When running an online business, one of the most important things you can do to expand it is to build your own website. It helps you look more professional and credible—you can’t just rely on social media platforms to get your name out there. Additionally, having your website is just convenient—this is a place where you can take orders, provide customer service, and give information about your business to prospective customers.

Of course, this is no easy task for anybody. A lot of work comes into building a website, which is why many people leave it to professionals and hire Orange County web design companies to do it for them. Before you dive into hiring, however, you need to make sure that you know what you need. Is it a website developer you need or a website designer? And what exactly is the difference?

What is a Website Developer?

Simply put, a website developer is a programmer. They help build a website from scratch by using various web languages like HTML, PHP, Javascript, Python, and a lot more. They’re the engineer to the website designer’s architect—they take their ideas and turn them into reality!

They’re also in charge of maintaining the website. While website design is oftentimes a one-and-done type of thing, web developers need to work around the clock to make sure the website is working. For example, if a website crashes too often due to a high volume of visitors, or if a website is hit by a security breach due to a hacker, it’s up to the website developers to fix the problem promptly.

Front-End Developer

As the name suggests, front-end developers are in charge of the website elements that make up the front of a website. They make them fully functional and interactive with the users. For example, every design element you see on our website has been made by our front-end developer!

Back-End Developer

Back-end developers, on the other hand, work behind the scenes to make sure the website is running smoothly. You can’t have the star of the show without the producers, directors, cameramen, and other staff helping to make the show happen! Back-end developers help run the site by maintaining connections with host servers and implementing security measures.

Full-Stack Developer

Full-stack developers have the best of both worlds. They can do both front-end and back-end development. They typically get paid more than people who are only front-end or back-end developers because they can do two jobs for the price of one!

What is a Website Designer?

Website designers are the fashionistas of the digital world. They design websites not only to make them look good but also to make them fully functional and fully in line with the company’s brand. After all, you’d probably be very confused if you clicked on Red Bull’s website and found the design to be very pink and flowery!

Website designers often work with the company owners themselves just to get a feel of what they want for their websites. At the end of the day, this is going to be their website—they should have the final say as to what the website looks like. Website designers are just there to polish and enhance it.

Additionally, unlike web developers, web designers use image manipulation programs like Adobe XD and Illustrator to design the website complete with color schemes and typography.

User Experience (UX) Designer

User experience web designers put themselves in the customer’s shoes by planning out their journeys on your website. It’s sort of like giving directions in an unfamiliar city—they should know where the customer starts (i.e., the landing page), where the best tourist attractions are (i.e., content), and where to buy souvenirs (i.e., your product or service).

Without a UX web designer, your website would be all over the place, leaving your customers lost. That’s a big no-no. You always want to lead your customers to the right path.

User Interface (UI) Designer

User interface web designers work on the actual design aspect of the website. They’re in charge of choosing the fonts, color schemes, page layouts, and also images like buttons, drop-down menus, and scrollers too. Essentially, they make the website look neat and aesthetically pleasing!

While they might seem similar to front-end developers, the difference is pretty delineated. You can think of UI web developers coming up with the building materials to make a house and front-end developers putting the building materials together.

Visual Designers

Similar to the full-stack developer, visual designers are experts at both user experience and user interface. They might even have a slight edge over people who can only do one of them as they can strike the perfect balance between functional and organized pretty quickly. Whereas UX and UI designers have to collaborate multiple times to get everything perfect, visual designers can just do everything by themselves (for a heftier price, of course).

Website Developers vs. Website Designers

All in all, the differences between website developers and web designers are quite clear.

Website developers are technical—they use web languages such as HTML, Python, and Javascript to build a website from the ground up. Meanwhile, website designers are artistic—they use Illustrator and Photoshop to come up with the finished product the web developers then have to make.

Furthermore, web development is a constant struggle. Something can go wrong anytime with a website, which is why web developers always need to get ready to fix any issue that pops up before the company loses any leads. Web design, on the other hand, is often a one-time thing—it’s designing the website until the owners are satisfied with it and leaving the rest to the developers.

Conclusion

Despite their clear differences, one thing is for certain: web developers and web designers need to work hand-in-hand to make a website that works well and looks great. They are both essential to building a website that can expand your business, attract your target audience, and generate leads and sales.

So, if you’re looking for Orange County web design services, you’ll be happy to know that Drive Traffic Media has got you covered. Contact us today at (949) 800-6990 to get a free quote and consultation. We look forward to helping you build the website of your dreams.