You often hear the terms website builder, website developer, and website designers used interchangeably. They refer to very different things though.
When your brand or business needs a website, you need a full-service website design company. The company you hire should employ website builders, developers, designers, content writers, and applet or application coders. That ensures you will have the staff needed to provide the website your business requires to succeed – a quick loading speed, search engine optimized (SEO), informative website with integrated applications that help visitors accomplish what they need on the first visit. That requires an efficient design built by a close-knit team of experts
Team Member Positions
While you may only meet with an account manager at the website design company, they function as the go-between that communicates your needs with the wonderfully nerdy and talented team that designs, develops, writes, codes, and uploads your website. Here’s what each key team member does.
- Website Designers
The position of the website designer starts the process based upon the information provided by the client, typically via an account manager. The designer sketches interface ideas on paper or on the computer. This person draws or designs the graphical user interface (GUI) that your website will use.
This process requires graphic arts talent and training. If the website will use a thematic gimmick, such as an interface that resembles an existing object like the front end of auto or a chocolate candy bar, etc., this person designs the graphics
User Experience (UX) is a key focus of a designer. Placing elements in the best locations to grab the users’ attention can make or break a deal. UX design has evolved tremendously over the past few years, and designers are constantly adapting to new techniques and best practices.
They integrate this all into a single computer file called a wireframe. Since the approval of the design remains the purview of the client, you will have the final say-so over whether or not to go ahead with the design. Typically, the designer provides the client with more than one option, so you will review two or three wireframes and choose one with which to move forward.
- Website Developer
Once the client makes their choice, the web developer steps in to create the base code for the site. Traditionally, this consisted of HTML. Today, this consists of HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, Liquid, and may use more complex software stacks.
The developer writes the multiple languages of code that builds the back-end and front-end of the website. This provides web hosting servers the information and various files required to render a user-facing website
- Content Creator
At this point, you have a pretty website, but a blank one. Those smashing graphics need some content. The content creator steps in and writes your web copy. Other content creators may take photographs of your products to use on the website or make a video. Other types of content include music, ringtones, wallpapers, whitepapers, and blogs.
Content is king. What the content creator writes provides the SEO that helps search engines find, index, and recommend your website to your audience. Typically, someone on the content team researches the keywords you should use on your website. This will include a competition analysis to determine which keywords your main competitors target. It will also include an analysis of commonly searched terms relevant to your product or service that your competition does not already put to use.
- App Developer
While the content creator works to fill in the blanks of your company’s web design, an App Developer diligently works to develop applets, small applications a website visitor does not have to download, that load when they visit your website. You have probably visited a website before that used a chatbot or pop up photo gallery. An application coder created these.
The developer creates these pieces based upon the graphic design from the designer and the base code from the web developer. This piece of web development provides your visitors with an interactive experience that web users today love. Internet users want websites that work for them and with them. They expect to be able to interact with the information. That includes asking questions, finding immediate answers, altering the presented information in ways to better suit them, etc.
- Website Builder
When each person or team finishes their portion of the web development, it all goes to the website builder. You may have heard of apps referred to by that term. Those little apps help a novice create all the pieces to make a personal web page. On a professional website design team, it is a person.
The site builder uploads all of the files provided by the other team members. They organize the files into appropriate folders on the server. They also complete the setup for items like security certificates, required plugins, and E-commerce Integration.
While it may sound like a humble job, this person must know and understand how all of the pieces of the finished website design work together. If they upload one file to the wrong folder, the entire website ceases to function
The Wonders of Website Design
Now, you can correct someone who refers to website designers or developers in the wrong way. You also just became savvier at choosing the right web design company for your brand or firm.
Now you know how complex the design and development process is. Every position provides a key need. One cannot function without the other.
You may find individuals who do all the jobs of the team to create small websites. These hard-working individuals typically create single-page websites or small websites of only a few pages.
Large websites require a large team. The work of some positions continues after completion of the initial website. The content creators, for example, may contribute daily or weekly blogs.
This achieves another necessity of modern website design – fresh content. Website visitors expect to read new content on each visit. You probably do not want to make only one sale, so you need your customers to return to your website and repeat their purchases. Fresh content that provides relevant information draws them back. Just as advertisers learned in the days of early print, you need to show how your product or service solves a problem for your customers. By doing so, you draw them back to repeat their purchase.
Content also helps you make sales by getting those who did not purchase on their first visit to return to the website and do so. Sometimes it requires more than one touchpoint to get the customer to enter and fully navigate your sales funnel.
Contact Us Today
Let us help you achieve that attention-grabbing web design with fresh content that keeps customers coming back for more. Contact Bake More Pies today to get started on the website that will help your company increase sales!
