Web Development Prerequisites

Web development is one of the most accessible programming fields to enter without prior experience, but there’s still a chance you might feel overwhelmed with all of its possibilities. Luckily, there are some simple things you can learn before you begin studying web development itself. This guide will help you with the best methods to learn web development and what you should study to make the learning process easier.

What is Web Development?

Web development is the art of creating a website and ensuring it’s consistently usable. Web Developers use various coding languages to achieve this goal, and it’s common for coding teams to have a person—or multiple people—entirely dedicated to web development. It’s commonly broken down into three types: front end, back end, and full stack development. Each type has a unique role that contributes to the website’s operations.

Front end web development works with the website's client-side, referred to as the “front end.” This part of the website contains the sections people can see, such as sliders, banners, text, and other visual information. On the opposite side, back end web development works on the website's server-side, or “back end.” This part of web development controls the website's functionality and is where all its data resides.

Full stack web development is a fusion of the two and takes on their best qualities. A Full Stack Developer will have skills in each category and can seamlessly maneuver between the front and back end. Teams will often have at least one Front End Developer, Back End Developer, and Full Stack Developer readily working on the website regularly.

Read more about what web development is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Web Development?

Web development can bolster your career, highlight your hobby, and possibly evolve into a small business of its own. Every industry, from medicine to finance to education, has adapted to the world’s changes and is relying on the internet to complete its work. This list only scratches the surface—nearly every business has shifted online because they value the easy access the internet brings them and their clients.

You’ll increase your professional value by having web development skills and helping build your company’s website. You can also shift career tracks by using web development as a bridge. Are you in medicine but want to switch to art? First, you can start web development for hospitals and then pivot to creating websites for artists. The internet’s importance to all industries means you can easily change companies as you progress.

While you can showcase your passions on social media, having a website increases your credibility, helps you connect with others without vying for their attention, and creates a centralized location for your work. Most importantly, it allows you to operate on your own terms without worrying about sudden changes to a social media platform’s algorithms or policies. And, if you want to build a network on social media, why not have both?

What to Know Before Learning Web Development

By now, you likely have a good understanding of how to use web development in your life, but what else do you need to know? Web development has many parallel skills that can speed up your mastery of each topic. In other words, while learning web development, you can learn these skills to help you become a better programmer.

Learn the Coding Languages

Web development uses various programming languages and tools to help set up websites. You can explore whatever appeals to you the most, but learning these languages in a particular order is highly recommended. The first few languages you should learn are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These three languages are relatively simple, and all you need to start as a Front End Developer.

HTML and CSS are closely linked and are typically taught at the same time. Most classes also cover JavaScript in addition to HTML and CSS. Still, you’re more likely to get the most out of them through a bootcamp since these programs usually cover WordPress, one of the internet’s most popular Content Management Systems (CMS).

Once you have mastered JavaScript, you can move on to JavaScript libraries and frameworks. JavaScript has a solid selection of tools, databases, and resources typically used by Back End Developers. Regarding other programming languages and tools, developers pursue PHP, SQL, and Git to improve overall server functions.

Learn UX and UI

After learning basic coding, learning about user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design is a good idea. Both design principles are intended to maximize the effectiveness of your website by making it easier for people to use. Even knowing the basics of UX and UI design will inform your web development practices enough to drastically improve your website’s quality.

Many teams have their UX and UI Designers who specialize in this craft and knowing their role in web development will help you communicate with them. The more you know about their work, the less you’ll need to learn about their job as you go.

Even if you’re working independently, knowing UX and UI concepts will be enough to engage your audience and keep them coming back to your website. One of the first lessons you’ll learn is to identify your audience’s needs, gather feedback on issues, and implement changes to your website to improve its overall quality and develop it further.

Understand SEO

You’ll want to learn how to direct traffic to your website too. After all, it would be a shame if you put your heart and soul into your website, and nobody ever saw it! SEO, or search engine optimization, is a subset of digital marketing that’s increased in relevance with the advent of social media. In simple terms, you’ll set up your website in a particular way that will help it appear at the top of search results through sites like Google. These search engines check for keywords and other factors, which will dictate when it will pop up.

Learning SEO allows you to gain ownership, authority, and reputation regarding your website’s reach and content. In other words, by applying SEO strategies, you’ll not only improve your website’s branding, but you’ll also improve your credibility for anything you put on the website. For example, if you’re a chef with a quality cooking website, you’ll gain credibility as both a skilled Web Developer and a high-level chef!

SEO experts say that even if you’re still building your website, it’s perfectly okay to release it to the public once you’ve laid the foundation. Once it’s functioning and has the essential elements ready (i.e., once it has recipes, restaurant hours, and contact information to continue the cooking example), you’re all set to publish even if it doesn’t have everything you want yet.

The reason is that it’ll get out to the public faster, which will help it gain traction and situate itself in the search engine. Plus, you can always change it later, and the growth you gain will build on top of your starting point. Once you’ve mastered the basics in these areas, you’re on your way to online success.

Key Insights

• Learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is the best way to start learning web development.
• Learn UX and UI design skills to ensure your websites are visually appealing and user-friendly.
• SEO will help bring traffic to your website.