Jason Bartholme’s SEO Blog

No, this isn’t my opinion, but it is the opinion of some figures of authority that believe what a web developer does is simply cut and pasting content from a Word document.

Here are some things that company-level web developer knows that the average person may not be aware of.

Cross Browser Compatibility

Web developers know that just because something looks pixel perfect in one browser may look like a train wreck in another. Fixing these quirks usually involves fine tuning the CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) so that all the required browsers see what is needed for the site to display correctly. IE6 is the bane of existence and few web developers will disagree. Here is a perfect list of reasons from a fellow developer, Ryan Farley:

1. Lack of support for current standards for HTML markup, CSS, etc
2. Support for non-standard features not compatible with other browsers
3. No PNG transparency support
4. Released in 2001, we’ve completely moved beyond everything about IE6. This is a browser that PC World rated one of the worst tech products of all time.

CSS Frameworks like 960, BluePrint, and Baseline do help with to eliminate cross-browser compatibility issues, but once you start adding in your own styles, it is quite possible to use a tag or attribute that doesn’t behave perfectly in all browsers.

Full Site Construction

When someone tells a web developer that they want a web site, the web developer is expecting elaboration. “OK, what kind of site do you want?” That is usually the preceding question if no explanation is given. Once the requestor tells the developer what they want, the developer begins to imagine all the elements that will be required to create what the requestor is envisioning.

Full site construction may consist of a the usage of a database, a web programming language or two, the site architecture on how pages and elements are organized throughout the site, and deployment of the site.

There are more aspects of creating a web site that is more than a few static pages linked together, but those are the main points.

Database Interactivity

If web sites are more than a pamphlet site, odds are they are database driven. The most popular and preferred is the open source database, MySQL. Many sites also run a MS SQL (Microsoft SQL) database for data storage and retrieval.

Once you have a database, you need to know how to connect to it, and then you need to integrate it with your selected programming language(s) to pass data in and out. A web developer should know the basic syntax of CRUD (create, read, update, and delete) functionality to manipulate data to consume on the web site.

Analytical Skills

A web developer typically has the ability use a logical process to diagnose issues if any of the aforementioned elements decide to misbehave. By diagnose, I don’t mean to be able to fix all things that can go wrong, at least know how to ask for help. There are many communities of developers willing to answer a relevant question. It saves a lot of time and chatter when you ask a precise question of the community. An example would be a post on as forum that says, “Why am I not getting form email.”  A better post would explain the environment and problem such as; “I’m running ColdFusion and my page processes without error and I am not getting the form email.” That gives the users in the forum a better understanding of what you are trying to do and will often solicit a more accurate answer.

3rd Party Integration

Sometimes instead of reinventing the wheel, it is easier and more efficient to use a 3rd party service or product. A web developer may be tasked with the installation and configuration of a shopping cart, discussion forum, or a social media platform. There are countless widgets and/or services that can be tied to a web site to create a better user experience or help increase online sales.

Creation of Site Functionality

Customers/clients are often looking for more than just words on a page. They may request a tabbed layout with interactive tabs, a user registration area, or even secured sections of the web site.  A web developer should be able to create these elements or be able to integrate a solution.

Search Engine Optimization

Not critical, but once a web developer understands how search engines see a website and what they like, it changes perception to see the web site in the users’ eyes as well as the search engine spiders’. A great example is content. Content is King. Search engine robots, or bots, like unique content. Also, they like well-formed pages, as in web pages with a minimal number of validation errors. Fresh content keeps the bots coming back more frequently and can lead to a more relevant ranking for your sites pages and can translate into more sales or visitors.

To the Web Designers in the Audience:

Yes, there are web designers that can code as well as they can design and vice-versa, but we know they are few and far between. In my own experience, I make it work, and they make it pretty. Personally, I don’t have an eye for color or the inspiration to create spectacular designs from scratch. I feel, in a good development environment, the web designer compliments the developer. So, I am eternally grateful when my application looks and acts wonderfully.

Conclusion

The HTML specification has been around since late 1999 and it has been remained, for the most part, unchanged as a basic markup language. True, you can create a web site with just using the basic tags and that is it. However if you want robust, user-friendly, interactive web site, a web developer may be someone to rely on to achieve the visitors and sales goals you want.