Nowadays it is almost impossible to manage a business without considering the impact of the internet on business. It is not for nothing that digital marketing has grown so much.
Therefore, a complete marketing team needs professionals specialized in this environment, to explore the countless possibilities and face the challenges that arise with this.
Think about it: your website, blog, landing pages, any other pages or even internal systems need someone to keep them going, don’t they?
This is the role of the web developer. Don’t you know anything about this professional’s role? Then we’ll show you everything you need to know!
What does a web developer do?
Basically, the role of a web developer is to program websites and applications online for the company.
This requires great knowledge of different tools, techniques and development concepts, not least because this is an area that keeps evolving.
We can divide a web developer’s tasks into 4 distinct areas:
- Front-end development;
- Back-end development;
- Database configuration;
- Maintenance of the website on the server;
- Let’s go deeper into each of these tasks to understand exactly what is included in a web developer’s day to day life.
Frontend
Front-end programming refers to the parts of the website that the user sees and interacts with. This part of the site is controlled by the browser that the visitor uses.
That’s why the same website sometimes has some differences – variations in the same color tone, different details in some elements, etc. – from one browser to another.
Part of the web developer’s job is to ensure that the experience is enjoyable and similar across all major browsers.
The main languages involved in the front end are:
- Html;
- CSS;
- And javascript, with its many variations and libraries, like jquery.
- Backend
- The back-end, on the other hand, involves the heavier part of the site, and has to deal with various important information, such as data and personal preferences of users.
To help you understand, let’s take a practical example: you go to a website to buy tickets for that movie you’ve been waiting for a long time.
As we have already seen, the part you interact with, the website interface, is the front-end part. But what about all the logic behind the purchase – choice of seats, payment, order confirmation and so on?
All of this is the work of the backend, and includes constant and secure communication between the application, the server and even external applications (such as payment providers).
Databases
When a website needs the backend part – only the simplest ones use only the front end – it is natural that a place is needed to store all the data that will be collected.
This is where databases come in, with which the web developer needs to be very familiar.
This part of the application deals with the most sensitive and important information, so not just anyone can be responsible for it.
Maintenance on the server
Server maintenance is the most obvious part of the job: everything that is built needs maintenance, and it is no different with web systems.
Any update to the website interface, change of logic in the database or security fix in the back end are part of the daily life of the web developer.
Why is it important to have a web developer in your company?
While there are many qualified freelancers on the market, many may find this model more relevant and beneficial than having a full-time web developer.
Of course, each company needs to assess its needs carefully, but there are many advantages to hiring a full-time developer to be part of your marketing team.
Doing this is far from a whim, but it can help a lot in achieving business results. Here are 3 reasons to have a web on your team:
Greater product knowledge
A developer dedicated to the same project for a long time will obviously have more knowledge about it than someone hired for a short period.
This knowledge becomes better and faster decisions, whether to keep the product as it is or to make radical changes to it.
Greater efficiency in long-term projects
If the professional wants to stay in the company for a long time, why would he focus only on the short and medium term results?
This is another advantage of having a full-time web developer: looking more closely at the long term, and making decisions that will prove successful ahead.
Agility in creating technological solutions
There are times when you need to make urgent changes to your site to improve conversions.
Whether it involves just a few touches to the layout or correcting operational flaws, it is not always so quick to find a reliable freelancer available for the service.
With a web developer at your disposal, there’s no waiting. In fact, he will probably anticipate this type of situation and avoid any emergency.
Having a web developer working at your company can be really decisive for the success of your digital marketing strategy. In this way, your digital channels will always be updated with the best technology to engage customers accurately.
What skills does a web developer need to have
Some of the essential skills for a web developer are:
- Knowledge in several programming languages for the web;
- Domain of version control tools, such as Git;
- Experience with responsive design;
- Understand the best SEO practices to apply in the code;
- Creativity and attention to detail;
- Organization skills (of the code itself, project documentation, etc.);
- Ease of doing research and adapting to the challenges of a project;
- Handle well with defined deadlines and scopes;
- Constant desire to learn;
- Mind focused on problem solving.