What Does a Web Developer Do?

[webmaster]

A Web developer is a term that can refer to an individual or a company that provides services to build and maintain high-end websites. The skills of a Web developer are more expansive than that of a webmaster, who might be a simple end-user utilizing ready-made scripts to patch together a personal website. A Web developer is generally capable of writing custom scripts to accommodate a client’s needs, and is either professionally trained in, or has ample personal experience working with various scripting languages.

A Web developer builds a Web presence from the bottom up, fashioning everything from the home page to site layout and function. A good Web developer takes into account the client’s products or services along with the target market to create a website that will have specific appeal to that market. The site should also showcase the products or services in such a way that is not only promotional, but dynamic, stressing advantages over the competition.

Websites should look great and remain fully functional regardless of the Web browser being used to view the site. A Web developer typically checks pages and forms using the top browsers to check for interoperability. These browsers might include Microsoft™ Internet Explorer™, Mozilla™ Firefox™, Netscape™ Navigator™ and Opera™.

Easy navigation is a key element in any high-traffic website. Few things are more frustrating to visitors than sites that are laid out illogically, or products that are time consuming to find. Implementing a visually appealing webscape that is user-friendly along with an effective search engine, is one way the Web developer ensures visitors will enjoy their visit and quickly get to products of interest. Interactive pages that display items of related interest dependent on click values, helps to entice visitors to stick around while potentially boosting sales revenue.

The Web developer must also make sure that forms work properly. Various scripting languages exist in which to create surveys, contests, and sales mechanisms — the means to securely transfer information between visitors and the website. Browser settings for cookies and scripts can hamper the proper functioning of some Web forms. A Web developer takes all of this into consideration so that when a visitor fills in a form, they are sure to get satisfaction, and not have the form “hang” or “reappear blank” upon clicking the “Send” button. A site that is broken doesn’t bode well for business.

In many cases today Web developers are firms with teams of professionals that specialize in different areas of Web development and online commerce. While the humble webmaster is a good fit for yesteryear’s websites and continues to work for smaller sites, a corporation desirous of a custom Web presence and slick applications written with the newest scripts utilizing the latest technology are best served by a qualified Web developer.

Source: http://www.temgo.org

[webmaster]

With the internet becoming larger every year, as more and more people come online and more and more businesses build larger presences, the incentives to become a web developer become even larger. Web developers make a good salary, get to work in relatively dynamic situations, sometimes are able to telecommute, and are part of a cutting-edge movement in technology. There are many different tools available to become a web developer, and the route one takes depends on personal inclination, and what path one wishes to pursue.

There are two main tracks of web development, although some people pursue both. One type of developer focuses on client-end programming, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The other type of developer focuses on server-side programming, such as PHP, Ruby, Perl, and Python. This second sort of web developer is often referred to as a web programmer. Generally to become a web developer one will have an understanding of all levels of the technical process, so that if one focuses on HTML and CSS they will still have an understanding of PHP, and visa versa.

The most obvious route one can take to become a web developer is to attend a traditional four-year university and get a major in computer science, with a focus on web development. Although many people choose this route, because of the fast-paced nature of the internet, often technologies studied will shift over the time one attends school, so that the learning needs to continue even after graduation. Attending college for web development is best suited for those who are pursuing a job with a large company that places an emphasis on wanting candidates to have a formal education.

A secondary route to become a web developer is to attend a vocational school that focuses on web development. Although often not as prestigious as attending a four-year university, vocational schools often allow the student to focus exclusively on web development, without having to fulfill any other requirements. This means that the sheer amount of hours spent studying web development relative to the program length is much higher than at a university.

The most common route to become a web developer, however, is self-directed study. There are numerous resources available for those who want to study any aspect of web development, and large communities have built up around supporting and tutoring those who want to join. While some of these online classrooms charge a fee for their services, the vast majority are actually free, supported exclusively by advertising, or else run out of benevolence

To begin to become a web developer, one can just go online and find an introductory class to HTML and CSS. Learning the basic building blocks of web pages is important to understanding how the more complex interactions happen later. Once a decent grasp of HTML and CSS has been acquired, then often a choice will be made to either focus on something like JavaScript, or to focus on server-side solutions like PHP and SQL. Whatever track is chosen, ample resources exist for every language and ideology of design and implementation.