A webmaster is a person professionally involved in the development and maintenance of websites.

The webmaster's area of ​​responsibility is the performance of the Internet portal. The specialist must ensure that the site is in order and that traffic is coming to it. And if any problems arise - a decrease in traffic or the site’s inaccessibility, then the specialist must find the problem and solve it.

Often webmasters are freelancers. For a small company that has a simple website, such a person is ideal. His strength is enough to keep the portal working.

However, if we're talking about about large projects, you will need a team - designer, layout designer, etc.

Requirements for webmasters

The webmaster profession does not have a generally accepted list of requirements and rules for a specialist. There is also no clear definition of its tasks. However, unwritten rules arose within the community, according to which a person who considers himself to be in this profession must have the following skills:

1. Know at least one web programming language, but better understand all the popular ones (PHP, JavaScript, Python).
2. Working with a standardized document markup language on the Internet.
3. Ability to style the result using CSS.
4. Working with the HTTP data transfer protocol.
5. Basic knowledge of creating and processing drawings in graphic editors.
6. Development of the website structure, its promotion and maintenance.

A novice webmaster must have basic knowledge to understand what is required of him, since customers cannot always correctly formulate the task. The responsibilities of a specialist usually include the creation of websites for small and medium-sized businesses, their maintenance and promotion on the Internet. To do this, they publish content, set up indexing and improve the site's presentation in results. search results, make changes to the code, change the layout.

How to become a specialist

There are several ways to acquire initial skills for work. First, engage in self-study - the Internet has everything for this necessary information. Secondly, sign up for special courses.

On the Internet it is quite easy to find training materials on programming, the basics of Internet marketing, working in graphic editors, etc. The courses usually provide theoretical and practical work skills. In some cases, certificates are issued indicating completion of training (they do not correspond to the state standard, but are suitable for adding to a specialist’s resume).
To debug, test, develop and maintain existing sites, a specialist must be:

• A layout designer with knowledge of HTML/XHTML markup languages.
• A web programmer capable of creating websites and ensuring their functioning.
• A web designer whose responsibilities include designing the logical structures of the site, correct presentation of visual information and design of the project.

The main clients of the webmaster are website owners, small and medium-sized businesses that need a full-time or temporary employee to support corporate resources.

Very often they create their own project and lead it. This provides them with an additional source of income. Besides, a well-made website is the best proof that a person has certain skills. Clients value and trust such specialists.

Webmaster Tools

To perform assigned tasks, each specialist must have the necessary set of tools. They are used at all stages of work: from the creation and placement of a resource to its maintenance.

Programming is not complete without free integrated application development environments. Each specialist chooses for himself best option, allowing you to create code, analyze and correct errors; hide fragments of edited code or text, leaving only the desired line. The most popular development environments are Zend Studio, NetBeans, GNAT Programming Studio etc.

1. Files are processed in software, with which the user controls the server.
2. Artistic and design activities to create a visual component take place in graphic editors.
3. When filling a site with content, the webmaster uses text editors and servers to check articles for compliance with SEO parameters.

Tools also include browsers. Websites are constructed with their help. Commonly used Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera.

The search engines Yandex and Google offer specialists various tools for assessing site indexing, setting up descriptions and promoting positions in search results. With their help, a novice webmaster will be able to independently create, promote and advertise websites.

Yandex Webmaster is a service that provides tools for analyzing and tracking page indexing, checking the technical condition of the site and its position in the search results.

Anyone involved in website promotion should know why Yandex Webmaster is needed. Over time, errors may appear in an online store or blog. Most often they are associated with technical failures or new requirements for content quality. Yandex checks your project and points out shortcomings, makes recommendations for eliminating them, and only accepts corrected work. Like a teacher at school.

You correct mistakes. And the site begins to rank better search engine. Its position is growing, more visitors come to you. Conversion increases and profits grow.

Using Webmaster without registration

The full functionality of the service is available only after authorization. But even without it, you can use a number of options. This is useful not only for working with your own resources, but also for studying competitors.

