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Webmaster Job Description

Mukul Deshpande
A webmaster is a professional who constructs and administers a website. Keep reading to know more about webmaster job description.
A webmaster needs to improve the performance of a website. His job description includes optimizing the website and analyzing its speed.
To do so, he calculates the time needed for the webpage to load on the user's browser. If the size of the webpage is too large, then the user will get impatient waiting for it to load.
He monitors the uptime of the website so that the server is available as close to 100% as possible and remains up and running most of the time, without failing or crashing. He also studies the web analytics or statistics of the web site.

Basics

A webmaster is someone who builds and maintains websites, operating it differently for different types. For example, if the website is related to business, then it will just give information about business.
If the website is related to e-commerce, it will sell products made by the company. For example, the shopping cart software. PayPal (an online payment service) is set up by these professionals.

Skills Needed

Knowledge of HTML, CSS, and Extensible Markup Language (XML) is required.
Proficiency in open-source Unix operating system or its variants is a must, because the server is usually hosted on Linux or Solaris. It is also helpful to know a programming language, such as C++ or Java. A degree in computer science or software engineering is requisite.
The work may also require the usage of a web development application, such as Adobe Dreamweaver. The website should work well for all kinds of browsers, whether it is Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari. The ability to design graphics, such as a logo for the company or a Flash intro for a website, will be an added advantage.

Job Description

The roles of a webmaster are multifold. One should also be able to work as a database administrator and manage any database for the company. For example, if the database contains information about the products of the company, he should update the database if new products are added to the company's catalog.
He should also check that the website has no bugs, so a customer does not get an error if he is trying to do a transaction. Security of the website should also be taken care of so that hackers cannot access confidential data.
He must be able to register domain names of the websites for its clients. He should then select a reliable host for that domain. He should also work as a marketer to create banner advertisements and display them on other websites. He also needs to write website content and design a home page which contains a portfolio of the websites they have designed.
This position also includes making sure that all the links are working properly. He should also track the traffic going to a website. He should use Internet search engine optimization to ensure that the website gets a high ranking on Internet search engines.
Such jobs can be found on tech job boards. They can be promoted to become the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) or a project leader in the company. They usually work in server rooms or data centers. These rooms need proper cooling facility, and so, they have to work in a very chilled atmosphere throughout the day.
This profession's median salary is around US$52,000 per year. While the professional webmasters working with companies more than one at a time are called as consultants or freelancers; the others are regular employees who work with only one company at a time.