Everything for a newbie webmaster. Principles of a decent webmaster What a webmaster should know

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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 are talking about large projects, then a team will be required - 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:

Know at least one web programming language, but better understand all the popular ones (PHP, JavaScript, Python).
Working with a standardized document markup language on the Internet.
Ability to style the result using CSS.
Working with the HTTP data transfer protocol.
Basic knowledge of creating and processing drawings in graphic editors.
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 search results, make changes to the code, and 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 all the necessary information for this. 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 the best option for himself, allowing him 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.

Work with files is carried out in software with which the user controls the server.
Artistic and design activities to create a visual component take place in graphic editors.
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. Typically used are 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.

How to become a webmaster and what you need for this
Becoming a web master these days is quite easy, if only you have the desire. By desire I mean the ability to self-learn and be patient. In modern Internet sites, all and sundry are made, as usual, the quality of web projects at the end is very different from the desired result, both for the customer and for the webmaster himself. For you to be competitive, you need to intelligently approach the question of how to become a webmaster.

Webmasters are not born but made, you must understand this once and for all. If at first everything seems very difficult, then after a while you will remember everything with a smile. Understand that nothing happens right away. Everyone started somewhere and it is the right start that will lead to a great finish. If you don’t want to be like everyone else, then start with the basics of webmastering, what do you need for this? A clearly defined training plan will help you.

Training plan for a future webmaster or how to learn how to make websites

1. Start learning HTML - hypertext markup language.

The main thing is not to put the cart before the horse and progressively move towards your goal - to become a webmaster. By starting with HTML, you will understand the structure of a web document and learn how to create simple websites. Once you understand the structure of HTML, it will be much easier for you to navigate programming languages.

2. The second stage is learning CSS - the language of web page display styles.

If your nature is inclined towards web design, you will really like this item. Thanks to the introduction of CSS styles into the document, the site acquires its own flavor and unique appearance. You can set the color, size, background and much more to the web page. There is a separate specialization as a web layout designer where CSS is fundamental knowledge.

3. Basic familiarity with PHP and Java Script - programming languages.

The most common programming languages on the Internet. The vast majority of websites use PHP and Java Script. PHP makes the site work by introducing subcommands into the HTML document, the ability to register on the site, feedback, etc. Java Script adds dynamism to your website, changing images, drop-down menus and much more.

4. Introduction to CMS – content management system.

The CMS system is the heart of your website, in other words, the website engine. At the fourth stage, it is important to focus on any one CMS system. Choosing an engine to study? The best choice for initial learning is the CMS WordPress. This content management system is absolutely free and easy to use.

Pay attention to the correct sequence of mastering the material. Don’t try to embrace the immensity, it won’t work anyway. Man is not a machine and learning all programming languages at once will lead you nowhere. You will only feel stupid, it will seem to you that everything is very difficult and you will give up.

To study hypertext markup, cascading style sheets, and programming languages, use video tutorials and e-books. There is simply no lack of information now; only laziness hinders a person. A competent combination of printed publications and video materials will create a serious knowledge base in your head. Don’t be like the pseudo-masters who learned how to install Joomla and consider themselves gods of the web. The more serious the basic knowledge, the easier the path up the mountain.

Necessary programs for a beginner webmaster

1. Dreamviver – Visual code editor.

Adobe Dreamviver is one of the best code highlighting editors. Allows you to create web pages, both in a visual editor and in code mode with hints in a pop-up window. A very powerful program that I also recommend studying. In it you will be able to put your acquired knowledge into practice.

2. Photoshop – Graphic editor with an incredible number of possibilities.

Adobe Photoshop - almost all webmasters use Photoshop to draw designs, create original pictures, etc.

3. Total Komander – file manager.

A very popular and convenient program. Allows you to simultaneously work with two local drives on your computer. Working with files, editing files, working with archives.

4. Denver – Local hosting.

Virtual hosting located on your computer. Without Internet access, you can install popular CMS systems and practice creating websites. Let me remind you, master everything in order. Getting acquainted with CMS should happen at the very end, then the chance of making original websites based on CMS systems will increase a hundredfold.