• Checking robots.txt. You can view bans and restrictions on indexing service pages. As you enter, the lines that Yandex accepts are highlighted separately. You will identify and correct errors in a timely manner.
• Analysis Sitemap files. The tool checks for possible failures in the layout map.
• Monitoring the server response. Indicates the response time for specific links.
• Micro markup validator. Allows you to ensure that the data is well structured for search robots.
• XML validator. With its help you can check the XML files that are needed when working with affiliate programs Yandex, for example - Y.Market.

Adding a site to Yandex Webmaster

When actively promoting a project, there is critically little limited functionality. You will definitely need a complete toolkit. It will give you the opportunity to view all information relevant to participation in the search results:

• what sections the web spider visited and when;
• indexed and excluded pages;
• imposition of filters and sanctions;
• keywords that users use;
• technical errors and much more.

Thanks to this information, each developer makes corrections and improves the site’s position. To use the options, you need to register an account on Yandex and go to the webmaster.yandex.ru section.
After entering the domain address, you must confirm that the resource belongs to you. This can be done in several ways:

• HTML file. The easiest option for beginners. Download the document proposed by the system and upload it to the root directory on the server. This is available both via ftp and through the admin panel of the hosting provider.
• Meta tag. You need to insert the suggested data into the template code. Many CMS systems provide a special field for this in the admin panel. If you are using a custom engine, this work should be entrusted to a programmer.
• DNS record. Its implementation takes place on the domain registrar's side. In the dns control panel, add a text entry and paste the data from Webmaster. This is the longest option. Updates and verification take up to 72 hours.

General information about the site

After confirming your rights, you need to understand in more detail how to work with Yandex Webmaster. Advanced analytics and statistics become available to you:

1. Pages in search. You can control how many of the published materials meet the system requirements.
2. External links. Third-party resources that link to you are displayed. This helps analyze the development of organic user engagement and identify the tricks of competitors who mention you on “gray” portals.
3. Content excluded by robot. You receive notifications about the imposition of sanctions, restrictions and explanations that will help remove them.
4. Subject Citation Index. Determines authority in relation to other sites.

This information helps in assessing the condition and optimizing the site. To resolve common problems, perform an automatic analysis and, following the recommendations of the service, eliminate all shortcomings.

Initial setup of Yandex Webmaster

You can direct the search bot in the right way and adjust its actions. Make his job easier and avoid unnecessary mistakes. To do this, do a little preparation. Be sure to go through the following items:

• Robots.txt. Check the presence of the file on the server and provide the address to it in Webmaster. Check whether all directives work correctly. Close service sections, RSS feeds and other materials that should not appear in search results from robots. Specify the main mirror and the path to the site map.
• Regionality. Relevant for online stores and platforms focused on offline services. It is necessary so that search engines can increase the priority of the resource when asking for a specific city. Create a contact block indicating your office address and telephone numbers. To link to a region, provide a link to it.
• Sitemap. It is a kind of directory that helps define the hierarchy and quickly navigate through subsections. This is especially important for large portals. Create a file and add a link to it.
• Original texts. Before publishing unique content, add it to this section. This will retain your authorship and protect you from being demoted if the information is copied.
• Examination mobile pages. In modern conditions, traffic from phones and tablets predominates. To avoid losing it, make sure your posts meet the requirements.

Be sure to check the resource for errors. They are divided into 4 categories:

• Fatal. There is no indexing access or connection to the server.
• Critical. Exceeding the site response time or the number of broken links.
• Possible. Control of redirects, duplicates, non-existent files and other things.
• Recommendations. Relates to improving search robots’ understanding of the site.

Be sure to fix the first two problems as soon as possible. Ignoring them will result in you dropping out of the search. The remaining ones are also important, but they only affect the ranking.

How to use Yandex Webmaster to improve your site's rankings

It is important not only to know why Yandex Webmaster is needed, but also to understand how to use it to improve performance in search results. It all comes down to making each page more attractive to the end user. This improves behavioral factors. Which in turn is one of the most important parameters for search engines. Let's look at examples of how to apply this within each section of the service.

