Static Versus Dynamic Websites
There are many different ways of creating websites, but they fall into two main categories: Static, and Dynamic.
Static Websites
Static websites have pre-built pages that always look the same and have no user interaction except for their links. Each page is individually created "at the factory". Links and menus are carefully built in to form a complete site. Static sites can be created by home users with products like Frontpage. They often look clunky and amateurish, although with sufficient skill it is possible to create beautiful static sites. Professional web designers use products such as Dreamweaver and can usually achieve better results than home users.
The problem with static sites is that despite being simplistic, they still require some technical expertise to create and maintain, and they become more difficult to manage as they grow. For example, adding a new page would require altering the menu links built into all the pages. Adding photos is tedious work, and adding more advanced features like a slide show is difficult. Web designers will charge for any changes, severely limiting your ability to grow the site and develop your business.
When you order a static website, you have one chance to define your content, and any changes after that are going to cost you.
Dynamic Websites
The alternative to a static site is a dynamic site, so-called because it is literally built dynamically "on the fly", as people visit the pages. The words and pictures (known as "content") are managed online through an administration interface that is easy to use once you know a few basic concepts. No special technical knowledge or software is needed to add or change content. The system builds the pages automatically as visitors request them.
Systems that do this are called Content Management Systems, or CMS for short, and put the business owners in direct control of the content. You control every word, picture, link, and menu option. You can add, remove, and change whatever you like, whenever you like, as often as you like, with no technical knowledge, and at no cost.
With a CMS, you don’t set up each individual page. The look and feel of the site (the "template") is setup by a technical specialist, and then the business owners can create, edit, and publish content without any technical involvement at all. The CMS takes care of building the pages, menus, and links.
The advantages of a CMS are obvious: You can add, edit and update content as frequently as you want, either because you just changed your mind about the wording, or to take advantage of seasonal demand or current news items.
So Why Should You Choose a CMS?
You couldn’t possibly think of all your content all at once. You couldn't possibly give all the right words and pictures to a web designer in one go. A website needs to evolve over time; you need to be able to add content as you think of it, reflect on it; change it, and reorganize it as it grows. Websites need to grow, evolve, and improve gradually over time. The pictures have to be taken when the light is right, or the trees are in bloom. The words have to come from you when the time or the mood is right. Sometimes you just have to see the words on the finished page to know that they need some slight adjustment.