A static website is the simplest form of website, in which the site’s content is delivered without the use of server side processing. Static websites are used principally for brochure sites and can include complex graphics, animations and JavaScript driven features.
The main limitation of static websites is that they cannot provide complex user interactivity because they cannot either gather information from the user or serve content which is dependent on user actions. Large static sites are also time consuming to develop and more difficult to update because changes need to be implemented individually on each page of the site. However, if a business does not require a large website or advanced interactivity, a static site which is developed using XHTML and CSS will provide clean, compact coding and good search engine performance.

Flash is proprietary software developed by Macromedia which is used to generate complex animations. The programme is sophisticated enough for entire websites to be constructed using Flash technology. Flash websites can be visually stunning and provide otherwise unachievable levels of user interactivity. However, it is almost impossible to carry out any meaningful form of SEO on a Flash site and so it should, generally, be avoided.