Diagnostics

You fix obvious problems. Readers see a site that displays correctly and does not produce errors.

Search queries

You see what phrases visitors use and offer them more interesting thematic content.

Indexing

By ordering robots to re-crawl the site, you help clients see more relevant data in the search.

Links

You get the opportunity to fully control internal linking. By restoring broken links, you will prevent transitions to empty sections.

Information about the site

Owners of online stores can add information about products and create special snippets. They will give a complete picture of the names directly from the search engine.

Instantly display content on mobile devices. Save time and traffic.

Tools

You control loading speed, compatibility with phones and tablets, ease of crawling the resource by search bots, and much more. This makes not only people loyal, but also web robots.

In the article, you got acquainted with the Yandex Webmaster service, learned what it is, how to register and use it to promote sites in search results. Timely diagnostics and a thorough study of all the capabilities of the system will allow you to take your place in the TOP over time.

A webmaster is a specialist who is involved in the maintenance, development, and maintenance of web applications and websites. He takes a comprehensive approach to work and combines in one person the activities of various specialists involved in web development: programmers, layout designers, web designers, content managers, optimizers, moderators, server administrators, etc.

In addition, this is the name given to resource owners who independently manage their own projects without involving highly specialized specialists.

Another meaning of the word “webmaster” is the name of a special tool developed by Yandex to provide some statistical data on the site, analytical and management capabilities for its indexing and search results.

The emergence and development of the profession

The term first appeared in 1992 in the Online Hypertext Style Guide developed by Tim Berners-Lee. It was proposed to indicate it in postal address, available for communication if errors occur in the operation of the site. Gradually, the word entered the lexicon and began to be used to name the type of activity for developing and maintaining websites.

The first developers were webmasters, as they were responsible for the entire operation of the site. But more and more complex and in demand resources appeared, so a division of responsibilities was required and, accordingly, the development of narrower specialties. When website development became available to almost everyone, many personal projects arose, and the reverse process became possible.

With the increasing popularity of providing outsourced services and developing Internet projects for the purpose of personal income, interest in web mastering has naturally grown. Employers see hiring generalists as a way to save money, while those wishing to develop additional skills are looking for opportunities to create and monetize own projects and go freelance.

At first, webmasters were self-taught, but soon they began to use the services of online schools, attend trainings, and courses to master the necessary skills.

Now the profession of “webmaster” has become so popular that an unofficial professional holiday has appeared, which is celebrated on April 4. This date is very symbolic: it coincides with International Internet Day, and 404 is also the server response code for a non-existent page.

What skills should a webmaster have?

First of all, a webmaster must master web programming well. He must also have at least a superficial understanding of other related fields. Need to:

• confidently speak at least one web programming language, but it is better to be fluent in the most popular ones (PHP, Python, JavaScript);
• know the basics of layout (CSS, HTML) and be able to use knowledge in practice;
• be able to configure web servers (Nginx, Apache);
• understand XML standards;
• know the basics of administration (Windows, Linux);
• master the principles of work HTTPS protocols, HTTP, FTP;
• understand how to use a DBMS (Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL);
• have a basic understanding of website design;
• be able to use graphic editors at a basic level;
• be able to build a logical project architecture;
• have an understanding of usability issues;
• know the basics of internal optimization;
• have basic knowledge in the field of Internet marketing.

If a webmaster is working with customer projects, he will need the skills of a project manager and an account manager, since he will need to perform these roles along with others.

Education

This specialty is not taught in universities, but acquiring the minimum knowledge necessary to get started is quite simple. The main methods are courses and self-study.

There are a lot of educational materials on the Internet on the basics of Internet marketing, web programming, etc. Basic knowledge is transmitted through books, video tutorials, conference recordings, and professional blogs.

If you do not have basic programming skills, you may need to take special courses. It begins with a theory that reveals the features of the profession, and ends with the first practice. After completing some courses, a certificate (non-state issued) is issued. Some students may undertake internships with partner companies.

