One of the most common worries about leaving WordPress is comments: “If I go static, do I lose years of discussion under my posts?” You don’t have to. Here’s how comments work on a static site, how to bring your existing WordPress threads along, and how to keep accepting new ones.
First: your old comments are already in the export
When you export your WordPress content, the XML file includes your existing comments — author names, dates, and text, attached to each post. So the history isn’t trapped in the database; it comes with you. The question is just how to display it on a site that has no database.
Two parts: old threads vs new comments
Think of it as two separate jobs:
- Preserving existing comments. The cleanest approach is to bake the imported threads straight into the page’s HTML at build time. They render instantly, need zero JavaScript to read, and — because they’re real text on the page — they keep contributing to your SEO. Your discussion history is preserved exactly, just as static content.
- Accepting new comments. Since there’s no database to write to, new comments come from a lightweight third-party service embedded on the page. The popular choices are Giscus (free, backed by GitHub Discussions, spam-resistant) and Disqus (turnkey, but heavier and ad-supported). (Full comparison: Disqus vs Giscus.)
That combination gives you the best of both: your old conversations stay visible, and readers can still leave new ones.
What about SEO and spam?
- SEO: baked-in comments are plain HTML, so search engines read them like any other content — often better than a JavaScript-loaded WordPress comment widget.
- Spam: static sites have no comment database to flood, and tools like Giscus gate posting behind a GitHub login, which kills most spam without a plugin.
How ZeroPress handles it
As part of the move, ZeroPress sets up a commenting system (Giscus or Disqus) for new comments, and your existing comments are safely preserved in the export so they’re never lost. (Here’s how the import works; pricing.) Full end-to-end import of your old threads baked into the static pages is in progress — on the near-term roadmap. Either way you keep your discussion history and an unhackable, database-free site.
Check your site first
The free migration checker tells you in seconds whether your site can go static — comments and all — with no login required.