On the surface, both Web Designers and Web Developers perform the same task, creating websites. The difference between the two lies beneath the surface:
To sum up the difference:
Web Designers create the appearance of a website.
Web Developers are responsible for building and applying functionality to a website.
Basically, a Web Designer is an interior designer, while a Web Developer is a construction company.
If a Web Designer is an interior designer and a Web Developer is a construction company, who is the architect? That would be an SEO (search engine optimization) Specialist. Ultimately, making search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.) home inspectors. Learn more about SEO
Web Designers are responsible for:
colors, page style, font families, font sizes, font colors, images, image sizes, logos, icons, feel of the site, they create the layout, what the visitor sees.
Web Developers are responsible for:
code, functionality, movement, links, taking the layout from the designer and making it work.
Can Web Designers build websites?
Yes, but in most cases, the designer’s ability is limited to the platform on which they build the website. Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, etc.
These platforms are not ideal for building a sustainable, fully functional website. And the biggest knock on these builders, which most people do not realize, is you do not really own anything. If one day you wish to expand your website’s capabilities beyond the scope of what they provide, you will have to start over and create a new website. More information on website builders.
Can Web Developers design websites?
Absolutely. This is one of the better case scenarios. The reason being the developer can consider functionality while designing the layout, avoiding potential dilemmas that may arise from a web designer’s creation.
The best-case scenario is you can find a Web Developer with skills in Design, Development, and SEO or find an agency that offers all 3. Hiring a professional developer/agency who is capable of providing all stages of building websites will drastically reduce build time, miscommunication, potential issues, and save you money in the long run.
Instead of paying and communicating with a designer, then a paying and bringing a developer up to speed, then paying and explaining everything to an SEO specialist, you can get everything done under one roof and usually at a semi-discounted rate. Page One offers these ideal building conditions.
If you are considering hiring other agencies or professionals for your website needs please invest in consulting with a few different web firms. This will better equip you for negotiations and give you a clear understanding of what tasks are needed to build your website.
