Static and Dynamic Websites
Static Websites
A static website is normally used to advertise a business, entertain visitors or provide information. Static websites consist of hard coded html pages with fixed content and graphics applied to make them appear visually interesting. Brochure and one page websites are examples of static sites
They may also have limited intelligence, such as a contact form that sends message details to a script that runs on the web server and some roll over effects on the menus, but they are essentially dumb. The little extras mentioned above can be used to make the site appear more interactive than it actually is and good graphic design can set the appropriate mood and tone to suit the image you want to present
Costs for Static Websites
Cheaper initially but you will want to tweak and update the site often. Having the ability to change your design is important because little design changes can affect website traffic - even changing the page layout and colours may affect the success rate of a website. Continuous improvement is needed
There are loads of professionally designed website templates available for under $100 and you could give instructions to a web designer on the changes you want or you can do it yourself. The main skills needed are HTML and CSS for the page design and layout. Stock images can be acquired at very low cost to boost the design
Dynamic Websites
Dynamic sites mean business and are more powerful, intelligent and flexible because they are complete applications that are powered by a database. Decisions are made based on choices entered by the user. A search engine is a type of dynamic website because the server processes search criteria and returns a list of pages matching the query
Airlines are an example of dynamic websites for business. Users search the database by inputting a choice of dates, times and baggage weights etc. and the web server then asks the database if the chosen flight is available. The cost of the flight is calculated based on the choices, a record of the transaction is recorded in the database and an electronic boarding pass is emailed to the customer. The database records can be used later to generate business reports for accounting, marketing, inventory management and so on
A blog is also a type of dynamic website that is used for self publishing. All the articles and posts you create are stored in a database and as the blog owner you can easily manage changes to the content and design any time you like. Most of the functionality is at the back end in the form of administration pages whereas the public only see a user interface that is limited to searching and replying to blog posts
Most types of dynamic website can be bought as complete scripts that you install on a web server. Most hosting companies have pre-installed dynamic scripts for E-Commerce, Photo Galleries and Blogs.
Costs for Dynamic Websites
Initially expensive because the site it is uniquely tailored to your business goals. There is a lot of thinking and planning required to get it right but it might be one of the best investments you ever make, especially is it gives you an edge. Custom dynamic websites are one off designs and are chosen by serious business people who realise the long term value proposition
