In addition to guest posting on the UpCity blog, Directlime Development is featured as one of the Top Web Designers in Philadelphia. Check out their profile here.

New technologies have made an impact on our lives, and have forced every industry to evolve. In a decade, web development has made significant progress and it keeps growing in intensity, providing developers with huge room for new ideas and implementation. Today’s websites advanced to a new level: they have become interactive and dynamic. It seems that it might put a good old static website in the shadows. But some still believe that a static website will come out of the shadows and will leave a dynamic website far behind. Our web design studio, Direct Line Development, will review the advantages and disadvantages of such websites and identify which one is more flexible for search engine optimization.

Static Website

For a start, let’s find out what a static website is. In most cases, a static website means that you can print out its web pages and they will visually retain their functionality, except for hyperlinks. The main advantage of such websites is low prices and simplicity of development. As for load speed, a static website is the boss. Due to lack of database, all information is displayed to users directly from the server, which requires less time, while elements of a dynamic website are stored in a database and it takes more time to access them.

Process of displaying data on a static website.

Process of displaying data on a dynamic website

These sites can become the best solution for small firms and agencies that want just to establish their online presence and give information to users.

Well, disadvantages overshadow all positive elements that a static website has. What is the most important thing on any website? Content. Updating content on a static website can become a pain in the neck for those who are not familiar with HTML-coding and it can be considered as the weakest side of such a site by them. Simply put, to update or change content on your static website you need to call on a developer, if, of course, you don’t know HTML-coding basics.

Here is an example of HTML-code. If you are not familiar with it, managing content on the site will be a real challenge.

More often than not, the content of these sites remains the same for a long period of time, which means that it has a negative impact on rankings in search engines. If you can’t advance your website via its content, you should pay for it in order to see your website on top in search listings. If it is well-optimized initially, it will be on top for several weeks or even months but providing keen and tough competition is a hard mission  That is why static websites are great for any business as a trial step into the web world and should be considered as a temporary solution.

Dynamic Website   

In contrast, a dynamic website can be written in PHP, Java, Python, etc. and has a variety of interactive elements. There are two types of interactive elements that can be distinguished: front-end scripts and back-end scripts.

Front-end scripts are codes that a browser can interpret and determine how to display a certain element on the page. In the simplest terms, each and every element of a dynamic website front-end is responsible for what users see on the screen and how website elements react on users’ interaction with them. As for back-end scripts, they are related to a server.

Dynamic website appearance and functionality are only limited by the skills and abilities of a development team.

On the one hand, the development of a dynamic website is not what every company or firm can afford because of its high price and it is the only reason that prevents many businesses from designing such sites. On the other hand, a dynamic website has an array of advantages over a static one. Content can be easily updated or changed and you don’t have to ask for a developer to do this. You can do it yourself using a browser, you can post company news, events, contests, etc. Many web studios like Direct Line development supply their sites with CMS. It allows a website owner to manage the content in a few clicks. If you run your business online offering your services or want to have an E-commerce website, this type of website is a great solution for you.

An example of a Content Management System for a law firm website.

An example of how an administrator can easily manipulate the content by adding or removing it with the help of CMS

 An example of the same law firm website in HTML

The Bottom Line

What type of site to select is up to you and your business needs. If just having a website satisfies your business goals, a dynamic website won’t do. But if we talk about a site as a tool for your business, a dynamic website is the clear winner, despite the complexity of development and higher prices.

Today, each company strives to stand out from hundreds of competitors, build its brand, and attract as many clients as possible. From this perspective, a dynamic website is what you need: a contemporary, responsive and adaptive to all mobile devices. Yes, the development of this website is pricy but such websites will pay off in the future.

About the author

Alex Kudimov

CEO at Direct Line Development

Designer, developer and SEO specialist with more than 15 years of experience. CEO of Direct Line Development in Philadelphia, PA and Denver, CO.