09/24/2001- BusinessWest
If you're considering creating a new website, or redesigning the one you have, there are two questions you should answer before any work begins:
- How often will your content change?
- Who should do the updating?
For a basic marketing website that
provides general information that won't change often, it's probably
best to go with a "static" website - one that your developer can update
on an as-needed basis, perhaps a few times a year. A static
website is less expensive to produce, and will most likely fit your
needs just fine.
However, if you anticipate information on your site changing on a
regular basis - press releases, new product info, pricing, etc. -
then you should strongly consider going with what's known as a data
driven Web site. A data-driven website has many advantages over a
static site. The most important is that it allows you, the Web
site owner, to make changes any time you want - all without having to
rely on a developer or knowing HTML programming.
Here's a list of the key advantages of going with a data-driven Web
site. Before you decide if this is the way to go for your business, you
should sit down with your developer to analyze the options and
determine if this is the right solution for you.
Content Control:
A static website requires a programmer to make updates. This adds
an unnecessary layer of communication between you and your web content,
which can lead to misunderstandings and slow turnarounds for desired
changes.
You should have direct control over your site's content. A
well-structured, data driven website will enable you to take control of
updating your site with little or no training. By using
password-protected, content management tools, you can quickly and
easily update your Web site's content.
Future Expandability:
Having a data-driven solution will enable your Web site to grow much
easier than would be possible with a static site. Should you
decide down the road to make changes to the layout, display and even
the functionality of the site (adding more features and sections), you
could do it much more easily with a data-driven solution.
Minimizing Human Error:
Even the most competent programmer charged with the task of maintaining
many pages by hand will overlook things and make mistakes. This will
lead to bugs and inconsistencies that can be time consuming and
expensive to track down and fix. Unfortunately, users who come
across these bugs will likely become irritated and may leave your
site. A well designed, data-driven Web site will have "error
trapping" mechanisms to ensure that required information is filled out
correctly, and that content is entered and displayed in its correct
format.
Cutting Production and Update Costs:
A data-driven website can be updated and "published" by any competent
data entry or administrative person. In addition to being convenient
and more affordable (since you will be able to make most common changes
yourself), changes and updates will take a fraction of the time than
they would with a static site. While training a competent
programmer can take months or even years, training a data entry person
can be done in 30-60 minutes.
Data-Driven Is More Efficient:
By their very nature, computers are excellent at keeping volumes of
information intact. With a data-driven solution, the system keeps
track of the templates, so that you don't have to. Global changes to
layout, navigation or site structure would only need to be programmed
once, in one place, and the site itself will take care of propagating
those changes to the appropriate pages and areas. A data-driven
infrastructure will improve the reliability and stability of your Web
site, while greatly reducing the chance of "breaking" some part of the
site when adding new areas.
Improving Stability:
Any programmer who has to update a website from "static" templates must
be very organized to keep track of all the source files. If a
programmer leave unexpectedly, it could involve recreating existing
work if those source files can't be found. Plus, if there were
any changes to the templates, the new programmer must be careful to
only use the newest version. With a data driven website, you get
peace of mind, knowing your content is not lost - even if your
programmer is.
So if you, or someone in your organization, are thinking about
creating a new Web site, consider going with a data driven
solution. It could save you time, money and hassles down the road.
Jason Mark is the President of Northampton-based Gravity Switch, an
award-winning Internet and multimedia firm. You can reach Gravity Switch by phone: [413] 586-9596, by fax [413] 582-9987.
