What Does a Webmaster Do?
Webmasters oversee all the features of a website, solving technical problems, approving site content, and working with designers to make sure the site looks and performs well. Read on to for a full webmaster job description, different types of webmaster roles, and career information.
What is a Webmaster?
Webmasters are skilled computer professionals who oversee the optimal functioning and maintenance of a website. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), webmasters choose which software to use when building a website, approve the content used in the site and troubleshoot technical problems. Check out the table below for a quick overview of the profession:
<h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutThisOccupation">Important Facts About This Occupation</h3><p></p><table border="1"><tr><td> Work Environment </td><td> Most people in this profession work full time; many are self-employed</td></tr>
<tr><td> Professional Certification </td><td> The World Organization of Webmasters offers Web Professional Certification based on exams at apprentice, associate and professional levels</td></tr>
<tr><td>Median Salary (2018)</td><td> $69,430</td></tr>
<tr><td>Job Outlook (2016-2026)</td><td> 15%</td></tr>
<tr><td> Similar Occupations </td><td> <a href="https://learn.org/articles/Computer_Programming_5_Steps_to_Becoming_a_Computer_Programmer.html">Computer programmer</a>, software developer, graphic designer, <a href="https://learn.org/articles/What_is_Multimedia_Design.html">multimedia designer</a>, database administrator, animator</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h2 id="section---WhatDoesAWebmasterDo">What Does a Webmaster Do?</h2><h3 id="section---WebsiteMaintenance">Website Maintenance</h3><p>A good portion of any webmaster's time is devoted to maintaining the website. Website maintenance includes updating content, fixing broken links and images, and ensuring that the website's code is compatible with all browsers. If the website owner or graphic designer wants to make changes to the site, it's the webmaster's job to implement those changes. Having a good grasp of HTML and Javascript can help in the construction of the website, while a well-rounded knowledge of SEO can help you ensure better search engine ranking. This ongoing maintenance is important, especially for retail websites.
</p><h3 id="section---Troubleshooting">Troubleshooting</h3><p>Webmasters constantly test their websites for load time, ease of use, and functionality. Webmasters also check to make sure that any content in the website is easily understandable. Users address complaints about a website to the webmaster, who will assess and solve the problem as quickly as possible.
</p><h3 id="section---ServerAndReleaseMaintenance">Server and Release Maintenance</h3><p>One of the most important aspects of a webmaster's job is maintaining the server, the computer where all the information for the website is stored. In some organizations, webmasters monitor the server to be sure it is running optimally. Additionally, they may write and run script programs to move website files from a development server to an online production server.
</p><h3 id="section---EducationRequirements">Education Requirements</h3><p>Many entry-level webmasters can adequately perform their many job duties with technical classes or by teaching themselves and practicing by building websites and making a portfolio. An <a href="https://learn.org/articles/Computer_Science_Associates_Degree_Programs.html">associate's degree in computer science</a> may help widen a webmaster's skill set and job opportunities. And a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or a similar degree in computers or web design could be useful to become a webmaster who deals with more complex websites.
</p><h3 id="section---SalaryInfoAndJobOutlook">Salary Info and Job Outlook</h3><p>The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) categorizes webmasters as one kind of web developer. The BLS notes that employment for all web developers will likely grow by about 15% between 2016 and 2026, which is significantly higher than the growth rate for all occupations. These professionals earned median salaries of $69,430 as of 2018.</p>