Other parts to this series:
In the fourth and final part of our what is a…website terminology series, we explain who some of the people behind a website are and what they do. As we come to a close of this series, we hope you’ve learned some lingo and feel more comfortable talking about the inner workings of your website.
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Designers, Developers & Writers
What is a web designer?
A web designer wears many hats. They collaborate with writers and designers (see below) to ensure all the parts of a website fit together, while still looking amazing. It’s a juggling act of creating image assets, designing layouts that are easy to use, balancing images and content, accommodating for SEO, and we haven’t even started on the graphic design elements.
In short, a website designer is someone who ensures the website you see online looks good and is easy to navigate. Typically, a website design starts with a wireframe, which outlines how they’d like the website to look and how they believe people will navigate its pages. Then, they get to work adding the detail, such as colours for branding, creating the relevant images and making a plan for the developers to start their part of the workflow.
Are web designers the same as web developers?
While a designer plans the website, the developer is who brings it to life—so, they’re definitely not the same role.
If you think of creating a website like building a house, the designer is like an architect and the developer is the carpenter, plumber, electrician, etc. There are two types of developers who contribute to a website; the frontend and the backend developer.
Frontend Developer
The frontend developer is responsible for everything you see on the website. They will also add functions of the website people use, such as payment integration.
Backend Developer
A backend developer is who creates the framework the website needs to exist. Their job is to ensure the website works as it should for the user and are involved with major changes to a website, while setting up the ability for others to easily add pages, content, etc.
To do both these roles, web developers learn web languages such as HTML, CSS, Javascript and more. The development of a website is extremely important for SEO. Websites that are slow or difficult to navigate are a big no-no for pleasing search engines.
What does a website content writer do?
Everyone can write—so what does a content writer do that’s so special? A talented website content writer is part language expert, marketing extraordinaire, SEO specialist and user experience strategist. It’s their job to make the benefits of a business, product or service shine.
They take complicated industry lingo and turn it into language consumers can understand and relate to. Content also largely influences search engines (see below), so getting it right is something that comes with a lot of experience. So, having a good content writer on your side extremely important for the success of your website.
SEO & SEM
What is an SEO specialist?
Search engines, such as Google and Bing, allow people to easily find websites related to what they’re searching for. A search engine specialist analyses what it takes to get your website to appear in the right searches and runs activities to help it happen. Sounds simple enough, but there’s a reason they’re called specialists.
To optimise a website for search engines, the specialist must look at everything from the coding in the backend and quality of the content to where the business is listed elsewhere online. They are constantly researching changes to search engine algorithms and how their own websites are performing. It’s a constant game of research, analyse and implementing changes.
Learn more about SEO: What is SEO? The Basic (But Essential) Guide.
What does an SEM consultant do?
Search engine marketing (SEM) refers to the advertising on search engines, such as those you see on Google. While pretty much anyone can setup and run ad campaigns, a consultant knows how to create them so they actually make you money.
An SEM consultant creates strategies around what Google or the used search engine consider high quality ads to lower the cost of the ads. There’s a lot to it but we explain it a little more in depth in our guide to SEM.
Technical
What does a web administrator or web master do?
If you have a website, your web administrator is the person behind the scene ensuring the software keeping your website is up to date and secure. These unsung heroes ensure your website has everything it needs to keep running efficiently, quickly and keep unwelcome guests out of your personal data.
Have we mentioned Localsearch offers complete web design, development and content services, as well as SEO & SEM?
A Localsearch website puts a team of experts in your corner. Our web designers, developers, content writers, SEO and SEM specialists and support team are here to take your business to the next level.
Check out our Australian website build packages to see how we can help you.