Qualifications
Web professions generally don’t require formal qualifications. Instead, most website companies look for webmasters who have fairly in-depth knowledge of both web design and the market. Nevertheless, education in an IT-related discipline may help prospective webmasters initially secure higher salaries. Later on, their performances will determine their earnings.
Skills and Knowledge
The following skills and knowledge allow webmasters to perform their duties efficiently:
- knowledge of HTML and HTML text editors such as FrontPage and Dreamweaver
- graphic-design skills
- knowledge of search-engine optimization techniques
- knowledge of web-design fundamentals
- IT literacy
- knowledge of Internet-related theories and applications and of the scope of the Internet
- customer-service skills
- knowledge of organizations’ structures
- expertise in information architecture
To create and promote their websites, webmasters must work with artists, writers, and designers. Because of this, webmasters are usually adept at multitasking. They perform the following tasks:
- design, develop, implement, and maintain client websites
- coordinate different web tasks
- manage web-design, content, and development teams
- act as initial points of contact for website-related queries
- serve as links between audiences and websites
- study websites’ information architectures and organize information in reader friendly formats
- track traffic patterns and visitors’ responses
- analyze and monitor websites’ log files
- perform search-engine optimization tasks
- collect information about websites’ visitors and decide whether websites have been successful
- anticipate audience needs and develop strategies for traffic growth
- improve websites’ accessibility and usability
- fix mistakes
- develop disaster-recovery plans
- respond to clients’ emails and demands
- research, test, and implement new web techniques