For an entry-level webmaster, these programs are quite sufficient. Don’t be like some object in a hole, rushing from side to side. High-quality exhaust is not possible without studying the basics. We have decided on the study strategy, now let’s figure out what this sequence is for.

A webmaster must create original websites

Why is website originality so important and what does this have to do with self-learning the craft of webmastering? The most direct. With the advent of super duper sophisticated ready-made solutions for all popular CMS systems. More than ever, a website with an original, non-template design is in demand, and here your knowledge of HTML and CSS will come to your aid. You can't go anywhere without them. after all, when a customer asks you to “do it this way here” and “do it differently there”, then without basic knowledge you will simply hit a wall and the order will go away from you. Almost always, ready-made solutions are not suitable for customers and the template will have to be changed in any case. Having started making websites by studying CMS systems, such masters are subsequently forced to study HTML and CSS.

I would be very grateful if you describe your experience and your vision of this issue in the comments.

With development, a huge number of new professions have appeared. They are gaining popularity every day. Whether this is good or bad can be debated endlessly. But you need to know that a webmaster is not a lazy person at the computer, but a creative and talented person.

Profession

In general, it is not easy to determine the scope of capabilities of this specialty. As the name suggests, this profession also deals with corporate Internet applications.

But this is only the main position of a webmaster. In addition, it can combine other professions, depending on the size of the team. For example, sometimes he does design or layouts web pages. Can program something or perform the work of a system administrator.

Sometimes a webmaster has to moderate a site and work as a content manager. He can become a technical support employee. Recently, a webmaster is also an SEO specialist. As a result, from a simple resource developer, we have grown into a multifunctional employee who can help at several stages of website creation at once.

Development

The concept itself already has its own history. Naturally, it did not appear out of thin air. It was first mentioned by the famous Timothy John Berners-Lee. This is the person to whom we owe the Internet and what began to appear subsequently.

He talked about the webmaster in one interesting document. The Online Hypertext Style Guide dates back to 1992. In one of the chapters of this document, the scientist gives some recommendations. In them, he advises creating a “mail alias webmaster.” This invention should help those who have problems with the server.

As a result, people had to use such a single mailing address, the advantage of which was that it was independent from the name of the person who would be engaged in web development. Thus, it was recommended to use this word for all private webmasters.

Versatility

This profession is not accidental. The fact is that when the Internet began to develop in the early 90s of the last century, websites began to appear. The general availability of the Internet allowed anyone who was not too lazy to create their own resource. But it just so happened that the authors themselves became such creators.

So, one person was responsible for development, moderation, content, support, technical components and much more. These creators became known as webmasters. There were no courses then, and people had to support their brainchild.

But special training for this profession appeared already when network growth and commercialization intensified. This is how special requirements for sites began to appear. All this led to the fact that it was not enough to be self-taught. It was necessary to follow certain algorithms. This is what they began to teach in webmaster courses.

Questionable form

Continuing the theme of this profession, we will tell you one interesting fact. As we know, in Russian there is no feminine form of the name of the profession. Sometimes, using a specialty in a similar spirit, it acquires a negative connotation.

But in English there is a word webmistress. That is, a woman involved in web development. The word turns out to be quite strange, and in fact it is very rarely used in real life, even in English.

Job

So, let's move directly to the work that specialists in this profession perform. First of all, this is website development. But it cannot be said that this is their only task. In addition, web development has many stages that can be performed by different people or by a person who has completed courses.

In the process of creating a website or web application, you need to spend time on web design, layout, programming and configuration.

Stages

Of course, the phasing depends on the resource itself. But in general, there are several mandatory and frequently encountered steps in this process:

Creation. This refers to the design process, during which all information is collected and analyzed, technical specifications are developed and the interface is thought out.
Creative. This is the next stage in which you need to think through a creative concept.
Design. Next comes the development of the appearance of the site.
Detailing. Depending on the specialization of the resource, all details need to be finalized at this stage.
Assembly. Next comes the layout and templates.
Programming. This is a tricky part where a web developer can hand over the reins to someone who understands it better.
Optimization. This is another challenging specialty that an SEO specialist can pursue.
Tests. Next you need to test all functional elements and check their functionality.
Launch. Afterwards, you can open the project and activate sharing.
Support. The last stage can take forever because maintenance is always needed.

