My day usually starts by reading the New York Times with a nice hot cup of coffee. While millions of people still rely on the good old black and white every day, it is the perfect example of a static media. Once it is printed a newspaper can no longer be changed, its type has been set and one will simply have to wait until the next edition to receive the "latest news" even if it has broken minutes after the paper has been delivered to your doorstep. Similarly, once a static website has been published it too will not change until the next edition; whenever the webmaster or someone familiar with HTML, or Flash edits the content.
Simply put, a static website is the most common kind of web page on the Internet. It's a collection of individual HTML pages written in the HTML language. When a user looks at a website with a browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Netscape, Safari, Firefox, etc.), the browser is able to follow the instructions presented to it in HTML to make a website look a certain way. A site that is "static" can only supply information that is written into the HTML and this information will not change unless the source code is changed. That is, if the user were to reload a static website, they would see the exact same content every time. If you wanted to amend a page on a static site, you would have to edit the actual page and this would usually be done by your Web Designer.
A static website is best suited for companies with either little or no reason to have a website that requires its content to be updated or you want to low cost solution to establishing a web presence. The difference between a static and a dynamic website is that with a static website the content exists on the pages whereas on a dynamic site, the content is delivered from a database onto a page template. As a result, static sites are smaller.
In contrast, a "dynamic" website is one whose content is regenerated every time a user visits the site. A dynamic website uses programming in addition to the layout to not only allow the flow of data in and out of the site but to make meaningful relationships with the data. A dynamic Web page contains content that a user can interact with, such as information that is tied to a database. The user can request that the information, such as ticket availability or airline flight data, be retrieved from a database. With a dynamic web site, the pages are created "on the fly" to present the information because all of the contents of the site are held in a database. This means if you want to update the contents of the site, all you need to do is update the database.
Administrative PortalsA dynamic site will usually have a password-protected administrative area, where with a little instruction and the correct authorization, a member of your company can add or edit pages of your site. Dynamic websites can also empower their owners with the ability to upload information, images, files, etc. on their own. One would not require knowledge about HTML or websites design to update or maintain such a site.
This really depends on a number of factors:
StaticSometimes, the best solution is often to use both techniques. Parts of your site that are unlikely to change regularly can be made static to help keep costs down. Parts of your site that are likely to change frequently can be made dynamic, which you can easily update using a password protected admin area on the web.
Dynamic websites are not without their challenges: good programmers are harder to find than good designers often requiring one or more people to be involved in the design of a dynamic site.
Static sites usually cost a little less to build, but cost more to maintain as it needs to be done by an expert. While a dynamic website typically cost more because of its complexity, it can be a more cost effective solution in the long run. A dynamic website is the most effective solution for sites with content requiring frequent updates and/or interaction with the visitors.
In addition to the budget there are several other factors that will determine if you need a static or dynamic site. What purpose will your site serve? If you are a relatively small business or the services and products that your provide are few and/or simple to explain then a static website could suffice your needs. On the other hand if you have a large inventory of products and/or services then you may wish to empower your customers with the ability to search through your inventory based on their selected criteria with a dynamic website.