website development
There is a common misconception that content managed websites are better than static websites. The reality is that static websites are faster, offer greater design flexibility, are better for SEO and are frequently cheaper to maintain.
Just in case you were wondering... static sites are much better for animation!'Static' refers to the way the site is maintained rather than how animated its content is!
Here's a list of pros and cons to help with the choice.
Static |
CMS |
|
Design |
Very flexible | Entry level CMS require simple layouts |
| Each page can look different | Each page is based on pre-developed layouts | |
| Greater control over animated effects like sliding/fading images etc. | Animated effects can be awkward to maintain | |
Development |
Shorter production schedule | Longer production schedule |
| Adding a search bar is awkward | Easy to add a search bar | |
| Can integrate with many tools including mailing lists, forms, social media | Extensive functionality available | |
Speed |
Faster | Slower |
Hosting |
Easy to change hosting provider | Complex to change hosting provider |
| Easy to back up website | More awkward to back up website | |
Maintenance |
Best maintained by a professional | Pages based on existing layouts can be maintained by site owner |
| Quicker to create new layouts | Slower (more costly) to create new layouts | |
SEO |
Best option for SEO (search engine optimisation) | SEO is compromised |
Initial Price |
Lower development costs | Higher development costs |
Summary:
Static sites are better for:
Most small to medium sized websites
Sites that require many layouts
Sites that require the most control over SEO
Sites that involve a lot of graphics
CMS sites are better for:
Blogs
Large websites with few variations in layouts
Highly interactive pages