Details

Naturally, a more detailed plan can be proposed for the stages described above. Additionally, the steps may be performed in different orders. Everything will depend on the tasks of the resource.

Any private webmaster initially offers to create technical specifications. Although sometimes the project manager can also do this. In this case, you need to discuss all the details related to the site.

When everything is prepared, the tasks are outlined, you can start designing. In this case, contact a web designer. This specialist, based on the technical specifications, makes a layout of the future project. There can be several of them, using different elements and colors.

Next, the design requirements are brought to life. This can be done by the designer himself, or you can delegate this stage to a layout designer. Sometimes, for small non-commercial projects, this step can be skipped altogether. It is much easier to buy a template and install it on a content management system.

Ends with testing. In this case, all abilities of the resource are checked. Afterwards, usability tests can be carried out to indicate the ease of use of the site.

After this, you can launch the resource into the world. Again, everything will depend on the tasks and goals. For example, if this is an informational site, you can immediately open it and continue filling it out and optimizing it. If this is an online store, then before opening it is better to load it a little with content (at least with product cards), and then engage in optimization.

Requirements

Nowadays webmaster services are very popular, since there are still few such specialists. Especially if we are talking about those who are truly dedicated to their work. Sometimes this profession can bring money from home, sometimes from the office. It all depends on the desire of the specialist.

One way or another, if you plan to work as a webmaster and are already trained in this matter, then you will have to come to terms with some requirements for this profession.

Firstly, as practice shows, you need to be diligent. A webmaster is an inactive person. He cannot jump up and run. He must concentrate all the time on the tasks at hand.

Also, specialists in this profession must have an analytical mind. You need to understand that with the development of technology, you will have to constantly learn and get acquainted with something new: hundreds of programs, rules and updates. And, of course, you need to be prepared for the fact that the volumes of information are simply immense.

Knowledge and skills

Webmasters can be taught how to create websites in special courses. Of course, no one has canceled self-taught skills, but, as practice shows, people who are generally far from this profession can hardly master it on their own.

During your studies, you must gain certain knowledge and skills in order to subsequently get a job in a company. Be prepared to be able to work with HTML, CSS and JavaScript. You need to know and understand the basics of PHP, Perl and SQL.

Programs

To work, you will have to get acquainted with a number of programs for webmasters. The list of them can be endless, and besides, once you get to work for a company, you will most likely use different tools. But there is still something common in such applications.

First, you definitely need a text editor. It doesn’t matter which one you choose for yourself. Most often it becomes Notepad2. Naturally, you need to work with a browser. You need to make one of them working in order to install special extensions and save an infinite number of bookmarks.

It won't hurt to get a PicPick. Using the program, you can capture the screen, use a ruler, magnifying glass, protractor, etc. You will also need a keyboard switch with text templates.

Among other things, you definitely need a tool for layout, building diagrams and flowcharts, working with passwords, and web servers. The list can still be supplemented, but it is already selected individually and may depend on the project.

Services

Well, and finally, it’s worth talking about Yandex. Webmaster. This service is just for the specialty under review. It has an alternative from Google (Google Search Console). But, as practice shows, it is better to use both services at once. This way you can get a more objective picture of the site’s performance.

So, the service is represented by a toolbar that helps you evaluate the site’s indexing, customize its descriptions and monitor statistics. This service is completely technical. It doesn't tell you how users react to content or what they do on your site.

"Yandex. Webmaster" is aimed at technical errors, etc. Thanks to it, you will be able to optimize the resource, view all statistics related to indexing, check the robots.txt file, and analyze external and internal links.

conclusions

This turns out to be such a universal webmaster. It is very important to understand that in order to become a good specialist in this field, you need to constantly study, practice and gain experience.

To some, this profession seems useless, but it is webmasters who support the entire commercialization of the Internet.

I can say that in the process of working with clients’ websites I very often meet dishonest webmasters who ran websites before me. Therefore, I would like to systematize all the information about how I imagine a competent, decent webmaster who will support your site.

At the very beginning of my article, I want to give golden advice on working with a website: “Always have access passwords at hand, know who your hoster is, who the domain owner is.” Keep everything under control, do not try to shift all worries to the site administrator, control its work.