But perhaps most effective way Becoming a webmaster is about putting all your knowledge into practice. Due to the lack of formal education, employers tend to select specialists based on actual experience and portfolio.

If you are new to making money online, then today’s post is just for you. It will also be of interest to those who read this blog purely out of interest, while I’m thinking about leaving my job in the future :) Webmaster is a person who develops websites professionally or as a hobby. Most often, his immediate area of ​​work includes the responsibilities of an author, designer, system administrator, (of course) programmer, sometimes moderator or employee technical support. It turns out that a webmaster is a specialist with a very, very broad profile. And indeed it is! This is partly the difficulty of this profession or work - you need to have a considerable amount of knowledge, although this is not a prerequisite. In general, I propose to briefly go through each of the points from the perspective of, so to speak, personal experience.

The most banal thing you need to know for the webmaster profession is, of course, work with computer, here you need to be on first name terms with him. If you only occasionally use it at work for some small purposes, then I’m afraid you are not destined to become a webmaster. In principle, it’s easy when you not only know how to work with a computer, but also understand all the “hardware” intricacies so that you can replace something there or restore a broken system without any problems. Although, on the other hand, we live in such a time that one might rather be surprised by the lack of computer skills. It is also desirable to be able to work with various software, including specific ones.

The next logical stage in the development of a webmaster is Internet. Documents in Word and Excel tables are all good, of course, but the webmaster’s entire power and scope is the Internet. You need to be able to not only surf different sites, read news or check email, but also be able to analyze, search and apply the information received. It requires ingenuity, desire and an attitude to do serious work. Google, blogs and webmaster forums, many various services for all sorts of work tasks or just making life easier. All this, of course, comes with experience, so learn if you don’t have certain knowledge. Here, the experience of studying at an institute can also be useful, when a certain problem arose and it was necessary to solve it at least by some method. If you had to take tests without visits and notes, then you understand me :) In general, the Internet is power, it has everything you might need or find useful. One could even say that " There is no life for a webmaster without the Internet»:)

Go ahead. Since we are talking about creating websites, here you will encounter every day HTMLAndCSS. I remember I bought myself a book on HTML when the opportunity arose to work for a company of my friends creating websites on TYPO3. Until that time, I had only indirectly encountered this markup language, so it was necessary to study the “new frontiers”. By the way, it’s strange, but it was very difficult for me to understand all the nuances of HTML, I had difficulty getting through each subsequent page, but after several weeks practical work I already understood everything and “knew the basics,” which turned out to be quite simple. I got acquainted with CSS without any books, I gradually delved into it and read information on the Internet, it was no longer so difficult. In general, we can conclude that it is best to learn through practice. Is knowledge essential? HTMLAndCSS to make money on the Internet? – no, but with their help you can easily and quickly correct any site. To make money, it is not entirely necessary to be a “classic webmaster”.

The next stage in the life and training of a webmaster is the direct website development. As I said above, I started everything with TYPO3, but it was just custom work, and for the first time I used Blogspot for my blogs. It's such free engine for creating and maintaining blogs from Google. Then, after 3 months, I finally realized that this is not the most optimal option for me and, if I want to develop, then I need to move to my own hosting, domain and install WordPress there. You can read a little about this in the post. This year, by the way, I created a special blog about Wordpress for everyone who works or is learning to work with the system - come in, there’s a lot of useful stuff there.

Generally speaking, more webmasters will come your way other admin panels for creating and managing websites, blogs, forums, both free and paid - you need to be prepared for this and learn everything quickly. In principle, some webmasters show successful work without advanced abilities in the field of website development; they often order the creation of these from other people. On the one hand, this is, of course, a way out, but on the other hand, it’s an unnecessary waste of money - creating websites if you have experience is not such a difficult process, and besides, no one will do the job better than you yourself (if you have the necessary knowledge).

