completely rebuild."
— Mark Hope
Implementation Approach
- Start from the AI prototype — the homepage mock-up generated during the strategy session serves as the design and code foundation
- Iterate page by page — homepage first, then Programs, Volunteer, About, and a potential new Capital Campaign section
- Design team handoff — once the prototype is approved by Jolie, it goes to the design team for formal design concepts using the prototype as a spec
- URL parity — maintain all existing paths throughout the build
Related Context
This decision is part of a broader website strategy shift toward emotional storytelling and dual conversion architecture (recruit participants + raise funds). The technical platform choice supports that goal by enabling a cleaner, faster experience without the constraints of WordPress page builders.
See also:
- [1]
- [2]
- [3]