1) The most common thing is that domains are registered to the webmaster himself, and hosting too. Thus, the client is very tightly tied to a specific webmaster. This is categorically wrong and dishonest on the part of the webmaster. Your website should belong only to you. If the hosting issue can be resolved quickly enough, then you will have to tinker with the domain name. You may not even be able to prove that the domain name belongs to you. Therefore, always register these basic things in your own name, or even better, in a legal entity. Although it’s not particularly important here. Previously, I gave some tips on how to choose hosting for a website, read it, it will be very useful.
2) The webmaster uses your site as a donor site, or even worse, he simply takes advantage of your incompetence and installs malicious scripts on the site. Which allow him to perform certain actions even after he ceases to be the administrator of your site. This is very ugly and it is almost impossible to calculate it without certain knowledge.
3) The site does not have a sane, working CMS. Of course, you can make a website using inclusions, but now, in my opinion, the person who makes the website is simply obliged to make it on a normal CMS. Since this will allow the site owner to update the information on it more quickly and easily in the future. Even worse are situations when there seems to be a CMS, it is self-written, but the old webmaster cut out part of the working code from it and it is simply useless. Such a site cannot be restored on the current CMS; it must be transferred to a new one, and this often means a full-fledged development of a new site.
4) It is also common that the site administrator often does not think or care about the sites he runs and simply does not care about security in any way. It doesn’t make backups, and it’s generally unclear how it will restore the site in case of problems. Sometimes the owners themselves are to blame for poor website security. They save on creating a website, make it for three pennies and then demand from the webmaster that he ensure complete security and give a guarantee. No one is immune from hackers, and even the largest sites are hacked, but you are talking about some small site. At a minimum, you need to create websites using normal CMS.
5) The site administrator simply deceives the client and uses his hosting for some of his own purposes. This is very common, but if there is no goal to make money from it, then it is not so scary. It’s much more unpleasant when a person constantly complicates everything. It seems to be easy to do, but he says that it is extremely difficult. They ask to put his picture, but he says - this is not provided for by your CMS. Here is an ordinary webmaster-deceiver.
6) Rule six states that you need to hire a person who at least knows how to work with websites at the proper level and has undergone specialized training. And do not hire some Akop to work on supporting your site.
7) It's no secret that a webmaster can sell links on sites he owns. It’s very bad to do this, you can figure it out yourself. If your site is small, then it is enough to visually view all the materials posted on it. If the text does not contain any left-hand links that lead to other sites, then everything is fine. Keep an eye on this, and remember that links on your site that point to other sites must be approved by you personally. If there is already a lot of material on the site, you can use special services.

Of course, this is not all that can be highlighted, but at least the seven most common points that I described here you should know. The simplest thing you can do is choose a person to work remotely based on your personal feelings. If you like his style of working with you, negotiations, correspondence, then he most likely suits you. If you are not comfortable even negotiating with the future administrator of your site, then it is better to refuse such cooperation. It’s more precious to yourself.

The most important thing to remember is to never let the process take its course, always control the work on your site. Make sure your tasks are completed correctly and then you will be satisfied and enjoy working together on your site. Because only working in conjunction really gives result, not a process.

Quite often, a new site cannot be found in Yandex. Even if you type its name in the search bar. The reasons for this may be different. Sometimes search engines simply don’t yet know that a new resource has appeared. To figure out what’s going on and solve the problem, you need to register your site with Yandex Webmaster.

What is site indexing in Yandex

First, let's figure out how search engines generally find out about new sites or changes to them. Yandex has a special program called a search robot. This robot surfs the Internet and looks for new pages. Sometimes he goes to old ones and checks to see if anything new has appeared on them.

When the robot finds a useful page, it adds it to its database. This database is called the search index. When we look for something in the search, we see sites from this database. Indexing is when the robot adds new documents there.

A robot cannot crawl the entire Internet every day. He doesn't have enough power for that. Therefore, he needs help - to report about new pages or changes to old ones.

What is Yandex Webmaster and why is it needed?

Yandex.Webmaster is an official service from Yandex. You need to add a website to it so that the robot knows about its existence. With its help, resource owners (webmasters) can prove that this is their site.

