If you’re an aspiring web developer, you must know that it takes much more than just coding to create functional websites. Web development doesn’t stop at knowing how to write in programming languages. As such, you must understand a few facts about web development before jumping right in. Let’s take a look at some of these facts in this article.
1. Good code means better SEO Rankings.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important aspects of any website. It’s no surprise that many web developers focus on this aspect when creating websites for their clients. A good SEO will improve your search ranking in major search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc. This means that more users will find your site and visit it.
Web development plays an important part in SEO because if your code isn’t clean and organized, it can negatively affect your search rankings. Remember that poor code often results in slower performance. Slow website performance leads to lower SEO rankings. This means that you have to learn how to write clean, well-organized code so that you have fast and optimized websites.
2. Your current website will only last for 2-3 years.
After launching your website, you can expect it to work correctly at first. However, since digital requirements are constantly changing, bugs may develop. These bugs can cause your website not to load or perform properly.
To prevent these issues from happening, you should update your website regularly to prevent bugs. Make sure that you check back often to ensure that everything works correctly and that your site remains secure. As a web developer, it’s best to schedule regular website maintenance throughout the year.
3. Web development is different from web design.
Although web development and web design go hand-in-hand, they have differences. Web developers usually focus on the technical side of things, while designers mainly focus on the visual side of things.
Most web developers focus on writing HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, Python, and other programming languages. On the other hand, most web designers focus on creating layouts and graphics. Knowing which side of the spectrum you’re more comfortable with can help you decide whether you’d be better off focusing on web development or web design.
4. Websites look different from one platform to another.
When developing a website, remember that its appearance will vary depending on the user’s platform. For instance, the same website may look completely different when viewed on mobile devices than on desktop computers. Thus, web designers need to make sure their sites are compatible with all of the platforms they hope to reach. You don’t want your visitors to see a poorly designed page when viewing your website on different devices.
To make sure that your website looks great across all platforms, you’ll need to write code that supports responsive design. Responsive design is an approach to web design where the layout and style of a site change based on what device it’s being viewed on. This means your website can be displayed correctly no matter the screen size, device, or orientation.
5. Code templates have their benefits, but use them wisely.
Code templates are often used by designers as a quick way to get started creating websites without writing code from scratch. They’re also popular because they allow designers to quickly access many pre-written styles and layouts, saving a ton of time in the web development process. However, using code templates should not become something you rely on too heavily.
Some templates are meant for specific purposes only, so you may not have cohesive results if you use one template to generate multiple pages. In addition, many code templates lack flexibility. This means they may not adapt well to changes you make later on when you have to fix your website. As a result, you might have to spend extra time fixing errors caused by using an outdated template.
6. First impressions last.
Lastly, as a web developer, you need to know that a visitor’s first impression of your website matters a lot. The design of your site is important, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of usability. Web developers need to keep in mind that visitors will equally value aesthetics and functionality. When visitors don’t have a good user experience, they’ll likely abandon your page and may not revisit it. That’s why it’s essential to pay attention to every aspect of your site, including its structure, navigation, and overall look.
Final Words
Becoming a successful web developer is more than just knowing how to code. There are different facts you have to understand before jumping into the world of web development. The facts stated above are just some of the few things you need to know about creating, developing, and maintaining websites. Keeping these factors in mind can help you create websites that people will enjoy visiting.
