Another thing that makes a site by Joe so special is the thought that goes into the site’s data and server-side communication.
What usually happens
Usually, you don’t get much in the way of server-side scripting at all, sometimes you get a contact form or guest book.
What should happen
Server-side interaction makes site development exciting. It opens up possibilities like tracking a sale, displaying information from a database, maintaining security and much more. Some level of server-side interactivity is needed on any good website.
Server-side technologies are far more mature than their web page brethren.
Database the information
Any information that is formatted, repeated or searched through, should be in a database. Storing information in a database makes it’s easy to maintain and is the basis for all online stores, blogs and content management systems. This means that utilizing server-side information allows for updating your site yourself, very easily.
You don’t need to deal with the web pages, just the information in the database.
Server-side Scripting to send information
There are a bunch of server-side scripting languages. The most widely accepted way to go is PHP. Its very mature and an open standard on the web. It’s great for getting information in and out of databases and sticking it into web pages. You can get results quickly and know it’ll work on a variety of servers.
By using a clean development pattern from the beginning, you ensure an easy to maintain code for the future.