A debate on digital marketing and web development is a hot topic these days. Online discussion forums are full of similar subjects. College students and graduates also take an interest in these debates because they want to choose either field as a career option.
Both website development and digital marketing have their own importance, but they produce countless benefits for online businesses when combined together. A business with a website that implements sound digital marketing techniques to boost sales is better than all other businesses operating with websites only.
Let’s look at what role web development play in setting your brand apart. The below discussion also presents similarities and differences between both fields.
What is a Digital Marketing?
The type of marketing that uses electronic devices to market your business is commonly called digital marketing. In other words, this marketing is used to promote your products or services on the internet. Nowadays, digital marketing targets all digital platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, and Google Ads.
Types of Digital Marketing?
Though a long list of digital marketing services exists, a few of the most commonly used ones are listed below.
1. Content Marketing
Content acts like a king when running online marketing campaigns. It doesn’t matter if you want to create videos, social profiles, or build websites; they are nothing without the presence of engaging content. In simple words, you can say that content plays a crucial role in delivering your brand’s message and creating awareness of the services or products you offer. Moreover, creating blog posts to promote your business is another leading marketing approach. Blogs are all about producing effective and clear content.
2. Video Marketing
Video marketing has proved to be even more effective than content marketing. The reason behind this fact is that people find videos more engaging than reading multiple chunks of the content. Millions of people claim that they get more information in less time by watching informational videos. A recent survey says that the use of videos on your landing pages can increase your sales by 86%. Another interesting fact is that videos of over 500 million hours are watched daily on YouTube worldwide.
3. Social Media Marketing
This is another amazing type of digital marketing you can use to promote your business online. It includes marketing through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other similar channels. These days, millions of brands use Facebook and Instagram to keep their audience engaged, and the response from the targeted customers has been awesome. As of October 2022, there were 4.74 billion active social media users. It equals 59.3% of the global population. This is why thousands of business owners prefer benefiting from social media marketing.
4. Search Engine Optimization
This marketing technique takes your business websites to the next level and helps them gain high rankings on SERPs. Simply put, optimizing websites for search engines is known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Different types of SEO, including on-page, off-page, technical, and local SEO, contribute to setting your business apart from the traditional ones. SEO mainly revolves around the frequently searched phrases that are usually known as keywords.
5. Email Marketing
Reaching out to your potential customers via email is another effective marketing strategy. Though social media marketing is on the rise these days, email marketing still is one of the strongest ways to promote your services or products. A recent study conducted in 2022 claims that the average email marketing ROI is $44 for every dollar you spend. More interestingly, this research has also identified that sharing video content via email enhances the conversion rate by up to 300%.
6. Affiliate Marketing
This marketing type has been used for many years, but it has become more popular with the increasing use of the internet. In case you don’t know, affiliate marketing is all about promoting the businesses of other brands and getting commissions on every sale you produce. Reputable global brands also offer opportunities for us to earn through their affiliate program. The Amazon affiliate program helps people earn millions of dollars a month by selling various items online.
What is Web Development?
As the name says, website development includes designing, developing, and deploying websites built for different brands to shift their businesses online. In simple words, you can say that a business website helps you present your products or services in front of billions of online customers. This is not the only function of a website; you can also use this tool to collect your customers’ data, make a solid bond with them through effective communication, and keep them informed of your future deals.
Types of Website Development
Based on the development approaches, below is a list of the 3 popular types of web development.
1. Front End Website Development
It controls the appearance of a website, including the color scheme, the type of icons required, and the need for visual graphics. Moreover, front-end web development decides how a website will appear on every device, like mobile phones, laptops, computers, or tablets. The most commonly used front-end development languages include; CSS, JavaScript, and HTML. The developers keep a close eye on the latest developments to provide users with a smooth and pleasant experience.
2. Back End Website Development
The back-end development is all about writing a source code that decides how a website will run on all devices. This code creates a connection between the server and the website to make sure the data is being transferred appropriately. The technologies that back-end developers mostly use are Python, MySQL, PHP, and Java.
3. Full Stack Website Development
When we say full-stack development, it means both front-end and back-end responsibilities are covered under one umbrella. A full-stack web developer usually performs all the duties, including designing, developing, and deploying websites for online businesses. Even if a full-stack developer has specialties in one development domain, he or she can still maintain effective troubleshooting than a traditional developer. This is why full-stack web development is in high demand these days.
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How Do Web Development and Digital Marketing Help Businesses Grow?
Both domains offer great support for online businesses. Websites are necessary for brands that are still waiting for their businesses to convert online. As stated earlier, approximately 60% of the global population uses the internet for various purposes. It indicates that the digital world has billions of active buyers. When it comes to connecting with online customers, websites play a key role. Being a business owner, you can use a website as an effective tool to familiarize your customers with your business and how your services or goods can add value to their lives.