For a webmaster, a necessary (though not mandatory) skill is creation of texts (copywriting). Here, in principle, a lot is relative. Personally, I started my journey of working on the Internet with a personal blog - I started with others, I realized that I could do just as well and started. Over time, this began to bring in a small income and gradually I acquired the status of a blogger who monetizes her project :) In general, thoughts appeared about other sites and things started to happen. From the point of view of the average webmaster, this is probably not entirely common - many started simply with various methods making money on the Internet, where “blogging” was not required. However, texts were always needed - here it all came down to finding the “source of texts”, depending on the level of training of the webmaster, this could be: scans, synonymize, rewriting, copywriting to order, and in some places even content theft (for malicious scumbags :). Actually, just a couple of days ago I wrote an article where I partially talked about my “life path as a webmaster” in this direction. For specialized thematic projects, of course, it is necessary to order texts, since composing them yourself is a) very difficult, b) time-consuming, c) unprofitable. If you run several blogs on topics familiar to you, you can get by with your own knowledge.

Knowledge of English and other languages. This item is a must for a smart webmaster. If you look at the article from the very beginning, then almost all the points (Internet, html, website creation and admin panels) are in one way or another connected with English-language information, of which there is orders of magnitude more on the global network than on the RuNet. Knowing English allows you to feel more comfortable, have more sources of information, and in general this is a huge plus. If we talk about website development, then, for example, I studied TYPO3 in 90% of cases only in English; there was scant information on the RuNet. In addition, translations from English can be additional source content for your personal blog.

Website design and photoshop. I don’t know about you, but personally, for each of my websites or blogs, I always draw something in Photoshop. This could be a small graphic element in the design, a simple logo, image processing, or even creating a graphic header for a web project. I don’t know why, but it has already happened that I remake 90% of website layouts to suit my personal needs and preferences - knowledge of both HTML + CSS and the ability to work with graphic editors (in particular, Photoshop) can be useful here.

I’ll add the last point for the webmaster: SEO and website promotion. It just so happens that by simply creating a website on the Internet or even 10 projects, you will not make money. More precisely, theoretically, you can earn money from this if you do custom work. But if you are creating Internet projects for yourself with their subsequent monetization, then without promotion and seo no way here. The ability to find, analyze and usefully apply information from all kinds of blogs, forums and other literature comes to the aid of a novice webmaster in these matters. In principle, there is nothing complicated in SEO, you just need to have your head on your shoulders and money for promotion :)

Well, that's basically all. This is how it turned out well-rounded webmaster who knows how to use a computer and the Internet, has successfully learned the basics of HTML + CSS, learned how to develop websites, successfully applied knowledge of writing texts and previously learned English language, capable of correcting a few things in the design of projects using Photoshop and effectively promoting his sites on the Internet. Many other little things and nuances could have been added here., but then the post would be simply huge. So, for example, I did not mention various financial aspects (cards, banks, payment systems), communication with clients (search for orders, discussion, delivery of projects) and probably personal characteristics (type of self-organization, discipline, self-development, etc.) In short saying being a webmaster is not such an easy task. But nothing is impossible, if only you had a head on your shoulders :)

Although it must also be said that almost any of these areas can be compensated for by monetary costs, that is, ordering certain types of services from other webmasters. But it’s simply impossible not to know any of the above, so study, strive and achieve your goals.

Welcome to the blog, site. From this article you will learn what kind of profession a webmaster is. With the active development of Internet technologies, today almost every interested user can start running their own website. Of course, this is not easy, even complex, painstaking work that requires a certain amount of knowledge, skills, and abilities. These are exactly what a specialist like a webmaster possesses.

Who is a webmaster and what does he do? What professional qualities should such a person have? Where to learn a profession, what are its pros and cons? We will provide you detailed information answering these questions.

Features of the webmaster profession

Developing websites, virtual resources or applications is a very responsible business. Only an experienced specialist, a true professional who knows how to work with special codes and programs, can cope with it. You can learn this, but it will take some time.

