For most modern businesses, a web site has become at least as important as a storefront, a listing in the Yellow Pages, or a full-page ad in the Sunday newspaper. Customers expect the stores they deal with to have information about hours, sales, and products readily available online. Today, many companies make a large portion of their sales directly over the Internet; some enterprises exist only as virtual businesses, with no brick-and mortar stores for people to visit.
The job of the web site designer is to work with a company’s marketing department to extend the firm’s offerings onto the Internet. In other side, the web site designer also works to create a business or personal web site to meet the needs of your client, adds commerce features such as a shopping cart, catalog, and forms, and adds communication features such as chat rooms, e-mail, and blogs. Besides that, the web designer also creates photo albums, online samples and demonstrations, and FTP transfer facilities. Arranging for registration and hosting of a domain, and maintaining the site as contracted are also become the works of the web designer.
Major companies are likely to work with large advertising agencies or major web site design companies; don’t expect to design the next Amazon.com or eBay.com as your first customer. Much more likely are assignments to create the first web presence for a local store or professional service (lawyer, accountant, consultant, and the like). You may also be asked to assist individuals in creating a web site to share their thoughts, pictures, and presence with the world.