So You Want to be a Webmaster?

Being a webmaster today is not the same as it was a few years ago. You used to be able to know some HTML and have some graphic design skills and you had it made – you could throw a website together in an evening and that was it; you were done. That’s not the case anymore. The World Wide Web has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years and a good webmaster has to be able to recognize that and roll with the punches.

Websites have grown beyond simple HTML pages like in the old days. Today, you need to know basic and advanced HTML, but you also need to know so much more. This includes other online programming languages like C++, Perl, PHP, and even Cold Fusion. These programming languages are being used on just about every website that you see and web surfers are used to how simple many of these programs make their web surfing experience.

Besides the programming aspects of being a webmaster, you also need to know a thing or two about graphics, web design and layout. Being skilled with Photoshop is almost a must in today’s market. You might be able to get by with using some other graphics programs, but Photoshop has basically become the industry standard and you should start learning how to use it now. You also need to have a good understanding of web site layout and how you want viewers to see your web pages. Your pages need to have a nice, smooth flow to them that is easy for the viewer to follow. Despite new web design fads that come and go; good, clear web design will always be in style, so always keep that in mind when you decide to make any changes to your sites.

If your desire to run websites leads you to learn these other programming languages and have a good understanding of web design and layout, then it’s time to get to work! There are tons of places that you can get work from and you may even have to turn some offers down, to be honest. Sites like www.Elance.com and www.RentACoder.com have many web owners looking for webmasters to run and manage their web sites. All you have to do is register with the sites and go looking for a job. It’s really that simple.

Once you start accepting jobs and are running several websites, you’re going to need some tools to make successfully managing these sites a breeze. There are tons of web sites and tools available for free that will help you to create great looking, high quality web pages for your clients and I’m going to tell you about a few of them right now. Two great web sites for webmasters that you’ll want to bookmark are www.WebmasterWorld.com and www.FreeWebmasterHelp.com. These websites have many resources for webmasters and will help you stay current in the ever-changing world of webmasters.

Some great tools for optimizing your webpages can be found at HTML Inspector (http://www.echoecho.com/toolhtmlinspector.htm) and at www.PreviewHTML.com. These are great tools for making sure that your HTML pages are intact and that there are no broken links, incorrect meta tags, broken syntax, and much more. You’ll also want your websites to be able to receive natural search engine traffic and one of the best ways to do that is by adding keywords to your pages that are relevant to what’s on your webpages. Some great keyword research tools are SEO 2020 and WordTracker.

The job of a webmaster is one that will change almost on a daily basis, but don’t give up. These tips are a great way for you to get started working as a webmaster and to prepare yourself for what lies ahead on your journey.