A webmaster is just such a person. His professional responsibilities include creating websites, Internet resources, and web applications from scratch. Alternative names professions: website builder, web developer. They all imply the same profession, so such terms should not confuse or confuse you.

Who can become a webmaster?

We have already figured out what a webmaster is. Now let's understand who can quickly master the basics of this difficult profession. Most often, vacancies go to programmers or system administrators, although these criteria are also conditional. If you really want to take the place of such an employee, then you need to undergo special training. But first, decide in which area of ​​web development you want to work.

On a note. To denote the profession of a person who makes websites, the concept of webmaster has recently been used less and less. The fact is that the process of creating, filling, promoting, and designing websites has long been “divided” into several categories. For this reason, many types of professions related to website building have appeared.

Professions related to webmastering

Webmaster is a collective concept that includes several types of professions:

1. . Such a specialist works with HTML/XHTML codes. In addition, he can operate cascading tables CSS styles.
2. Web Programmer. What does the webmaster of this profile do? It is this specialist who works with the programs and codes that are necessary to create a website from the very beginning. If you are interested in how to get trained to become a webmaster from scratch, then you should seek help from representatives of this profession. They conduct face-to-face lectures as well as webinars on the Internet. In addition, such professionals publish useful literature that will be interesting and necessary for novice webmasters. But such lessons are not always free, although special books can be found in freely accessible electronic versions that can be downloaded to your computer.
3. . A specialist in this profile deals with graphic design of websites. Here, the capabilities of the Photoshop program are often used, but not the one that is popular with ordinary users, but a special, professional one.

So, we only briefly examined the question of who a webmaster is and what he does. Now let's study in more detail the main professional responsibilities of such a specialist.

Main responsibilities of a webmaster

Web master is a specialist who performs a number of duties. But for this he must:

• know the features of operating HTML, CSS;
• be able to use graphic editors (Photoshop and not only);
• be able to develop the logical structure of a future website or web application;
• have an idea of ​​the operating features network protocol HTTP;
• be able to work with the CGI interface standard;
• have basic knowledge in the field of Internet marketing and be able to use it in practice;
• be able to operate the administrative part of the website - CMS. Read more about website engines here

Working as a webmaster takes a while to master. It may take many months for full training and career advancement. But the final result is worth the effort.

What does a web master do?

Previously, we looked at the basic skills, abilities, and knowledge that such a specialist should have. Now let’s take a closer look at the main functional tasks of this employee.

An employee of this profile specializes in:

• filling the site with content to ensure its promotion (read more about the profession of a content manager here);
• analysis of Internet resource traffic statistics;
• website design: functionality/usability;
• website layout;
• website design;
• implementation innovative technologies per resource;
• analysis of competitors' activity;
• creating various useful concepts for resource development;
• monitoring the operation of the site on the server where it is hosted.

This is not all the features of the webmaster profession. But these are the basic provisions that everyone who wants to work in this specialty needs to know about and prepare for.

Where can I learn a profession, and what are its pros and cons?

If you are interested in the profession in question, then you are probably interested in knowing how to become a webmaster from scratch. You must take into account the fact that no university has such a separate specialty. But there are directions that will help you do this. For example, you can go to study to become a programmer, and then use various training manuals, sign up for trainings, lectures or webinars from experienced webmasters.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like any other, the webmaster profession has its pros and cons. The main advantages of this work include:

• the opportunity to continuously earn money, since the services of this professional are in great demand today;
• the ability to work in any convenient place and at any convenient time;
• independence from social sentiments;
• absence of a manager except for clients who can only express their wishes regarding the future design of the resource;
• decent income;
• the opportunity to take a vacation at any convenient time.

And many more positive aspects.

As for the disadvantages of this profession, they are:

• availability of such personal quality, as discipline, which, unfortunately, is not characteristic of all people;
• dependence of income on the volume of work done;
• careful and constant monitoring of current market trends.

As you can see, the webmaster profession has more advantages than disadvantages. And another undeniable advantage is that work can be found on freelance exchanges, and in modern times virtual space there are a huge variety.