Most small sites don't need a framework, a database of plugins, or a monthly hosting bill dressed up as a "platform." Some do — and that's the judgement call worth getting right before writing a line of code.
Where a site needs real structure underneath — user accounts, membership tiers, authentication, or data that has to persist and stay consistent — that's built properly on a real database backend, not bolted onto a template as an afterthought. Where a straightforward content site is genuinely the right fit, WordPress or Ghost get the job done without reinventing anything unnecessarily.
The starting question is always the same: what does this site actually need to do, and what's the smallest, most maintainable way to make that happen.