There is unlimited possibilities when it comes to designing a website. Flash, Database, content management, Client Login, etc,etc. A question to ask yourself when deciding how to do your website is:

How can I most effectively present my information to my visitors

Of course there are several things to consider like budget but I feel that when talking strictly design it is important to put your visitors as first priority as they are the reason you are building the website.

Flash - Flash I find is normally over done. It can do wonders to a site if used right, but it can also make a site look awful if not used correctly. To simply put it: If you have multimedia content on your website consider flash, if you don't: stay away from it altogether. Flash is more time consuming to develop, and it can take away a lot of important aspects from your sites like Search Engine Optimization.

Database - Adding a database back end to your site can be very useful if you are going to be storing a lot of data, or if you are going to be changing information often. If you are just simply putting a page with your contacts online, I wouldn't recommend using a database backend, again for the time that it costs to develop and especially for the minor benefit that you will see. On the other hand if you are storing all of your products online and you need the ability to update/add/delete products often I wouldn't recommend not using a database and some type of content management.

Content Management - Content management is most likely used with a database back end in which you will have a control panel that you can use to "Manage Content". Content that can be managed is anything and everything. Sample uses for Content Management are:

Managing Products – Add new and delete/edit existing

News/Journals – If you want the ability to constantly update your site with current news items or journals

Page Layout - Some more advanced Content Management systems will all you to manage all aspects of your site from the layout to the colors!


Again I stress the importance of putting your visitors first. Although you might think it would be cool to have a flashy intro and design, your visitors might find it annoying and distracting.

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About the Author
Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of Web Design Which is a great web directory and information center on Web Design and related topics like Flash animation and Search Engine Optimization.