Introduction
In today’s world, almost every aspect of daily life is computerized. All major activities are done through the internet and websites make up the identity of various entities that people interact and communicate with on a regular basis. Therefore in the digital age, the demand for people who can effectively create fully functional websites from scratch is at an all-time high. Web developers are responsible for creating the infrastructure of web pages for companies, organizations, institutions, and individuals. The purpose of this article is to educate you about what web development is, how to learn it from beginning to end in order to become an expert at it.
What is web development?
Web development is the work involved in developing a Web site for the Internet (World Wide Web) or an intranet (a private network). Web development can range from developing a simple single static page of plain text to complex web applications, electronic businesses, and social network services. Among Web professionals, "web development" usually refers to the main non-design aspects of building Web sites: writing markup and coding. Web development may use content management systems (CMS) to make content changes easier and available with basic technical skills.
Difference between web design and web development
The terms web design and web development are used very interchangeably with people often assuming they are the same thing and referring to them accordingly. However, they are different terms with two very different meanings.
Web Designer
Web Developer
Web Designers are very creative in nature.
Web Developers are more technical in nature.
Web designers are the aesthetic element.
Web development refers to building user-friendly websites based on clients’ specifications.
They transform the ideas into visually appealing designs.
They transform designs into fully functional websites.
Web design refers to how the website looks and feels on the outside.
Web development refers to the functionality of the website on how it works.
Web designing tools include Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, DreamWeaver, Sketch, etc.
Languages used are HTML, PHP, JavaScript, CSS, Python, Ruby, jQuery, etc
Types of web developers
Front-end developer: The part of a website that the user interacts with directly is termed as the front end. It is also referred to as the ‘client-side’ of the application. It includes everything that users experience directly: text colors and styles, images, graphs and tables, buttons, colors, and navigation menu. HTML, CSS, and Javascript are the languages used for Front End development. The structure, design, behavior, and content of everything seen on the browser screen when websites, web applications, or mobile apps are opened up, is implemented by front End developers. Responsiveness and performance are two main objectives of the Front-End. The developer must ensure that the site is responsive i.e. it appears correctly on devices of all sizes no part of the website should behave abnormally irrespective of the size of the screen.
Back-end developer: Backend is the server-side of the website. It stores and arranges data, and also makes sure everything on the client-side of the website works fine. It is the part of the website that you cannot see and interact with. It is the portion of software that does not come in direct contact with the users. The parts and characteristics developed by backend designers are indirectly accessed by users through a front-end application. Activities, like writing APIs, creating libraries, and working with system components without user interfaces or even systems of scientific programming, are also included in the backend.
Full-stack developer: Full-stack web developers have the ability to design complete web applications and websites. They work on the frontend, backend, database, and debugging of web applications or websites.
Responsibilities of a web developer:
Write web pages with a combination of markup languages.
Create quality mockups and prototypes.
Build a WordPress site from scratch.
Understand UI, UX, and learning usability of a webpage.
Develop functional and appealing websites and web-based applications.
Provide website maintenance and enhancements.
Learning programming languages for Web Development
To master the coding skills needed for web development purposes your first step earn the Basics of HTML, CSS, and Javascript. These are the building blocks that create the framework of your website.
HTML dictates the structure
CSS will make it look pretty
Javascript will make it function
HTML
HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. It’s one of the main ingredients of any website and one of the so-called frontend languages.
In short – it provides the basic skeleton of a website, mainly through a series of tags. A tag is the HTML code that controls the appearance of the HTML document’s content.
CSS
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. It puts the style behind the HTML structure. Basically, without CSS, HTML, and consequently, the whole web page would look boring as CSS is responsible for the layout design and aesthetic aspects of the site. Here’s how they combine: Within your HTML code, you reference a CSS style sheet.
Javascript
Javascript is a programming language that allows you to implement elements on web pages. It powers features like interactive maps, 2D/3D graphics, and more.
Use the power of WordPress as the platform for your website
WordPress is an open-source content management system licensed under GPLv2, which means that anyone can use or modify the WordPress software for free. To become a web developer, you’ll have to get familiar with WordPress as 63% of all websites are powered by this software. Once you set up a WordPress site, it’s fairly easy for your clients to add content by themselves (even if they don’t have any web development experience).
Learning UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) skills
UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) are two interdependent terms. While UI generally deals with the interaction between users and computer systems, software, and applications, UX deals more generally with a user’s overall experience with a brand, product, or service. Both are important tools in terms of their roles in web development. Softwares such as adobe suite are helpful in learning this aspect.
Learning SQL and PHP
SQL is a database technology that stores information. PHP is a ‘scripting’ language that places or pulls stuff from a database. Think about WordPress, for example. It uses MySQL to store and manage information (blog posts, page content, comments, user information, etc.) in a database ‘table’. PHP is what makes a WordPress website dynamic, interacting with all of these different elements and properly updating the database as you go. Learning more about how SQL and PHP work together can help you master WordPress site development, which literally hundreds (if not thousands) of people are looking for every day on job and project boards across the internet.
Learn the Basics of SEO
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. This refers to the process of improving a website’s rankings within a search engine like Google. While a large part of a website’s SEO has to do with the content, the actual structure and code of the website play a significant role as well. For example, heading tags (HTML) are extremely important for SEO. They tell search engines what’s really important on a website. Learning the basics of SEO will help you boost your website's chance of success and the possibility of attracting clients and viewers.
Make Sure Your Site is Responsive
When you’re creating your own website (which will be a good idea if you want to get more clients) – you should make sure your site is responsive. Responsive means that the elements of the website adjust according to the screen size and are pleasing to the eye and are easy to navigate for the user. This means that your website will look good whether the visitor is on a laptop or mobile device.
Conclusion
For further information about this subject and a chance to study exactly what you want to learn about, visit us at A2N Academy! Enroll in our course on Web Development(web design and master the art of creating your own website from start to finish in any style and preference you want for both career and personal goals. Take full advantage of the digital age to create your own brand, identity, and purpose on the world wide web.