Who Puts the Bells and Whistles There?When I think of web developers I'm reminded of the wizard character in the Wizard of Oz. The wizard was the guy behind the curtain pulling all the levers. You see the effects of his work but rarely do you get a glimpse behind the curtain. Web developers are the guys who put in place the systems that enable you to push a button and see your bank balance or make a transfer from one account to another.
Web developers work primarily with systems. The definition of system as used in information technology is: a working combination of hardware, software and data communications devices.
An information system is a system, automated or manual, that comprises people, machines, and/or methods organized to collect, process, transmit, and disseminate data that represent user information.
An example of a system would be the shopping cart you use on various web sites to select, pay and arrange delivery of the items you want to purchase. The web developer is the one who puts in place the system that allows you to make your purchases.
The commands that direct our computing machines are referred to as "code". A specific style of code grouped together is called a "language". If you or I were to look over the developer's shoulder at the instructions he was typing into the computer it would be as understandable as one Wind Talker passing along vital government secrets to another Wind Talker.
Because of the exacting precision required in this machine communication, developers are often appropriately referred to as "engineers". Each sign or symbol entered results in the machine executing a specific action. If a symbol is entered incorrectly or in the wrong sequence, it can result in the computer literally running in circles for hours trying to bite its' tail.
For the uninitiated, a trip through this nether world of signs and symbols can be like descending into Dante's Inferno. Having a guide makes the journey almost bearable. The developers at Studio98 know that educating our clients on just a few basics can open the door to a much clearer idea of this aspect of web site creation.
Besides putting systems in place for your web site, the developer's actions also determine, to a great extent, how search engine friendly your web site is going to be. If you are the one who's in the hot seat when it comes to demonstrating your company's return on investment expected from its' web site, you're going to want your web site to be search engine friendly. And the reason why you're going to want your site to be search engine friendly is because 80% of the visitors who find their way to your site begin their journey at a search engine site.
Since web developers are the gatekeepers of the World Wide Web, they are supposed to adhere to established standards and guidelines. In an effort to standardize the profession of web development, W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) created a set of standards. A savvy developer who does his homework and keeps up with evolving technology will make sure your web site invites web crawlers (search engine robots) and makes it easy for them to analyze and index information about your website.
If we're building your website from the ground up, we create it to be search engine friendly.
If you currently have a website that isn't getting enough traffic, we'll do a free website analysis and show how our developers can optimize your site to increase traffic and sales.
Contact us for a free web development and design consultation.
Fill out the free website consultation form to get a free consultation on your current website.
