Good web design is in the eye of the beholder. Design aesthetics can vary based on your brand style and personal taste.
But bad web design can be a revenue-killer. One of the most important designs you’ll make when choosing your website design is deciding between static and dynamic websites.
Take a look at these 7 tips on how to choose which website is right for your business.
1. Reliability
With dynamic websites, database errors can prevent sites from loading. Static HTML sites rarely have this issue.
You can host HTML files just about anywhere like on a CDN. If there’s an attack on the server, the static website redirects to the next closest node.
Dynamic websites might be down for hours if an issue arises. This can hurt your website’s search engine ranking.
User experience is an important part of Google’s search algorithm. Your website needs to be top quality in order to make it to the first page of search results.
You want search engines to find your content with ease which is impossible if the website is down for hours at a time.
2. Easy to Update
Static websites require a knowledge of HTML, but dynamic websites don’t require any expertise or computer coding skills. You can change the template yourself skipping the need to call your developer each time there’s a problem.
Good SEO is all about keeping your content relevant and updated. You can’t do this if you need coding help every time you need to add content to your site.
What if you want to start a blog or manage a contest online? Dynamic websites allow you to simply click ‘new post’ when you’re ready to fill in a new blog post template.
You can publish on your own schedule automatically or manually getting the same professional look as when your designer first created the template for the site.
Static websites are different in that each page is its own separate entity. You don’t make a change and it automatically flows into a central database of content.
3. Speed
If you’re looking to avoid high bounce rates, a static website might be the way to go. A bounce occurs when a user visits your website but leaves quickly without visiting any other pages.
This is bad for marketing because it means losing a potential customer before you have an opportunity to make a meaningful connection. Slow loading times are one of the biggest reasons for high bounce rates.
Dynamic websites are slower to load than static websites. Choose static websites if you’re looking for a website that can load within a couple of seconds.
Most visitors won’t wait around much longer to watch your pages slowly come to life. Static websites will offer more meaningful traffic than a slow loading dynamic website.
4. Functionality
When it comes to functionality, static and dynamic websites are neck and neck. Gone are the days when online stores required the use of a dynamic website in order to get access to the technology features you needed.
Static websites are now fully capable of handling e-commerce functionality with tools like Magento and Snipcart.
Snipcarts dashboard allows static websites to track sales and product inventories. The Snipcart API integrates well with third-party shipping providers as well as inventory management software.
5. Security
Static websites have fewer dynamic plugins making the chances of code injection much lower. The more CMS plugins you use in your dynamic website the higher the chances of adding potentially malicious code.
On a static website, Javascript and APIs handle any dynamic functions which basically eliminates the chances of getting hacked. Keeping your website up to date is one of the top ways to avoid security issues.
According to WP White Security, around 70 percent of websites are vulnerable to hacker attacks if they aren’t well maintained.
6. Speed to Launch
Do you need your website to be launched as soon as possible? If the answer is yes, then a dynamic website might not be the best solution for you.
Dynamic websites include complex technologies that can take time to design and program. Static websites are relatively simple to code and launch making them a better choice when you are in a hurry.
7. Interactive
The biggest disadvantage of static websites is they aren’t interactive. Dynamic websites have a major advantage of looking more professional and being more interactive than static sites.
Dynamic websites understand user behavior adjusting to fit the user’s commands as they interact with each page. The pages look more professional because the site will include a uniform design across pages.
For example, the color scheme, fonts, and layout of each page have already been created by a developer making your site look more uniform. Static websites are helpful when you need each page to have very different functionality and style.
Most small businesses are better served by one style of branding on their websites.
Static and Dynamic Websites
Choosing between static and dynamic websites isn’t always as straightforward as it might seem. Static websites are built for a specific function that doesn’t always translate well into a dynamic website.
Dynamic websites are far more complex in their initial setup than static websites. But the time you spend setting up the site on the front end saves you hours of time on the back end.
You’ll need only a few minutes to add new content to your site. When it’s time to change the color scheme or font style, you can easily do this through your CMS.
Static sites make great documentation sites like with the IRS or university extension websites. These types of websites don’t need external databases that will increase load times unnecessarily.
If you decide to go with a dynamic website, expect to pay far more than you would with a static site. But if you need a dynamic, interactive site, the long term investment is worth it for your business.
For more information on how to get started with your next web development project, contact us today.