Static websites for businesses with a limited budget

On the internet you mainly get two kinds of websites. Static, and dynamic. 

What is a "static" website?

A static website is a website that doesn't change often. Once or twice a month at most. These websites consist out of a separate web page file for each of the pages. So, chances are, if there are 5 pages, then there are 5 .html files (that excludes things like images and style sheets, etc.)

And what is a "dynamic" website?

A dynamic website is one that can easily be changed, and more often than not, they are database driven, and coded in a language like PHP or ASP.

For example, take a website like www.kalahari.net - this is definitely a dynamic website. They have thousands of products that they sell, now imagine the logistical nightmare if each of those products had it's own html file - it would practically be impossible to keep the website up to date!

They probably have a whole interface that their developers have created for them to use when they want to make changes to the content on the website. The content is typically stored in a database, and they would use a language like PHP or ASP to get the data out of the database, and display it on the web page.

Dynamic websites also offer some features that static websites don't, for example, a search function, or maybe a currency converter. Even something like a photo gallery, or the ability to generate invoices, etc.

Who should get a static website?

If you have a small business, with a limited budget set aside for marketing, then a static website may just be a good way of getting yourself an online presence. A static site can be as cheap as R3000, so it is definitely a cheaper option.

You can almost think of a static website as a brochure. It would typically have some information about your business on the homepage, info on services or products, and then contact details.

What are the costs for a static website?

Here is a table with costing for a static website:

Here is an example:

A three page website, with a tracker and only one design option, as well as hosting, would costs:

To accommodate more clients, we offer the option to pay for their website over 3 or 6 interest free installments (note: this service is only available for clients hosting their website with us. If a payment is missed (without arranging with us first), we will suspend the site, and there is a re-activation fee of R145).

If you have existing hosting elsewhere, and are willing to move your hosting over to our servers, we would give you your first year's hosting for free.

So, feel free to contact us if you are interested in a static website.