A website developer vs. a website designer — who does your company truly need?

The need for a website developer may be urgent, but hiring can slow down a bit if the business owner does not truly understand his requirements or the right expert who can fulfill them. He might need to spend more time threshing out the issue with the two people who can help him identify the need: the IT manager and the human resource manager or recruiter. It is best to tap into their expertise as well because these two will ultimately help in writing the right job ad which might just draw in the most qualified candidate into applying.

Differences between a website developer and a website designer

A website developer and a website designer may have two different tasks and different scope of responsibilities. However, their work can, do, and will intersect. Sometimes, depending on the projects they are handling, their work can overlap. That is why before putting out the job ad, the first thing that the business owner has to do is understand exactly what his company needs. Then he also has to figure out which of the two professionals can help him reach his revealed objectives.

A website developer or web developer’s focus is on the creation, maintenance, and operation of the company website. It means knowing the required programming that can put up its structure. He has to work with the content writer into identifying the kind of pages that have to be included. Then the two of them have to continually update the content with blogs, photos, articles, promotions, and other material on a regular basis. Once the site is up and running, he has to make sure it is working efficiently and that it is searchable by the company’s clients. Web programming is also under his domain. If the site is clunky or has a very slow uploading time that sends customers clicking to the competitor, then it is his job to make it smooth and fast.

A website designer is more concerned with the aesthetics of the site. The web design is pivotal in attracting the needed customers to the site and with them, the traffic and interest that can keep the business alive. He is the one who creates the smart combination of photos, colors, and fonts that will make the website ‘speak’ its message to the customers. If the actual image or photo is not attractive or compelling at first glance, then he will edit it and enhance its more appealing aspects.

Both the developer and the designer are actively involved in creating and developing the site. It’s like they are both building a house. Think of the web developer as the architect and the construction engineer in one who takes care of the nuts-and-bolts of the new structure. Meanwhile, the web designer is the interior designer who takes care of how each space and room in the house will look like, the colors that can animate it, and the furniture that will make it comfortable to live in.

Website management

Each one also individually does his website management of the site. The web developer, for example, takes pains to ensure that no bug crashes the site, while the web designer continues to edit the images that are uploaded.

Now while the tasks of both professionals are different, one individual who is qualified in both disciplines can actually do both jobs. In short, you can hire a web developer who is also a web designer. That may actually be the smart thing to do because production time will be faster and quality might be higher, as the web-developer-cum-web-designer will scrutinize both the operations and aesthetics of the site.

If you have a hard time determining which professional you need, or if you do need one who can do both, give us a call at HOPLA. We have significant experience in providing our clients the best website management possible which includes both web development and web design. Our remote team of professionals will walk with you from idea conceptualization to execution, making your brand come alive to your customers in a very powerful way.