Interactivity is King: How to Design a Dynamic Website

Did you know that dynamic websites are more likely to convert than static ones?

Static websites characterized early internet days. These sites use mainly HTML and CSS to present every visitor with the same, unchanging content.

Dynamic websites, on the other hand, are more advanced. They fetch content based on users’ individual experiences.

Content on these sites is dynamic and data-driven. This makes for a more engaging situation all around!

It is also a lot easier to make changes to content on dynamic websites.

You can easily accelerate user engagement by creating a dynamic website. Keep reading for tips on how to do precisely this.

What is a Dynamic Website?

Dynamic websites have one intention: to make a website experience as engaging as possible. Dynamic sites adapt their content to suit the needs of specific users.

They also have elements likely to make a site more engaging, such as intake forms, online scheduling, and adaptive content.

At their core, successful dynamic websites rely on two basic things. These sites need a powerful database and the right platform.

That is because dynamic websites use data to drive each user’s experience of your website. They thus need a way to store all of this data and to easily access it when the time comes.

For that reason, most dynamic sites use a Content Management System (CMS). The most effective sites are also supported by hosting solutions that guarantee fast-loading content.

There’s a lot that goes into crafting a dynamic website, on both the technical and the content sides of things. Here are a few tips for building a dynamic website your visitors are likely to remember.

1. Take Care of the Technical Side of Things

If you are familiar with coding, you may wish to build your dynamic website from scratch. You don’t even need to be a fluent coder in order to do this.

You can even build a dynamic site with HTML and CSS alone (the ingredients of a standard static site). However, many designers recommend learning PHP, a coding language most suitable for dynamic sites.

It’s also helpful to have JavaScript, dynamic HTML content, and a back-end database like Oracle or SQL Server.

If you are nervous about taking on coding yourself, don’t worry! It is possible to build a dynamic site without having to code.

The best way to do this is to use a Content Management System (CMS).

CMSs dynamically render content for you, without your needing to input code.

The most popular CMSs out there include WordPress and Drupal. However, keep in mind that Drupal often has a steep learning curve for newbies!

We recommend going with WordPress if you wish to build your dynamic site from scratch and not have to code. (You can, however, implement coding knowledge on WP.)

It’s open-source, and it has a multitude of plug-ins that can support other dynamic elements of your site.

2. Guide Users Through Your Site

Dynamic sites keep user experience at the fore.

You can optimize each visitor’s experience on your website by implementing seamless navigation features. This may mean using a one-page website format.

These take traditional menu tabs out of the mix. When visitors navigate to your site, all they have to do is scroll through categorized content rather than clicking on individual tabs.

This content is often modeled after a sales funnel, beginning with a value proposition and ending with success stories (and a call to action).

If you don’t want to go for the one-page design, you can still incorporate dynamic homepage content designed to guide users through your site.

3. Use Responsive Design

Responsive design caters to mobile users. It ensures that the resolution of your site’s images and the content itself isn’t compromised due to small screen sizes.

In fact, responsive content adapts to fit the devices used to access your site.

Responsive design does not necessarily require specific coding knowledge. A lot of ready-made website templates are automatically responsive.

You can also install WordPress plugins–if you are using WordPress–to ensure mobile responsiveness.

Responsive design is absolutely essential if you have a lot of media on your site. It can ensure that all of your users can easily view content, images, and more, no matter the device they are using.

4. Make Your Website Functional

Dynamic websites do a lot of the work for you when it comes to user engagement. Ideally, though, you want your dynamic site to be doing all of the work for you!

Ensure that your website is functional. Yes, you are apt to have pages on your site that are purely informational.

But don’t be afraid to incorporate other functions. These should give you customer data and leave visitors with specific takeaways.

For example, a simple Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, if done right, can be vital. The same goes for informative, interactive blog posts, visitor questionnaires, and intake forms.

You may even wish to upload video blogs.

The more functional your website is, the better poised it is to deliver an engaging, memorable experience.

5. Incorporate Chatbots

Chatbots are a form of artificial intelligence (AI) designed to streamline online customer service.

Beyond this, however, they can instantly improve user engagement. Chatbots often appear within the first few seconds of a homepage visit.

That chatbot’s simple “how can I help you?” can retain a visitor on the site. It can also guide that visitor through navigation and, in the end, create a more dynamic experience.

Chatbots have the added benefit of demonstrating professionalism and authority from the outset.

6. Choose a Reputable Web Host

Technically speaking, dynamic sites are always working hard, fetching customized content for unique visitors. For this reason, make sure the web host you are using can support your CMS effectively.

Slow loading speeds can send visitors away from your site before they get a chance to experience its dynamic content.

Changing hosts can help, as well as upgrading your hosting solution. Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting, for example, is often a better choice than shared hosting, which is cheaper but often slower.