Dynamic Content

Dynamic Content – Short Conceptual Explanation
What is dynamic content?
Pros and cons of dynamic content
Common applications for dynamic content
Tips for creating good dynamic content

Dynamic Content – Short Conceptual Explanation

Dynamic content also sometimes referred to as adaptive content, changes, or adapts, to the behavior of the person accessing it on the Internet. It can include location, weather, temperature, and more, depending on the type of content being created. Creating dynamic content is more difficult than creating static content, but it offers a personalized user experience.

What is dynamic content?

Dynamic content utilizes a program that enables it to change and adapt, depending on the user who is viewing the content. That is in contrast to static content, which never changes, no matter who views it.

Websites that utilize adaptive content appear divers to different users. They can personalize the content on the page for each visitor using their unique information. However, dynamic content does not act alone. It is combined with static content on a web page to provide a user-friendly experience.

This kind of content is possible because small bits of information are catalogued on the computer and point back to websites and activities the user has engaged in recently. These are called cookies. Additional information can also be obtained, like the IP address to determine the location of the user.

Note on dynamic content
Learn how clickworker can help you create content.

Pros and cons of dynamic content

The biggest benefit of using dynamic content on a website is that it provides a more personal experience to users. Content is crafted for their unique situation, appealing to their specific interests, wants, and needs.

In addition, adaptive content can increase conversions, reduce bounce rates, and increase the instance of return visits. Its seamless nature allows the content to integrate with the rest of the static content on the page, and because it utilizes specialized systems, nothing needs to be updated once the algorithm is live and active.

Adaptive content does come with some drawbacks. It can take longer to load than static content, which can cause users to become frustrated if they have a slow Internet connection.

Although individualized content does not need to be uploaded one at a time, it is important to pay attention to dynamic content algorithms during updates, which can make updating and maintaining a site more complex. In addition, it can be expensive to set up.

Common applications for dynamic content

There are multiple ways to utilize dynamic content on a website. A few examples include:

E-mail newsletters are one of the oldest forms of adaptive content. They often include identifying information like name and location.
Articles can adapt to whether the user is accessing the content from a desktop computer or a mobile device.
Product pages can make purchase suggestions for similar items found on other websites.
Travel websites may utilize local weather data to encourage the purchase of tickets to tropical locations.
An online order form may list how many products are available and how many people currently have it in their cart.

Tips for creating good dynamic content

Creating good dynamic content includes multiple steps. They include:

Determining your audience, which includes considering their goals, challenges, and pain points
Creating in-depth overviews of their needs
Figuring out what kind of content supports those needs best
Considering how adaptive content will appear on different devices

Good adaptive content is content that looks and sounds natural to the reader and provides them with a reason to take action that regular static content may not.

It is also important to understand bad adaptive content. It includes the use of shady pricing algorithms that cause the same item to be priced higher for some users based on unfair data, like credit scores. Content that targets users based on race, gender, religion, and nationality is not only immoral, it can be illegal. To make sure dynamic content is done properly, it is important to hire a professional who is well-versed in its creation.