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We receive a lot of enquiries which relate to peoples conceptions that a website is built up of a number of html pages: you click on the link to the page and it appears on the computer screen.
This is logical and also true, but it implies perhaps, the misconception that for instance if you have two hundred products you would have a page designed for each product and thus the size of your website is over 200 pages and every time you need another product you have to have another web page designed and links to that page applied to all other relevant pages on the site.
We have also seen examples of this and thus it is true that this exists, but it is incredibly expensive and time consuming.
This is where an online database comes into play. A simple scenario would be to design a page and within that page identify certain areas where common information would be displayed i.e.
- Product Image
- Product Description
- Price
- Number of products available
The next step is to create a database where the product name, description, picture, price and availability can be input and then link this data to the page.
So, in effect the database would then use the same single page to display any of the products in the database.
The database can have as many products in it as is required, but you only have one page.
So, what are the pro's and cons of a data driven website versus a website with a dedicated page designed for each product or service?
Well, if you intend to have a limited number of products and the information associated with each of the products or services is unlikely to change, it may well be that the non database website (Static) is for you and it will also allow you to have custom built pages for each product and that is absolutely 100% OK.
With a datadriven website you have much more potential and flexibility
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PRODUCTS - You can add as many products as you like, you can change content associated with each product, price, description, size, colour, you can create product categories and sub categories.
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CUSTOMISED PAGES - You can have pages designed for each category to ensure individuality.
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DYNAMIC CONTENT - You can have pages that have the product or service displayed, but also allow banners to be incorporated and changed as required also.
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SEARCH - You can do a search on your product range within given parameters i.e. you could search for any product within a price range or you could do a keyword search on the title or description of your products - this is great for site users as they can access information quickly and accurately as opposed to perhaps giving up and seeking the answers elsewhere on the internet.
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SCALABILITY - Typically a data driven website allows "bolt Ons" in that you want to add an additional service or product to the website. An example would be perhaps if you wished to add an option to guarantee the products you were selling for an additional period of time- this would be a simple option within a datadriven website.
This scenario relates to products and dwells perhaps too much on retail websites, however the same principle applies to website features such as News features, FAQ's, articles, personnel and more.
If you have reached the conclusion that we are a tad enthusiastic about datadriven websites, then you would be right, because they make life so much easier IF and that is the question: if this relates to your requirements.
We can wax lyrical about design too and design and datadriven websites can go hand in hand but that is another subject.
Just in case you were wondering, the answer is YES. This article is sitting in a database and to be a bit more specific it was written on a Sunday afternoon in the South of France.
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