It has just been brought to my attention that website X is significantly faster than website Y. So website X achieves 100% speed almost everywhere and website Y is "snore slow".
Then I took a closer look at the two websites:
Website X is a static website.
Website Y is based on a CMS and is a dynamic website.
Such a comparison is like comparing apples and oranges. There is no other way to put it.
Why a static website?
Why do people still create a static website these days? In my eyes, you only do this if you have too many customers and no other goals with a website. There are still many static websites. But if you take a closer look, they are about 12 years old and do not have an SSL certificate, and some of them lack an imprint and data protection. And we're not even talking about cookie information. So much for my observation.
However, there are also static websites that do not have these deficits and are simply "fast".
Advantages of static websites
- Static websites do not place great demands on hosting. Only static content is provided. Server-side scripts do not have to be executed. Static websites are therefore "fast". A content management system (CMS or "dynamic website") cannot be compared to this speed.
- Security: unbeatably secure. Since no scripts are executed. Nevertheless, there is a residual risk. If the FTP account is hacked, then even a static website is no longer secure.
Disadvantages of static websites
- Inflexible
- It's hard to change web designers. Who still creates static websites these days? Plus point for the agency that produces these websites. Static websites are a Customer loyalty guarantor. Very few web designers can create static websites by hand. (static web pages created with a generator are also slow: keyword "spaghetti code").
Why a dynamic website?
Why have CMS systems or dynamic websites become established in recent years? Quite simply. Because people want more. Website operators want to remain flexible and be able to expand their website with a variety of functions.
Advantages of dynamic websites
- Flexibility. Expandable at any time.
- Design: easily adaptable to different output media.
- Depending on which CMS is used, search engines can be addressed directly.
- It is easy for the website operator to add content independently.
Disadvantages
- If the systems are not maintained, then such websites are very vulnerable to hack attacks. The better known the CMS is, the more vulnerable it is.
- Dynamic websites are usually slower than static websites because scripts are executed.
The latter disadvantage seems to be the all-embracing disadvantage these days, especially since Google has announced an important update for May 2021, in which the speed and thus also the user experience of websites will play a very large and also a very important role. See also our Post SEO Trends for 2021 Part II.
Core Web Vitals and Content Marketing
But anyone who reads these Core Web Vitals carefully will also notice that content will remain the unbeaten favourite. In short: those who deliver important and interesting content will continue to "stay in the race".
Search engine ranking criteria
There are several hundred criteria for search engine ranking. The Core Web Vitals are a criterion or form a catalogue of criteria and will be given a high weighting. However, the weighting of content marketing will not be weighted less.
So how do I accelerate a dynamic website sustainably?
Quite simply. By using a content delivery network (CDN). See also "Fast hosting with CDN“.
Conclusion
I myself started creating websites by hand with a text editor in 1996. That was very time-consuming. Programmes like Dreamweaver made the procedure easier. When the link address of a page was changed, Dreamweaver, for example, took over the task of updating this link in the entire website system. That was very comfortable. I also learned to write CSS by hand.
In the beginning I was against everything that was automatic. Against a CMS, against automatically created CSS and so on. Those who still learned all this by "hand" were initially against these "automata" or "automations". But there was no way around it and today I am very glad that I looked at everything.
You cannot say that a static or dynamic website is "good" or "bad". There is no "black" and no "white".
The question is what I want to do with the website in the future. If I want to use the website as an active sales tool, then I think the answer is clearly that a dynamic website is very well suited for this. If I want a website for pure presentation without any other function, then a static website should be chosen.