On the other hand, digital marketing is associated with promoting any online business through a wide range of online mediums, as discussed above. A few of the most common channels for digital marketing include; emails, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. You can share your business pages or profiles for free. In addition, these platforms also offer paid marketing, which is more fruitful than the free approach. All you need is to pay a few dollars to the forum you have chosen to market your business, and this platform will spread your brand awareness and bring you more customers.
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Digital Marketing vs Web Development
Though digital marketing and web development play a great role in helping your business stand out in the market, there are multiple similarities and differences between both domains. Let’s first look at how these fields are different from each other.
What Makes Them Different?
The top factors creating the major difference between web development and digital marketing are as follows.
- Website developers are more creative than digital marketers. When it comes to job responsibilities, web developers focus on building appealing websites, whereas digital marketers purely put their efforts into helping businesses generate decent sales and profits. In other words, you can say that website developer creates a platform to engage people, whereas digital marketers convince visitors to become customers.
- The developer’s job is usually a long-term commitment, i.e., at least a couple of months of working on the same project. On the other hand, digital marketers mostly work on short ads and campaigns for different brands. For instance, if you have to build the whole website from scratch, it will definitely take more time than writing a few lines and running ad campaigns.
- It has been observed that digital marketers earn more repeat business than developers. Once a website gets completed, nothing much is left behind for the developer to do except for minor updates. Whereas a single client can assign digital marketers multiple ad campaigns to run, monitor, and manage.
- Web development is more impactful than a digital ad because a website is the single most important asset for a business. One bad website can ruin the whole game for a business, whereas one bad ad can do no big damage to any brand. This is why businesses spend more on building elegant and eye-catching websites.
How are They Similar?
Along with a couple of similarities, the key differences between both professions are listed below.
- Like any other career option, you need passion and consistency to succeed in both website development and digital marketing.
- Both fields ask you to be patient if you want to do something big in this area.
- Digital marketing and web development are independent jobs for any organization.
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Digital Marketing or Web Development? Which One to Select as a Career Option?
The comparison of digital marketing vs web development may confuse you on what to choose. Let’s understand it with the help of the pros and cons of both professions.
Pros & Cons of Digital Marketing
A list of advantages and disadvantages of digital marketing is attached below.
Pros
- A number of short online courses are available to learn this skill.
- You don’t need to understand any sort of coding to become a digital marketer.
- There are plenty of job opportunities and online assignments for digital marketers.
Cons
- Millions of professionals are already working in this domain, making it more challenging for newbies to step in.
- You can learn digital marketing skills, but it is usually considered an inborn talent.
- A similar digital marketing campaign may produce different results for different businesses.
Pros & Cons of Website Development
Below is a list of the benefits and drawbacks of web development.
Pros
- Website development helps developers think creatively.
- The jobs for web developers are usually long-term.
- Thousands of job opportunities always stay there as new brands are establishing every other day, and they need business websites on priority.
Cons
- You can’t excel in this domain until you have enough knowledge about coding.
- Without a proper degree or a certificate, you can’t just simply enter into the web development industry. You must have some credentials to enter.
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Need a Partner for Web Development and Digital Marketing?
Assignments for your business or your clients? Hire KodersPoint today. It is a wonderful software development agency that has helped hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses in developing their websites and mobile applications. Apart from that, KodersPoint also specializes in digital marketing, graphics design, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), App Store Optimization (ASO), and content creation. You can contact them for the whole package or any specific service you want to hire. They will never let you feel down.
Final Words
Do you often get curious when it comes to digital marketing vs web development? Do you find this comparison confusing? Don’t really know which domain is worth choosing? If yes, you can’t miss reading through the above discussion. In fact, both digital marketing and web development are equally important, but they share multiple differences and similarities. Give this guide a read.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is it good for a web developer to learn digital marketing in parallel?
A: Yes, it will add more value to the credibility and diversity of a website developer. Web developers can enhance their earning potential, become more in demand, and grow well by learning digital marketing skills in parallel.
Q: Is website development an important part of digital marketing?
A: Yes, it is. A website helps you market your services and familiarize your customers with how they can benefit from your business. Nowadays, billions of people worldwide are active on the internet, so you have a golden opportunity to use a website as an effective marketing tool.
Q: Do digital marketing and web development have a bright future?
A: Both web development and digital marketing have a great future ahead. Significant job growth is expected for both fields. You can choose any of these as per your interests, but learning both skills at a time will surely increase your demand in today’s market.
