Who's who?

Titles in general don't mean much. When it comes to building websites, there are many areas of functional expertise required. While every web project will require a variety of skill sets, not every site will require the expertise of everyone listed.

Each of these skill sets can be described with a job title. Many computing professionals perform more than one of these functions and some incorrectly use the terms interchangeably.

The following list is provided to identify the typical titles associated with creating a website. The goal of this article is to help you to understand who does what and help you to decide who to hire for your next web project.

Web Host

The 'host' of a website is the computer system that contains all of the files needed to make that website appear on the Internet. Some companies with in-house IT staff host their own websites. More frequently, websites are hosted on computer systems belonging to someone other than the website owner. The person or company who hosts other people's websites is known as a Web Host.

Graphic Artist/Designer

A graphic artist is someone who electronically modifies existing images and photos or creates their own images from scratch. They use tools like PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator, or any of the other myriad of graphics programs on the market.

Web Designer

Web Designers are essentially the architects of a website. They design the color schemes and layout. Some web designers also provide graphics.

Web Programmer or Web Developer

A Web Programmer is essentially the builder of the website. The programmer is the person who writes the computerized version of the web page to build what the designer envisioned. Many web programmers also do design work, but not all designers are also programmers.

The web developer often takes on the role of project manager. They often coordinate the work of the other specialists and will often sub-contract the other professionals for a web project. A good web developer will perform this role as part of their services and will often embed these costs in the original quotation.

Database Programmer

A database programmer is someone who creates and organizes lists of information in such a way as to be easily accessible. A database programmer will typically also be a web programmer, but not all web programmers are also database programmers. Database programmers typically charge more than web programmers, but are not needed for every website.

Webmaster

A webmaster is someone who maintains a website after it has been completed. They perform most updates and maintain the security of the website. The web programmer usually becomes the webmaster through a maintenance contract.

E-commerce Professionals

E-commerce professionals specialize in creating full retail websites. These websites offer products or services directly, often make use of shopping carts and allow the customer to complete the purchase online. E-commerce professionals typically charge the same rates as database programmers and should be skilled at both database and web programming.

Flash programmer/designer

Flash programmers/designers create flash animations. Flash animations are used on many websites to show a series of pictures or animations. Some flash programmers are also graphics designers and some are also web programmers.

Content Writers

Content writers write the words that appear on websites. They work with the web designers and programmers to create a clear message of the product or service the website is promoting. Many, but not all content writers, can perform design and programming. Most content writers are also SEO professionals.

A conversation about how Content writers and Copywriters differ.

SEO professionals

SEO or Search Engine Optimization professionals work with or are content writers. A SEO professional's function is to increase a website's visibility on the Internet by increasing where a website appears in the results on the search engines.

This specialization more so than any of the others is the most misunderstood. For a website to have good search engine results, every aspect of the site must be considered. In my opinion, every member of the web development team should know and understand the basics of SEO.

A Suggestion...

As with many professions, there are those areas where people are highly skilled and other areas that they do only when they have to.

Most of the programmers I know hate to write and do it poorly. So why would you want them to write your content?

Most of the creative types I know feel overly constrained with the strict logic that defines programming. So why would you hire a graphic artist to write your database program?

Ask questions and understand the people you are hiring for your project.

Are they,

• like me and have their feet firmly planted in both the techy side and the creative side but understand where their true strengths lie?
• the true 'gear heads' who essentially do not play well with others, but will write the most efficient and robust programs?
• the creative types who don't know anything about computers beyond the graphical and drawing programs they use?
• or are they the ones that claim they do it all?

Through the years I have met only a rare few professionals who are successful at providing all aspects of web development. Many of these folks are capable of creating a fully functional website but areas of it will often be lacking. While I have no specific suggestions; tread carefully with the 'I can do anything folks'.

Web development is an area where being a 'Jack of all trades'
may truly identify a 'master of none.'

A note about the author:
Articles appearing on www.yourmessageconsultant.com were written by Michele Tway. Michele has almost 20 years of experience as both an IT and writing professional. She has worked with publicly traded, private and government organizations, and now offers her services as Your Message Consultant. While this article is not available for reprints, she is available to write similar content for your website, newsletter, blog, or print publication.