Static vs dynamic websites
When it comes to creating your website, you’ll face an important decision: choosing between a static vs dynamic website. This choice will affect how your webpages are stored and delivered to users in their browsers. Let’s take a closer look at these website structures.
Static websites
A static website is a collection of pre-written webpages that are displayed as published. These sites aren’t interactive, meaning the material on each page remains the same until manually updated. The information and appearance of static websites remain consistent for all viewers, regardless of their browsers, locations or devices. Often, businesses opt for static websites to establish a simple online presence, as they are cost-effective without requiring server-side processing in multiple languages.
While static webpages can’t take input from users, they can still contain animations and clickable elements like hyperlinks or navigation buttons. This makes them a popular choice for portfolio and catalog sites.
Nifty Hero is an example of a static website. It displays text, images and navigation links that direct visitors to other pages.
Dynamic websites
Dynamic websites are more flexible and user-friendly. They can change information and appearance based on several factors, including the time of the day, visitor’s location, language preferences, past interactions with the site or device type. With these sites, the web server processes data in real-time to generate customized pages for each visitor. Dynamic websites can interact with users through forms, surveys, quizzes and other interactive factors that require server-side processing.
This makes dynamic websites most suited for eCommerce business, social media, ticket booking and forums. These sites also allow individuals to set up accounts, login and access personalized information or services.
Amazon.com is a popular example of a dynamic site. Its front page shows product recommendations to visitors based on their locations, purchases and search history.
