Even though businesses have social media accounts, many people are likely to question the legitimacy of the products and services they offer.

Verisign even found that 84% of consumers today think that a website with an aesthetically pleasing web design can make a business appear more professional and credible.

Not to mention, most online experiences start with search engines. Apart from Google, other people also use Yahoo!, Bing, Baidu and many others. In that case, you can expect more people to encounter your business when you have a website.

Instead of creating a website yourself, hire professionals to help you set up a website for your business. However, the problem is who should you hire between a website developer and a website designer? We will explain in detail so you know the difference.

What is a web developer?

A website developer is a programming expert. They use coding languages like HTML, PHP, JavaScript, CSS, Python, SQL, Ruby, jQuery, C# and many more to build websites from scratch. It turns web design ideas and concepts created by a web designer into reality.

To ensure that a website does not crash due to the number of people visiting and browsing the web pages, it is the job of the website developer to maintain its basic structure so that it remains fully functional.

That’s when web maintenance comes in, which is after the website development process and after the website is already live.

Types of Web Developers

Every web developer’s job is different. Their tasks ultimately depend on their respective part of website development, such as front-end, back-end and full-stack.

Below are the different types of developers and their roles in creating websites.

Front-End

The job of a front-end website developer is to program the visual elements of a website, which are the features that visitors will see when browsing websites. Because their role is likely to overlap with web designers, front-end website developers tend to work with them simultaneously.

Back-End

As its name suggests, back-end developers are the programmers who work behind the scenes of creating websites, and their main task is to ensure that the entire website functions properly.

The website developer will check that the coding connects the website to the web server and that the data flows without interruption to ensure that the customer’s transaction continues correctly.

Full-Stack

This type of website developer, on the other hand, is a jack of all trades. This means that they can perform the tasks of front-end and back-end website developers.

What are the skills of website developers?

● Experience in testing and debugging websites

● Knowledge of content management systems

● Attention to detail

● Can explain technical matters clearly

● Strong numerical and creative skills

What is a web designer?

Unlike a website developer, a web designer is someone who can make a website look aesthetically pleasing. The nature of their work mostly involves improving the appearance and overall layout of the website while ensuring that it is user-friendly.

Since a business’s website has everything to do with brand image, the website designer often meets with the client to discuss the overall look and feel of the website.

The website designer will then use Adobe XD, Illustrator, DreamWeaver and Sketch to illustrate the web design layout with the agreed color scheme, font style and features.

Types of web designers

When it comes to designing a website, web designers usually have a specialization. Knowing the differences between the types of web designers will help you determine which one you should hire to create your business website.

● User Experience (UX)

The role of a UX web designer is to figure out how users will have a great experience while interacting with website elements and features.

As much as possible, they will try to imagine the overall experience of the user from the moment he opens the website, browses the web pages and makes a purchase.

A web UX designer will start his work by creating user path diagrams and planning the information architecture. Before they can do all of these, they will do research to learn more about their client’s business industry.

● User interface (UI)

A web user interface designer concentrates on creating the look and feel of a website and its web pages using the user journey maps provided by a web UX designer.

They will organize the page layout, choose color schemes, customize typography, and create interactive UI elements such as scrollers, buttons, toggles, and dropdown menus. All this will help make the website aesthetically pleasing and encourage visitors to stay much longer.

● Visual designer

Like full-stack web developers, visual designers are also a jack of all trades; they can work on UX and UI aspects of website development. A visual designer always ensures to strike a balance between an aesthetically pleasing web design and a well-functioning website.

What are the skills of a web designer?

● Knowledge of coding language (optional)
● Understands the principles of web design
● Has knowledge of color theory and typography
● Able to use a variety of design tools and software
● Highly skilled in interactive animation

Who should you hire to create your business website?

Although the roles of a website developer and a web designer are different, they are equally vital to creating a website. Employing both can help create an aesthetically pleasing web design and a well-functioning website that can capture the attention of your target audience.

After all, 94% of first impressions will come from the visual aspects of a website, followed by the navigation process.