Hi everyone? Welcome to another exciting article “What Does a Web Developer do?”!
In this article, you’ll learn about the roles and responsibilities of Web Developers, their skills and expertise, their work environment, and what their day-to-day life looks like.
When done with this piece, you’ll have full details of a Web Developer’s career life.
In a nutshell, we’ll cover:
Let’s get started!
Main Duties of Web Developers
Web Developers can work in-house with an agency or an organization or as Freelancers working with different clients.
Depending on where they work, their duties and responsibilities may vary slightly.
However, the common denominator is that Web Developers develop, create and maintain websites.
Usually, they work with the client, stakeholders, and Web Designers to bring the client’s vision to life.
Web Developers work with a team to understand what the client wants.
From their analysis of a client’s needs, they’ll determine how the website should look and function.
They look into a website’s structure, efficiency, and functionality and ensure the project meets the client’s objective without going beyond the budget.
Further, Web Developers analyze the users’ needs.
A clear picture of the users’ needs allows Developers to choose the suitable graphics, content, and structure.
Their goal is to sync the website owner’s goal and the end users’ needs.
They must also ensure audio, video, graphics, and written content are compatible before integrating all the multimedia into a website.
Moreover, Web Developers work with Web Designers to create a visually appealing and functional website.
Again, Developers must be proficient in programming languages like HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and PHP to build a website.
A Web Developer can be proficient in one, two, or several programming languages depending on their area of expertise.
With the knowledge of these coding languages, Developers can write, design, and edit web pages and content.
Their job doesn’t stop with developing a website or an application.
They must also test the website or the application layout, functions, user interface, and navigations to ensure a functional website.
Furthermore, Web Developers identify bugs and fix them to ensure the website or application functions at an optimum level.
A Typical Day in the Life of a Web Developer
The life of a Web Developer varies widely, depending on the size of the company they are employed in.
Developers in big companies have highly specialized roles, while their counterparts in small organizations have a broader scope of work.
In contrast, Freelance Web Developers work with a wide range of clients.
Usually, they perform clients’ projects from beginning to end.
Typically, Freelance Web Developers start their day by going through their schedules.
They’ll meet with clients to brief them on the project progress and make any adjustments if necessary.
Their day involves coding, debugging websites, and cleaning up codes.
They also handle administrative tasks like sending invoices and checking and responding to clients’ emails.
A considerable part of their day is dedicated to seeking new clients.
Web Developers working full-time in a company or with an agency may start their day with team meetings, where they discuss the progress of projects and forge a way forward to complete them in a timely fashion.
The meetings may also involve brainstorming ideas and coming up with solutions.
These Developers spend their days developing functional and responsive websites.
They also update and renovate existing websites.
These professionals must always remain vigilant in case of emergencies, like bugs that require their attention.
They troubleshoot and fix bugs.
They also fix codes that are not functioning correctly.
Web Developers work with Graphic Designers, Content Creators, UI Specialists, Client Service Managers, and Marketers to ensure Web Development projects meet the end users’ needs and clients’ objectives.
Developers may also spend part of their day’s mentoring Junior Developers.
This is an overview of what Web Developers do in their day-to-day life at work.
However, their day varies widely depending on where they work and whether they are Front-End, Back-End, or Full Stack Web Developers.
Web Developer Job Titles
Web Developers have many responsibilities, which mainly involve coding.
Their jobs come in different titles.
Here are the job titles you’ll come across in Web Development:
User Experience (UX) Developers
UX Developers are concerned with meeting the end users’ needs.
Their aim is to optimize a website or app design and functionality to ensure end-users’ needs are met.
User Experience Developers have extensive knowledge of the journey users take when they land on a website.
They use their knowledge to design a front-end that gives the users the best possible experience.
They may also take over the marketing of a digital product.
User-Interface (UI) Designers
UI Designers focus on creating websites that are appealing to the client.
To do this, User-Interface Designers must be knowledgeable about how colors interact with each other for a cohesive look and how these colors trigger emotions.
Using their knowledge, UI Designers bring together attractive websites that appeal to users.
Front-End Developers
Front-End Web Developers develop the client-side of a website.
This is the side of the website which web visitors interact with.
These Developers create an efficient, functional, yet appealing website.
They design the layout of the website as well as the individual pages.
Front-End Web Developers use JavaScript and HTML to enhance the website outlook.
Their job also involves the use of technologies such as JQuery and Bootstrap.
Back-End Developers
Back-End Web Developers work on the server-side of a website or a website application, which supports the functionality of the front-end.
These Programmers use Ruby, Java, PHP, MySQL, or Python to develop the end side of a website.
They build databases that support the client-side of the website.
Web Developer Work Environment
Web Developers work in a wide range of environments.
They work for large companies and small organizations, which may include government, corporate and non-profit organizations.
Web Developers may also work from home as Freelancers working on a contract basis or with a web development firm.
Web Developers work majorly on a computer.
That means they work in offices.
Their work involves long sitting hours.
As Freelancers, Web Developers work with clients across the continent.
Still, their work is behind a computer.
Web Developer Skills and Expertise
Web Developers should have specific skills to implement their roles and responsibilities successfully.
We’ve broken down the skills into technical and soft skills:
Technical Skills
The top technical skills for Web Developers include:
Coding and Programming
At the core of Web Development is programming.
And so, the main technical skills that every Programmer must have are programming and coding.
Web Developers must be proficient in programming languages depending on their level of expertise.
Full-Stack Developers must be conversant with both client-side and server-side web development languages.
Front-End Developers should have in-depth knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Back-End Developers require proficiency in SQL, Python, Ruby, or PHP.
Further, they should be skilled in tools such as React JS and JQuery.
Technical SEO
Web design plays a major role in website rankings in the search engine.
Hence, Web Developers must thoroughly understand the search engine ranking algorithm and use this knowledge when developing websites.
Web Developers must also have basic knowledge of design principles.
Concepts like the right font, integrating images and videos, and using white space can go along with creating a user-friendly website.
Soft Skills
Apart from technical skills, soft skills are also instrumental in a Web Developer career.
Strong Communication Skills
Web Developers must be able to elaborate technical concepts in an easy-to-understand way since some clients don’t have a basic idea about web development.
Further, they must be able to communicate new ideas to clients and team members.
They should be great in presentation skills.
Being a good listener goes hand-in-hand with communication skills.
Web Developers should be good listeners.
They must pay attention to clients’ needs and provide effective solutions.
Detail Oriented
Attention to detail is paramount for a successful career as a Web Developer.
This is because a single error in a code can jeopardize a website’s functionality.
Developers must pay attention not to miss a single detail.
Again, paying attention is crucial when troubleshooting.
Problem Solving
Issues often erupt when designing a website or an app.
As a problem-solver, a Web Developer should be able to identify problems and come up with solutions.
Developers should anticipate problems before they occur and solve them methodologically.
Ability to Work Under Pressure
More often than not, Web Developers juggle between projects, especially when there are emergencies.
They must handle the pressure that comes with working on multiple projects simultaneously.
Developers should be able to work under tight deadlines and deliver on time.
Conclusion
Web Developers have many duties and responsibilities.
Their main job is creating, developing, and maintaining websites and applications.
These professionals work in a wide range of setups.
The main work environment is the office since they mostly work behind computers.
To successfully deliver, Web Developers must be proficient in coding and technical SEO.
Communication skills, problem-solving, detail-oriented, and the ability to work under pressure are equally important to excel as a Developer.
Web Developers play a major role in helping businesses reach their clients online.