A static site is one that is written in HTML only, and does not have regular changes done to it. Each page is a separate document and there is no database involved. What this means functionally is that the only way to edit the site is to go into each page and edit the HTML - therefore, you may wish to take advantage of our hosting and maintenance package, unless you have an HTML editor and can do the changes you require, yourself.

A dynamic site is written using more complex code and can do a lot more. For instance, it can have sections where you, as a user, can log in and change information, post news, photos, polls and information on the products you are selling. This is because each page is constructed based on the information in a database, and the information in that database can be changed via another interface. Information is updated on your site in real time. There is no delay waiting for your webmaster to make your changes for you.

Dynamic sites can reduce ongoing maintenance costs if you want to change things yourself. They usually cost more to develop, as they require more complex coding and a content management utility needs to be developed to help you manage your website information. However, they are user friendly and you do not need any special software to be able to update your website, simply a browser and an internet connection.

Another benefit of dynamic sites is that they allow you to change only the content of the site and not the design, so you will not be able to accidentally break the visual style of the site. They have other benefits when sites start to get very large, as they make data management much more efficient and your site more expandable.

Many clients do a combination, having some dynamic areas such as a product catalog where they have to change information or pictures regularly, and leave other pages such as contact information as static pages.