You can also see in Webmaster:

when and where the robot entered;
which pages it indexed and which it did not;
what keywords do people search for?
are there any technical errors?

Through this service you can customize your website: set the region, product prices, protect your texts from theft. You can ask the robot to re-visit the pages where you made changes. Yandex Webmaster makes it easy to move to https or another domain.

How to add a new website to Yandex Webmaster

Go to the Webmaster panel. Click "Login". You can enter the login and password that you use to log into Yandex mail. If you don't have an account yet, you'll have to register.

After logging in, you will be taken to a page with a list of added resources. If you have not used the service before, the list will be empty. To add a new resource, click the “+” button.

On the next page, enter the address of your site and confirm its addition.

At the last stage, you need to confirm your rights - prove to Yandex that you are the owner. There are several ways to do this.

How to confirm rights to a website in Yandex Webmaster

The easiest way to confirm rights in Yandex Webmaster is to add a file to the site. To do this, click on the “HTML File” tab.

A small file will download. You'll need this file now, so save it somewhere you can see it. For example, on the desktop. Do not rename the file! There is no need to change anything about it.

Now upload this file to your website. Typically file managers are used for this, but for InSales users there is no need to do any of this. Just go to the back office, click "Files". Then at the top of the page - “Add file”. Select the file you downloaded earlier.

Then return to the Yandex.Webmaster panel and click the “Check” button. After successfully confirming access rights, your site will appear in the list of added ones. Thus, you have informed Yandex Webmaster about the new site.

Meta tag Yandex Webmaster

Sometimes the method described above does not work, and the owners cannot confirm the rights to the site in Webmaster. In this case, you can try another way: add a line of code to the template.

In Webmaster, go to the “Meta Tag” tab. You will see a line that needs to be added to the HTML code.

InSales users can contact technical support and ask to insert this code. This will be done as part of a free revision.

When they do this, in Webmaster, click the “Check” button. Congratulations, you have registered your site in a search engine!

Pre-configuration of Yandex Webmaster

The site has been added to the search, now the robot will definitely come to you and index it. This usually takes up to 7 days.

Add a link to your sitemap

To make the robot index the resource faster, add the sitemap.xml file to Webmaster. This file contains the addresses of all pages of the resource.

For online stores on InSales, this file is already configured and should be added to Webmaster automatically. If this does not happen, add a link to sitemap.xml in the “Indexing” - “Sitemap Files” section.

Check robots.txt

The robots.txt file indicates pages that the robot does not need to visit. These are the cart, checkout, back office and other technical documents.

InSales by default creates robots.txt, which does not need to be modified. Just in case, we recommend checking if there are any errors in the robots. To do this, go to “Tools” - “Analysis of robots.txt”.

Set the site region

On the “Site Information” - “Region” page, you can set the region of the site. For online stores, these are the cities, regions and countries where purchased goods are delivered. If you don’t have a store, but a directory or blog, then the region will be the whole world.

Set the sales region as shown in the screenshot:

What else is Webmaster useful for?

On the “Search Queries” page you can see the phrases that come to you from the search.

The “Indexing” section displays information about when the robot was on the site and how many pages it found. The “Site Moving” subsection will help you if you decide to install and switch to https. The “Page Retraversal” subsection is also extremely useful. In it you can indicate to the robot the pages on which the information has changed. Then, on your next visit, the robot will index them first.

On the “Products and Prices” page of the “Site Information” section, you can provide information about your online store. To do this, the resource must be configured to upload data on products and prices in YML format. If configured correctly, prices and delivery information will be displayed in the search results of product pages.

If you want to improve the visibility of your company in Yandex services, you should use the “Useful Services” section. In Yandex.Directory, you can specify the phone number, address of your store, and opening hours. This information will be displayed directly in Yandex results. This will also add you to Yandex.Maps.

Yandex.Metrica is another important tool for the owner of an Internet resource, showing traffic data. Statistics and dynamics of site traffic are displayed in easy-to-analyze tables, charts and graphs.

After connecting to the Yandex.Webmaster and Yandex.Metrica services, you will receive a sufficient amount of information to manage the site’s positions and traffic. These are indispensable tools for website owners who want to promote their resources in the most popular search engine in Russia.

The next step in website promotion is through a similar Search Console service.