As you probably already know the internet is an exploding bomb of information that has consumed a great portion of our lives. We bank online, we communicate online, we look for information online, pay bills online. So I think it is safe to say that we as a society have become pretty dependent on the internet, from renting movies to shopping.
On the plus side there is a wide open market for web developers. Although it can take years to become proficient in developing competent websites it is very rewarding. One of the biggest areas of completion has been in search engine optimization. This pretty much is the ability to have a website appears on the first page of a SERP (search engine results page). The higher you are ranked on the first page of a search the mores likely you are too draw traffic to your website. The higher the traffic the higher conversion rate your site will see.
There are many developers that focus on one craft either it would be programming, web designing or internet marketing. There are also others that are the one man orchestra that can do it all, it never hurts to be familiar with the different technologies and latest methods of website construction.
Below are some of the basic skill sets that beginner should learn in order to be a component web master, personally I prefer the term web developer.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
HTML is the language of the web and hence you must comprehend its building structure and capabilities in order to efficiently build websites. Investing into learning HTML is very rewarding and will give you the eyes to see how much of how the web works. This is an essential skill in order to implement Search Engine Optimization.
This skill set is an essential crutch after comprehending HTML. CSS can be quiet easy once you take the time to understand how it works. CSS makes changing the style used on your website easy, thorough and manageable throughout your entire website. In addition a good understanding of how CSS functions will allow you to minimize the number of graphics and photos you need on a website and it will still look good.
This section of web development can be a giant on its own to conquer, if you already have drawing and creative skills then you have a good advantage compared to most. If you decide to produce your own make sure that you don’t overdo the number of graphics on your website. One rule of thumb is not to spend to much time making your graphics better than they need to be, time is money and developing graphics can be huge time consumer. Keep it simple.
Javascript allows you to add what are effectively mini programs to your web pages. Typical use of Javascript are to:
- Interact with website visitors
- Validation of forms
- Implement the use of fancy menus
PHP is a server side scripting language, this protocol is used to develop dynamic websites. This is where the fun begins, the best way to explain the use of this website is through an example:
Anything on the internet that requires the retrieving and displaying of information depending on the selection of a user can be created with PHP. Some prime examples are shopping carts, blogs, registration forms and confirmation links. The visual aspects of the site will be constructed in HTML but the displaying and retrieving on information will utilize PHP.
PHP is an awesome tool to use to interact with a database on your website. The database is the essential work horse of any dynamic website, the database allows you to store information as records. For example if new members register with your website and your site requires authentication in order to log into the site when a user logs in to your site it will look for matching username and passwords in order to grant access to the restricted area.
MYSQL
If your website needs a database then MYSQL is a good option, there are many reasons why developers utilize this work horse over other breeds. One of the most attractive features is that it is free and integrates well with PHP. If you are a Wordpress user any knowledge of PHP and MYSQL will be very useful.
For more information on web development visit us online @ ABCO Technology we currently offer a competitively priced package which offers the following course.
Certified Internet Web Master Courses that are offered.
Course Offered in our CIW Program
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
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