“Web professionals” can seem like a very broad term. What exactly is a web professional, and what can they do for you?
When it comes to wanting a new website design or updating your existing website many people do not understand what type of professional they need to hire to get the job done.

Why risk hiring the wrong person, when all you need to do is understand what your web needs are and compare them to services different web professionals offer?

The first thing that you need to understand is that what web professionals fall into one of three categories: front-end Developers, back-end developer, and web designers.

For those looking for a new website to be created from the ground up, these are some questions that you should have in mind to better understand what it is you really need.

• Do you need data management for e-commerce and/or content development?

• Do you need help with user experience, navigation and/or aesthetics?

• Do you have a functional design for your site?

Those who are looking to make an existing site look better, or redesign, the following is the question to consider:

• Do you want a brand new design or are you looking to update what is already existing?

Web Professionals

Front-end Developers are typically more experienced with creating tools and systems that will enhance your UX or user experience. If you already have a mock-up or design concept that simply needs to function on all platforms and all devices, then you’re going to want to hire a front-end developer.

One of the most important things to keep in mind for this type of functionality is consistency. Your website should be designed to be scalable enough to address all users on all platforms.

What this means is that regardless of the fact that a user may be accessing your site from a desktop or via tablet, mobile, or satellite internet, their overall experience should remain the same.

Front-end Developers typically work with languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to bring a web designers concept to life so that users and potential conversions can navigate through the website easily without experiencing glitches.

Back-end web Developers are computer programmers who focus on creating applications. They create content Management Systems, data management tools, as well as security features. Having a very good back-end developer allows website owners to have the flexibility and security that they need to not only keep their websites running, gather information about their users, as well as allow users to access specific profiles.

Overall, back-end Developers use programming languages such as PHP, Ruby, Java, Pearl, and Python to create websites that use behind the scenes applications that let designers update content, store data, and improve security.

Web designers don’t typically have much expert knowledge in coding; however, they may know the basics of HTML, CSS, and other common tools or languages. Web designers are the people that you need to create professional graphics and designs that will catch the eye of your target audience. Web designers also create an overall idea that directs web developers where they will need to build navigational features.

Web designers create the look of websites, navigation bar functionality, graphics, as well as other visual attributes. Typically they don’t tend to have the technology to make these designs come to life themselves.

Nine times out of ten a company will need to hire web team that can work together to create a site. A basic web team will consist of one developer and one designer. There are some web teams that are considered to be better because they have multiple developers and designers who work together to match their client’s unique concerns.

A good team of web professionals will consist of experts in design, back-end development, and front-end development to build a website from the ground up.

When it comes down to it, the choice is always yours because you know what it is that you want and what you need. Sometimes you may need just one web professional to cover your needs, but having a good web team supporting your website, can be the best way to cover any needs that you haven’t even realized you had yet.