If you’re building a site from scratch, you’ll likely need help. Here’s an overview of web design vs. web development. Learn which skillset can help you best.

So you’ve got your domain name and your hosting in order.

There’s a lot of terminology to be learned, even if you’re not planning on touching the site yourself.

For example, understanding the difference between web design vs. web development. Which is what you’re looking for in the long run?

If you’ve been trying to puzzle out the difference then read on and we’ll show you exactly what you need to know to make a good choice for your project.

Defining Web Design

Web design has more to do with the front-end of your website. A good designer is part coder and part graphic designer, and in most cases, they’ll be familiar with the software required to produce modern graphics for your web page.

They’re primarily focused on the user experience and the layout of the web page in question. If you’re looking for a website with a great look then you’re probably looking at hiring a web designer, especially if you’re starting from the ground up.

Web designers will often have some front-end skills with things like Java and CSS. They generally won’t handle the back end of the site, however, which is a different set of skills entirely.

Defining Web Development

Web development, on the other hand, is focused on the coding and back-end portions of the page. They’re primarily coders, and they’re often used in conjunction with a web designer.

The designer will create a great looking, relatively static web page, and the developer will use the behind-the-scenes stuff to create a great, dynamic web page.

They usually engage in back-end development for the most part. That involves the databases, servers, and other behind-the-scenes parts of your website that are crucial to functioning.

Web Design vs. Web Development

When it comes to hiring, most people get a bit confused. There’s a lot of blurred lines when it comes to distinguishing these two and indeed there are a lot of people out there who can do both.

The people who can do both are usually referred to as “full-stack web developers.” While there are plenty of great ones out there, the truth is that it’s usually better to hire a specialist.

In an ideal world, most of us would be hiring both a designer and a developer in order to create a fully functional web page. Things rarely work out that way, however, and often the design work falls to the client unless they hire an agency.

Both of them are pretty much essential for any internet-based project, however. The designer makes for a great layout and UX, while the developer creates a smooth, speedy website and cleans up the code so there are fewer problems.

It’s not so much a “versus” situation as they are a pair of interdependent jobs which create a cohesive whole.

Finding a Professional

Web design vs. web development? The truth is simple: you need both.

It’s often an act of folly to create your own webpage. The truth of the matter is that the experience and skills of professionals are simply able to out-do amateur efforts.

When you’re looking to hire, since both web development and design are critical parts of the process in the long run, it often makes sense to hire a professional agency rather than hoping you can hire a couple of freelancers who get along and mesh well.

If you’re looking for professional services, combined with easy hosting, contact us today to learn more!