We have encountered static and dynamic websites in today’s fast-moving world. This post will help you to understand the difference between static and dynamic websites.
Static Website
Static websites display the same content and design for all users, regardless of how often they visit the website. The term static refers to fix, not changeable or movable.
Static websites are easy to create and often written using HTML and CSS. You can use any simple text editor (like Sublime, Notepad++, or Notepad) to write HTML and CSS code. You can also add all kinds of elements, like videos, images, and multimedia, to a static website. Nowadays, you will also find static websites using JavaScript for animation and effects.
You can interact with the static website using hyperlinks and filling form fields (like a contact form).
Pros:
- Rapid Development
- Easy to design
- Fast loading (on a browser)
- Flexible – each page of the website can be different in the layout if needed.
- No knowledge of the database & web programming required.
Cons:
- Not scalable – for any update, you need to change the source code of the website.
- Non-Functional – doesn’t respond to user actions.
Dynamic Website
Dynamic websites are functional. They allow users to interact with the information present on the website. Dynamic websites respond to user actions. Content on a dynamic website keeps on changing. For example, users get a different result when they click the Google Search button after entering the textbox query.
Dynamic websites depend very much on server-side scripting/programming like PHP, java, ASP, etc. These programming languages help your website to interact with the database. Dynamic website also uses HTML and CSS for design, which will act as a template. At the same time, server-side scripting helps pour the content into the designed template.
You need strong technical skills in server-side scripting to design and develop a dynamic website. You would also need an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for writing code.
WordPress, Joomla & Drupal are a few very popular CMS (Content Management System) that you can use to design a dynamic website.
Pros:
- Rich user experience
- Easier to maintain in the long term
- Scalable -you can add new content (text, image, and multimedia) and products without changing the source code.
Cons:
- It takes longer to build, depending on the functionality and features you want.
- Fixed Design template – As server-side scripting is pouring the content into these templates, any change in these templates may lead to errors.
- High Cost
What should you choose?
If you are looking for a 3-5 page informative website, you must go with a static website.
Go for a dynamic website if you need frequent changes in your website’s content at regular intervals. The dynamic website would also give you features or add new pages to your website. You can also write blogs that will help you promote your business insight over various social media platforms.