Ten things I wish I knew before starting Web Development
Let’s dive into it! Here it goes…
1. To make a website, You need to know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Before diving into website development, you must understand the fundamentals of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. HTML is the backbone of web pages. Knowing its structure, tags, and section elements would have been beneficial. This would have allowed me to create more organized and accessible content.
CSS is essential for styling and layout. Knowing its selectors and properties would have saved me many hours of experimenting.
Lastly, JavaScript’s ability to integrate interactivity should not be underestimated. I familiarized myself with JavaScript’s syntax, data types, and critical concepts such as DOM manipulation and event handling. This allowed me to enhance user experiences.
Having a fundamental understanding of JavaScript can help your website stand out. It also prepares you to use other web development frameworks. It utilizes JavaScript, such as React or Angular. A solid foundation in these core web technologies is essential for building robust, well-designed, and user-friendly websites.
2. Web development constantly changes, so you must keep learning.
The field of web development is dynamic, with new frameworks, libraries, and tools emerging constantly. Understanding the significance of continuous learning and adaptability prepared me better for the ever-changing software development landscape.
I would have benefitted from knowing the value of staying connected with the developer community. This includes participating in online forums, attending conferences, and attending meetups. I should have monitored industry trends and advancements. This would have enabled me to foresee technological changes and gain the skills needed promptly.
Embracing a growth mindset. And being open to learning modern technologies would have empowered me to evolve alongside the industry and deliver higher-quality products.
Change is a constant in web development. We must proactively keep up with emerging technologies to succeed in the field. This is essential for professional growth and success.
3. Design is important because it makes your website look good and easy to use.
One aspect of web development is the significance of design as a front-end developer. While coding skills are necessary, understanding and incorporating applicable design principles are essential for creating remarkable web experiences.
Design goes beyond aesthetics; it focuses on usability, accessibility, and delivering a seamless user journey. Front-end developers can create visually appealing and user-friendly interfaces with a good understanding of design principles. This allows them to interpret a designer’s vision accurately.
Attention to detail, such as layout, color schemes, typography, and visual hierarchy, can enhance the user experience. We collaborate closely with designers and stakeholders. This ensures the final product is in line with the intended design.
Web development requires combining design and coding skills. Front-end developers use these skills to create websites that captivate users. These websites also benefit the organization that uses them. Visitors are left with an impression of our engaging websites.
4. Your website should work well on all devices, like computers and phones.
In today’s digital world, websites must function well on different devices like computers and phones. The website must be easy to navigate and visually appealing, regardless of the device used. If the website fails to meet these requirements, users may become frustrated and choose to leave. This can negatively affect the website’s reputation and visibility on search engines.
The website’s user experience is essential. Users will be pleased with the interaction if it is seamless across all devices. They will have a positive and satisfying experience. This enhances their chances of staying on the website for extended periods. Moreover, a well-functioning website across devices improves rankings on search engines.
Websites need to prioritize user-friendly design. This allows them to ensure smooth usability across all devices. This, in turn, delivers a delightful experience for visitors.
5. Your website should be easy to use for people with disabilities.
Dudharejia, Manish. “9 Ways You Can Make Your Website More Accessible.” Search Engine Journal, 21 Aug. 2020, www.searchenginejournal.com/make-website-more-accessible/347450/.
Websites need to be accessible to people with disabilities. They depend on the internet to get information and use services.
Ensuring website accessibility allows people with disabilities to access content. Specialized tools such as screen readers or adaptive keyboards can help them navigate easily. This not only improves the user experience for individuals with disabilities but also enhances usability for all visitors.
It is essential to make a website accessible. This will cater to diverse users and increase their chances of appearing in search engine results. Moreover, search engines prioritize accessible websites, leading to higher visibility and better rankings.
Manish Dudharejia’s article, “9 Ways You Can Make Your Website More Accessible,” emphasizes the significance of making websites more accessible. It underlines that website accessibility is crucial to ensure that people with disabilities can easily navigate and use the website.
Positively impact search engine rankings. It emphasizes the significance of using proper coding practices, providing keyboard navigation options, and conducting regular testing to maintain accessibility.
