9 Examples of Dynamic Content

John Spacey, February 16, 2019

Dynamic content is any media that changes based on data and user interaction. The following are illustrative examples.

Configuration

A newspaper uses a content management tool to publish thousands of web pages. The content management tool stores configuration information in a database that allows administrators to change all pages, or a subset of pages, all at once. For example, all pages may be switched to a new website template with a click of a button. This can be compared to static content whereby all pages may need to be edited to make a change.

Optimization

Software such as a market tool that automatically tests different media, text and look & feel combinations against a goal such as a conversion rate to optimize content. For example, a search engine that tests hundreds of link colors against goals such as click through rate. These are essentially experiments based on approaches such as a/b testing that can be used to automatically improve results.

Personalization

Personalization is the process of changing content based on what you know about the user. For example, an ecommerce site that displays product recommendations based on a user's recent purchases.

Customization

Customizable media that allows users to configure preferences. For example, a steaming video that allows users to configure options such as subtitles.

Location

Content that changes based on the user's location such as a navigational tool that shows you a map of your current location.

Information

Content that updates dynamically based on changing information such as a site that displays air quality data in real time.

Interaction

Media that allows users to interact to define the content such as a game that displays scenes that result from the movements and actions of players.

Algorithms

Media that changes based on hardwired computer code as it processes data and user interaction. For example, a newspaper that displays trending news in its template based on how many clicks each news story has received in the past 24 hours.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is a class of software the learns on its own to optimize for predefined goals. For example, a newspaper that displays recommended articles based on the learning of an artificial intelligence that believes a news story has potential to be of interest to a particular user.