Forum Moderators: buckworks
Check out Ecommerce Templates (personally I have not used this, but other people on this forum have spoken highly of it). While the content is dynamically generated, you can use static URL's. It works with either .php or .asp. Another option would be something like Cart32 which allows you to insert the buy codes directly into the page.
Marshall
OP, I'm a little confused about what you're really after. Looking for SEs to spider the product data? (database driven will do that) OR are you just wanting a cart system where you still have to hand code the pages & buy buttons? (not sure why you want that torture, been there, done that - PayPal's free shopping cart deal works like that)
What's the reason for wanting full static pages?
Well, Mostly for the SE's
Not plugging Ecommerce Templates, but something like that with the option to use static URL's should fit your needs. I use an XML to dynamically generate products on a few ecommerce sites combined with static URL's and have no problems with the SE's. And in the long run, using a database for your product, regardless of the type, is a lot easier than hand coding the "add to cart" buttons unless, of course, you are only talking about a handful of products.
Marshall
A dynamic ecommerce package with SEO features (like ECT) will do everything you want. Anything over a handful of products and dynamic is the only way to go.
ECT's product pages use just one "?" out of the box w/o using the static url feature. I don't use the static url feature for any product pages and my products do quite well on SEs. Through the product admin, I still have full control of descriptions. And I use the dynamic titles feature to automatically create page titles based on my categories and products names. But the static page option is still their IF I thought I needed it. I don't.
What I do use static urls in ECT for is my category pages, though SEs have never had a problem indexing the cats I didn't do static pages for.
That's true in large part but when a page with a dynamic URL is compared with a page of the same worth that has a URL that ends simply in .html (or htm) the page that uses variables will lose out. The reason is the URL string. In ecommerce, correction, especially in ecommerce, the URL needs to be clean and accurate and intelligible. Compare a URL for a General Electric toaster:
The dynamic version may be something like - www.examplestore.com/store.php?cat=3455&id=34
while the static appearing URL may be more like - www.examplestore.com/generalelectric/toaster/perfecttoast/
SE's are working hard to deliver results that make sense to people. I for one review the URLs when I click on a link or look over the SERPs. I want to know if I'm being given a page of value or a page of BS. I think the SEs are on the same thoughtline. With the sheer volume of cloaking and techno tricks based on search queries I imagine (no proof of course) that the SE's look at dynamic URLs with a bit of skepticism. Granted, there are plenty of tricks to make dynamic IPs appear static but the obvious dynamically generated page will always loose to the static page in an even draw.
Maybe it's my fine SEO skills in other areas ;>)
I've really found good SEO page titles and product descriptions with an H1 descriptive header to be far more powerful than a static url for SEO sake. I've got plenty of SEO'd static pages on our ecommerce site for categories and some key products and I still have dynamic product pages kicking those page's butts for the same target keywords...Go figure.
But in regards to the OP, I'd say it'd foolish to overlook the advantages of dynamic ecommerce scripts solely for hard coded static html pages... JMO
