There are many reasons you may find yourself in need of a web developer. In today’s world, the quality of your website can make or break the success of your business, and the money you spend on a web developer can definitely prove to be well worth it. While looking for the right person to take on the job, here are 5 important skills you should look for.
HTML
Any web developer working in today’s market should possess a basic understanding of coding language. HTML is the standard.
Javascript
Javascript is another programming language, but is a much higher level than HTML. Many well-functioning sites nowadays use Javascript because it’s more advanced and tends to result in a site that performs better.
Photoshop
If your web developer is proficient in Photoshop, they’ll be able to create a website for you which is more aesthetically pleasing, which is becoming increasingly more important. Beyond this, though, Photoshop skills can help make a website which performs faster.
WordPress
Although WordPress is very basic and intuitive and is likely something you can do on your own, millions of websites use it, many of them very successful. Especially since it is such a simple and popular way to build a site, it should be a red flag for you if a web developer does not know how to use it.
Analytics
You may think that web developing only entails the creation of a beautiful and functional website, but that’s not all. A working knowledge of analytics is another very helpful skill for your developer to have. A solid understanding of target audience information can be used to boost traffic, ultimately resulting in higher levels of success for your business.
Mobile Design
The fact is that over sixty percent of people today usually view websites from their smart phones rather than their computers. A web developer who knows this should be able to create a website that is mobile-friendly and which looks just as beautiful and functions just as well on a small tablet or phone screen.
Reliability
Aside from technical skills, your web developer should also be professional, responsible, and above all else: reliable. You may have specific deadlines for your website (i.e. when it goes live, when certain items are for sale, changeover of information, etc.) and your developer should be able to meet them without issue.
Now that you know what to look out for, you should be able to select a web developer who is right for you, your website and your particular work style. Take your time in finding one and remember how important this decision is for your business.
