With every website you’ve ever visited, be it simple brochure sites, ecommerce, social media platforms or apps, a web developer (or several) would have had a hand in creating and maintaining it, and the job requires an understanding of computer programming languages and how to use them to create a website’s internal structure, functionality, usability and interactivity. This is different from the design aspect which deals with the website’s overall appearance, such as where UX and UI are concerned.
You may have heard of coding languages such as JavaScript, HTML, CSS, PHP and so on, which web developers are typically adept as using to build websites and apps, although typically being knowledgeable and able to apply at least one of them is sufficient in being able to apply themselves as a web developer.
Types of web developer
Within web development, there are three main types; front-end, back-end and full-stack.
Front-end is responsible for everything that users can see and interact with, whether that’s reading text, viewing images or even shopping. This also includes colour palettes, buttons, menus, portfolios, animation, videos and the web developer’s job is to ensure that all of these elements are visible to the user after the programming languages and the browser have ‘communicated’ with one another. Sounds complicated but all this happens in a matter of seconds.
Although a front-end web developer’s tasks often overlap with those of a web designer’s as the latter can often work with coding to create the best experience for the user, they should not be considered the same, as the former works with coding at an expert level in order to make a website function at the vital foundational levels. Implementing the concepts passed down from the client through coding languages is essentially what the front-end developer does, forging the link between design ideas and the technology behind the scenes to make it all appear coherently and beautifully on a typical web page.
The back-end developer’s job to work ‘server-side’ (that which takes place on a server) on the behind the scenes processes at a structural level to ensure everything on the front-end performs as desired, and through that ultimately allowing what the user sees to function. The basic framework is created then maintained; database interactions, user authentication, server, network and hosting configuration and business logic.
Some of the same languages that front-end developers use such as PHP, Python, Ruby and Java, are also used by back-end developers, including tools like MySQL and Oracle. However both front-end and back-end developers work together to ensure that everything is functional and is working as it should.
Full-stack developers can do the jobs of both front-end and back-end developers and are equipped with many skills and a lot of knowledge, familiar to both. Because of their high level of proficiency over both kinds of developers, they are more sought after.
Creating websites
All types of developers work through stages needed to create a website, which are:
Determine a domain name. Although it’s not needed immediately and websites can be created on a sandbox before being transferred onto the domain, the domain name is part of the website’s direction and so should be decided during the process. At this point, the website will have an IP addresses and also needs to be pointing to a domain name.
Planning. This is a collaborative effort where the developers and other team members work together to lay out a roadmap according to the client’s specifications and budget, which then becomes the vision needed. This first stage focuses on the audience, goals, type, purpose and above all the message that the website is to send out. See website direction (hyperlink) for more detail about this stage.
Creating a wireframe. This is essentially a blueprint for the website and is a valuable visual tool developers use to map out a website. Wireframes are the website’s foundations on which developers will build on, showing where text and media will go and how it will be organised on any one page. Wireframes can be roughly sketched out or drawn digitally and vary in complexity. However they are a more than just a guideline on which to work from and they should represent a complete picture of what the website will look like before any work to construct it actually begins, this means every element intended for that page should be sketched out. The size and dimensions of the wireframes will vary depending on what device they are being created for.
Creating a sitemap. A sitemap is a blueprint of the website’s pages and will give the developer a rough idea of how many pages including subpages and categories, the content intended for the pages and the relationship between the pages. Think of a sitemap as a floor plan for the website where things like which pages are essential and which aren’t, can be determined and what templates need to be created, for example. A sitemap is an integral part of website direction and is a handy tool that can be referred to during any part of the website’s development.
Writing the code. This is the next step web developers have to complete, and will use different programming languages dependent on whether they are working on the front-end or back-end. Generally speaking these will be the most commonly used, which are CSS, HTML and JavaScript.
Working on the back-end. The back-end works as a storage facility that enables the front-end to function as it does and is made up of databases and servers. The databases store, organise and process data so that the server may request it when needed; as in the case with media, it is stored in the back-end’s databases and is retrieved by the server when a user requests to look at it. Servers are responsible for sending, processing and receiving database requests and act as an intermediary between the database and the browser requesting the information e.g. the media that the user wants to view. Without going into further detail, the databases and servers work together to make up the foundation for a website’s back-end.
Working on the front-end. The front-end is built with coding languages like JavaScript, HTML and CSS and is responsible for absolutely everything that is to be seen like typography, colour palettes, positioning, navigation and responsiveness, which will be constructed using the wireframe references.
CMS (content management systems) can be used in place of building the front-end by writing code. They are by far easier as they also contain a back-end that stores information and all fundamental aspects needed for a website to function. The most popular CMS is WordPress (hyperlink) which can be explored here.
Launching. The website must be tested thoroughly before launching and this includes A/B testing, searching for glitches and ensuring the SEO is on point.
Identifying and fixing problems are an important part of what web developers do as is multitasking in different areas. Web developers usually have a large repertoire of capabilities that may or may not be required of them, depending on their clients or what they and/or the agency they work for specialise in, which can include:
- Writing and experimenting with code
- Constructing the website’s architecture
- Using guidance from and working based off wireframes
- Creating websites’ layouts
- Focusing on functionality and responsiveness on a website
- Doing testing and identifying issues with websites and apps, as well as fixing glitches and bugs
- Revamping websites according to a client’s specifications
- Proposing solutions with members of their team which include web designers, graphic designers, content creators, copywriters, social media marketers and online marketers
Web developer skills
While not always the case, having abilities in other less technical areas such as web design or graphic design can be useful to the web developer, as knowledge in these areas may be called upon in any one project. Web developers collaborate and have meetings regularly with their team members whose jobs cover all aspects of digital marketing. Oftentimes, however, smaller agencies or sole traders may be skilled web developers but do every part of the client’s project by themselves, meaning they also have a good amount of working knowledge in the other important areas, such as web design.
Generally speaking, those who get into web development really appreciate what the job entails-they have a passion for it! The primary skills needed, whether natural or acquired, is being able to think critically and analyse. The job calls for an individual to be comfortable to experiment with code and be happy to dig deep and discover why it may not always work, and continue working until solutions are found. It can be very involved work requiring full immersion and plenty of patience.
Although web developers spend their time working primarily in a bottom-up fashion, toiling about in the small details of programming code, but they also need to be to see the bigger picture and look at things from a top-down perspective, for example, from the point of view of the user. The ability to think creatively and outside the box is useful as well. Although web developers spend a lot of time hyper-focusing by themselves, they are also typically team players, as collaboration is a normal part of the job within an agency setting. Just like all members of the team, interpersonal skills such as listening to and understanding, are a big part of the job.
As web developers ourselves, we never shy away from questions about one of our favourite topics (honestly) and are happy to provide answers to those curious minds, so feel free to get in touch for a friendly chin-wag.