The article emphasizes that improving website accessibility helps people with disabilities and enhances the user experience. Furthermore, it can positively influence search engine rankings.
6. To ensure people can find your website, you should learn about SEO.
SEO is about making your website more visible and relevant to search engines so it ranks higher in search results. You should know SEO because it helps people find your website when they search for information on search engines like Google. If you do not utilize SEO, your website may not appear on the first page of search engine results. This means fewer people will discover it.
Understanding SEO will help you better understand how search engines work and how to make your website more visible to them. This can help you attract more visitors to your website and improve your business.
Ruth Everett’s article, “How and Why Accessibility Matters for SEO,” emphasizes the importance of making websites accessible to people with disabilities. It shows how essential this is for SEO. This can also help the website show up more on search engines.
This website provides advice on making websites more accessible. It explains some common problems that make websites hard for people with disabilities. It covers correctly coding and enabling navigation with only a keyboard.
Websites can be made more accessible. This can benefit all visitors, as well as increase the visibility of the site on search engines. It is essential to keep testing the website to ensure it stays accessible over time.
7. You must ensure your website is safe from hackers and other threats.
It is essential to protect your website from hackers and other threats. These malicious actors can cause a great deal of harm.
Hackers can steal various personal information, such as names and passwords. They can also access financial data. Furthermore, they can ruin your website’s reputation.
There are also things like malware and viruses that can infect your website and take information without you knowing. Another trick is phishing, where attackers pretend to be someone else to get people to share their info.
You can do a few simple things to protect your website. Use strong passwords that are hard to guess. Keep all your software updated with the latest security fixes. You can also use firewalls and antivirus software to keep out unwanted visitors.
Regularly making copies of your website’s data is also a promising idea if anything goes wrong. Take these steps to protect your visitors’ data and maintain a good reputation for your website. Additionally, you can secure all your important data.
8. Working with others, like designers, developers, and clients, is essential.
The article “Why Your Web Designers & Developers Should Be Working Together?” emphasizes the importance of involving web developers early in website design and development. They have technical expertise and knowledge about how things work and what makes a website easy to use. Having developers on board from the beginning helps avoid problems and saves time by preventing the need for fixes later.
Web development is a team effort. Collaboration between designers, developers, and clients is crucial for a successful project. Developers work closely with designers to combine various parts of a website and make it look and work well. They work together to create a website that is visually pleasing and user-friendly.
It is also essential to communicate openly with clients. Developers can ensure the website meets their requirements by understanding their needs and expectations. Effective communication, listening carefully, and being open to different ideas is essential to working well together.
Web developers should be involved early in the design process for successful web projects. Working closely with designers and clients is essential. Effective communication is critical. It helps create a website that looks great, works well, and meets the client’s needs and expectations.
9. You should test your website to make sure it works correctly.
The testing stage of web development is of utmost importance as it ensures a seamless user experience and prevents troubleshooting issues. It plays a vital role in identifying and resolving problems before releasing the website to the public. All aspects of functionality, including database connections, links, forms, and other elements, are thoroughly tested to ensure they operate as intended. The testing process should include human and automated testing, using tools to replicate user interactions.
Performance testing is essential. It allows us to evaluate the website’s performance under different loads and internet speeds.
Additionally, it helps us optimize for multiple browsers and devices. Additionally, cross-browser and cross-device testing is crucial to ensure consistent performance and visual integrity across various platforms. By prioritizing comprehensive testing, developers can deliver high-quality websites that provide an exceptional user experience for all visitors.
10. You should write down how you made your website so you can change it later if needed.
Documenting the creation of a website is essential for a few key reasons. First, it gives a clear overview of the website’s structure for anyone who needs to change later. It helps to keep track of how the website was built.
Second, documentation is helpful when trying to solve problems or fix errors. A detailed record of the development process makes finding and fixing issues easier.
Lastly, documentation encourages teamwork and knowledge sharing among the people working on the website. It helps everyone understand how things are done and allows them to contribute effectively. By documenting the process, developers can make updates more efficiently, solve problems faster, and work together more efficiently.
