How to start web development in 2023 – A Beginners’ guide

If you are learning or planning to start Web development in 2023, then this post is for you.
For most web beginners, the question has always been “how can I start coding”? or How to start building websites?
Probably you have started, but it is still unclear to you, or maybe you are finding it hard to learn and you are getting discouraged.

The path to becoming a web developer isn’t that hard as you may have been thinking. Although it will require a whole lot of effort. But whatever good or skill you are adding to yourself is not a waste and will always require an effort anyway.
Here is a question from a non-tech geek

Is Web Development right for me and when can I start?

Let me blow your mind – I always emphasize that “You don’t have to be in tech to do tech”. It all depends on how much of interest you have and how serious you are about it.

And the truth of the matter is that the best time to start is now. Web development is an in-demand skill currently in every sector. This is due to the fact that businesses are moving online as a result of the Covid’19 pandemic forcing people to work from home. So if you have decided to begin your journey as a web developer, Congratulations to you!

This post focuses on beginners’ guide on how to start web development. We will go through the details of web development together and I hope after reading this blog post, you will shake your fears off and start right away.

So let’s get in!

You need to first understand What is Web development?

Web development is the process of building websites and applications for the internet, or a private network known as Intranets.

It is all concerned about the design and functionality of website.

Note: There are two good options to build a website

1. Without writing any single line of code
2. With writing Code

I know you will be more interested in the first option… LOL

Let’s talk briefly on the first option. But our main focus is on the second option.

Read also: 11 Most in-demand tech skills to learn in 2023

Web Development without writing any code

Different platforms and online resources have made web development work easy even without knowing how to write a single line of code. This is possible with the use of a Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress or Wix. WordPress is a powerful tool for building websites and it is reported to power about 35% of the website on the internet.

Content management systems like WordPress is an online free software that allows you to build an interactive and responsive website with drag and drop tool. You only need to install theme and plugins to get started.

It is absolutely free to use. You can learn it and make quick money developing websites for clients. To know more about WordPress, you can read this guide by wpbeginner here.

If you really need to learn more, I recommend Darrel Wilson videos. You will learn it in no time.

Wix is also gaining popularity these days and it’s also an online free software for building websites. The only disadvantage of Wix is that it is not as easy to understand as WordPress. You can read more from their official website.

Read also: WordPress setup tips to implement before launching your new Website

Note: If you are a beginner, and you really want to learn how to code, I will not encourage you to start with this option. This is because CMS does not allow for flexibility when building a website and you might also be discouraged in writing code once you are already into using CMS.

So my advice, learn how to code first and then come and learn how to use WordPress. You can access WordPress courses for up to 50% off with this link

Web Development with writing code

Here is where the real deal is. The roadmap is quite straightforward. Let’s break it down.

When starting/learning how to code, you can either decide to be a Front end developer or backend developer or both (Fullstack)

So basically, we have

• Front End designers

These people are in charge of designing everything you see on the interface. All the visual contents like layouts, buttons, colors, images, animations, alerts and scroll bars e.t.c. Anything you can see with your eyes when you land on a web page.

• Back End developers

These are in charge of the business logic and functionalities of the website. Things like databases, API, online payment gateway, registration, and login functionalities e.t.c

Recommended for you: 12 Top website for developers and programmers

The question is Where to start? FrontEnd or BackEnd?

Well, this may be a debatable question. But I would suggest you to start with frontend development

Why to start with frontend?

• You will have more visual content that will give you a vibe as you learn
• It will give you a leverage to share your creations as you code and get feedback as you show your web pages to a non-technical person.
• You will get a picture of what you are doing and what to do next.

Recommended Read: 11 Most in-demand tech skills to learn in 2023

Technologies you need to learn as a frontend developer

• Learn HTML: HTML stands for hypertext markup language which is the language the browser understands to translate code to a webpage. This is a prerequisite to know for anybody going into web development.

Spend some time with HTML to understand the tags. In two weeks, you should be done with the basics if you are consistent

• Learn CSS: CSS stands for cascading stylesheet. It is used to add beauty to your web page. Html and CSS go hand in hand. So as you learn HTML, you learn CSS. You can learn HTML and CSS from W3school here.

These websites will help you to master HTML & CSS faster

Cssreference, csstutorial, htmlcheatsheet

• Learn Javascript:  While html & css are important for beginners, Javascript is the backbone of web development. It is a programming language that helps you build a dynamic and interactive website. Learn the basics first, then you can learn some other javascript libraries like React, AngularJs, or VueJs.

It is important for you to spend time learning it. It might take you months. Just make sure you develop your stronghold on the foundation.

You can also Read: Differences between a Blog, a Website and a Forum

Technologies you need to learn as a backend developer

You can learn one of these languages to start as a backend developer

• PHP
• PYTHON
• NODEJS
• RUBY ON RAILS

These are all server-side languages/technologies which are used to create server-side applications i.e applications that do not run on web servers.

Any of these programming languages are cool for web development.

You can take advantage of YouTube video tutorials to learn how to code or take online courses to build your knowledge. Udemy is one of the most recognize platform to learn with ease. Access Udemy courses for all to 50% discount with this link

Check out these websites to learn

• Freecodecamp
• Plurasight
• Coursera
• Udemy
• Edx

These are websites where you can get a certificate as a web developer after learning. You can also read How to Learn Coding for Free online

Additional learning

DATABASE: Now it comes to database, there are so much data available for display but we can’t just store them on the web pages. A database management system is important because it manages data efficiently and allows users to perform multiple tasks with ease.

Depending on the programming language you chose above, you will need knowledge of either Mysql, NoSQL, MongoDB, or Postgress SQL.

If you learn PHP, you will definitely be working with Mysql which is one of the open-source database management available in the IT industry. If you learn Python, you will be working with MongoDB.

Ok… So I don’t want to bore you with tech terms. Just start with any. I recommend Python or Php because they are easy for beginners.

API: An Api is an application programming interface. It is created by the developer of an application to allow other developers to use some of the application’s functionality without sharing code.

This is an advance level. So I won’t explain much on this.

Git/Github: Github is simply a public repository where anyone can push in, store and manage their source code.

Git is a version control tool used to manage and track any changes made to your source code. You will need to learn this later as you progress in your web development journey.

Ok…So, this is a beginner guide. I would not want to go deeper than this.

These all may sound a little hectic but it’s actually not. Do not burden yourself. Just try to code daily so that you can develop consistency inside you.

All you need to get started?

• A Laptop
• Internet connection
• Power supply
• IDE (code editor) such as visual studio code, sublime, notepad++, bracket e.t.c. You can download any of these editors on google.

Alright, it’s been a long read all through. I do hope you find this useful.

If there is any other thing, kindly write in the comment box below.