In web development most of the sites developled are dynamic. Sometimes a static page can be integrated here or there. But often overlooked is the simplest way to make a quick web site, a static Static Site. Static web sites and pages can even be dynamic too.
Static Sites Dynamic Sites Fast to Develop Takes Awhile to Develop Cheap to Make Expensive Cheap to Host Hosting costs a little more Requires dev experience to update Users can update Content can get stagnant Can seem to get new content Content can't be personalized Can be utilized a tool
You will see them in places like "About Us" and "Contact". But you can make as many static pages as you want on a ruby project.
Static Site Engines
There are a few static site engines that make creating a static site easier. For instance in Rails there is Jekyll and in Python there is Pelican. Here is a list of static site generators by rating http://staticsitegenerators.net/. Exploring these generators will inform you how to install them and use them to your liking. Most of the generators on this list generate blogs with templates, and some are for documentation or buisness sites. But they all can be formed to your liking.
Adding Dynamic Options to Static Sites
If you want to add Dynamic options to a static site, it is possible to add in small items here and there. First of all Javascript can add many of the dynamic options you want, if it be animations or html5. If you need something more hearty than static pages can offer, then it is probably time to switch to a dynamic site.