Astro.js Platform Development: Content Sites with AI Features Built In

Performance & Core Web Vitals

• Minimal JavaScript shipped = sub-second page loads
• Targets 90-100 Lighthouse scores via best-practice SEO (3rd-party scripts may vary)
• Excellent Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS)
• 3-10x faster than Next.js SSR for content sites
• Static generation = instant page transitions

SEO & discoverability

• Pure HTML = Google crawls instantly
• No client-side routing = better indexing
• Built-in sitemap and RSS generation
• Structured data and schema markup
• Semantic search adds AI-powered discovery

Developer experience

• MDX native = content in version control
• Framework-agnostic islands (React, Vue, Svelte)
• TypeScript strict mode enforced
• Hot module replacement = fast dev cycles
• Simple mental model = easier to maintain

Cost & hosting

• Low-cost hosting (Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare Pages)
• No serverless function costs
• CDN distribution included
• Instant rollbacks and previews
• Far cheaper than heavy SSR hosting

Can Astro handle interactive components?

Yes. Astro's islands architecture lets you hydrate interactive React, Vue, or Svelte components only where needed. For example, an AI chat widget can be a React island while the rest of the page stays static HTML. You get interactivity where it matters without shipping JavaScript everywhere.

How do AI features work without serverless functions?

AI features (search, chat, RAG) require server-side logic. We handle this three ways: (1) serverless functions on Vercel/Netlify for real-time features, (2) static generation at build time for semantic search indexes, or (3) external API calls to dedicated AI servers. You get production AI without compromising Astro’s performance benefits.

Can we migrate from WordPress or Ghost to Astro?

Absolutely. We export your WordPress/Ghost content as Markdown, map taxonomies to Astro content collections, preserve SEO metadata and URL structure, and add redirects for any changed URLs. Most migrations take 2-3 weeks including content cleanup and testing. You keep all your Google rankings while gaining 5-10x faster page loads.

What if we want a headless CMS instead of MDX files?

Astro integrates seamlessly with headless CMSs like Contentful, Sanity, Strapi, or Payload. Your marketing team gets a visual editor while we keep Astro’s performance benefits. Content updates trigger rebuilds (usually under 60 seconds), and you can preview drafts before publishing. CMS integration and setup is scoped separately during planning.

How does Astro handle dynamic content or user-specific pages?

Astro excels at static content. For user-specific pages (dashboards, login flows, personalized feeds), use Next.js instead. Many startups use both: Astro for marketing/docs (yoursite.com) and Next.js for their SaaS app (app.yoursite.com). We can build hybrid setups where each tool plays to its strengths.

What's the hosting cost for Astro sites?

Netlify, Vercel, and Cloudflare Pages all offer low-cost tiers that cover small to medium sites. Paid plans remain minimal for custom domains, increased bandwidth, and team features. Static sites avoid serverless function invocations, keeping hosting spend far below SSR stacks.

Can you add e-commerce to an Astro site?

For simple product catalogs (<100 products), yes—we can integrate Stripe, Snipcart, or Shopify Buy Button. For complex e-commerce (inventory, shipping, taxes, customer accounts), use Shopify or a dedicated platform. Astro works best for content-first sites; trying to build a full e-commerce backend in Astro defeats its purpose.

How do we update content after launch?

Two paths: (1) MDX files in GitHub—edit files, commit, auto-deploy in 60 seconds. Perfect for technical teams comfortable with Git. (2) Headless CMS—visual editor for your marketing team, content updates trigger rebuilds. We document both workflows and provide training if needed. Most technical founders prefer MDX; most marketing teams prefer a CMS.