Webmaster Skills

Jack of all trades, master of none.

This is a well-known idiom in English literature. You may be wondering, why I’m using this here? Let me explain to you what’s the purpose of using that expression.

After spending more than a decade with the internet and associated technologies, when I look back, realized, how fortunate I’m because, unknowingly (to a certain extent), I’ve developed certain skills that are essential for any professional webmaster. Though I’m still fighting to become a true professional.

I somehow survived by evolving my "skills" and "nature" to become a typical webmaster the industry needs. In general, unfortunately, even today, the value of a webmaster is not considered as high as it should be. However, I firmly believe, the value of adding a webmaster to any digital-savvy team or organization is a must now.

Becoming a webmaster was never easy but I’ve enjoyed the journey. And I'm still enjoying the ride. I have to learn a lot of things simultaneously. The role requires a person who both "technically" and "non-technically" well competent to face the various uninterrupted flow of challenges.

Not only that, as a human being you have to have some "characteristics" for becoming a webmaster. From a mindset of an entrepreneur to skills of designing/developing a website - what is not in a webmaster's menu card?

Now I believe, you start connecting with that opening line... "Jack of all trades, master of none". Keep reading to find the reason behind actual usage.

Webmaster Definition

I use to face questions especially during job interviews like,

Interviewer: You've mentioned in your resume that you're a webmaster -
What webmaster means?
Why do we need a webmaster?
What are the roles and responsibilities of a webmaster?

And many more!

My polite answer to them,

Think about the role of a conductor in an orchestra. A webmaster is similar to that.

As a webmaster professionally I have to conduct everything regards to a website in such a way so that each and every web pages have an optimal presence on the web.

As a webmaster, I’ll be in charge of prospecting your targeted audience and make sure to reach out to them at the right time with the right content.

As a webmaster, I’m responsible for safeguarding you/your website from most (if not all) digital threats.

I’m the one (as a webmaster) whose primary responsibilities are to unify teams/departments, set the project/campaign goals, execute ideas and analyze results, study critically the trends and shape the future of the brands by leveraging the power of automation/tools, and to control/minimize the distractions of the progress.

My respected colleagues/interviewers/supervisors/even some of my family members are often saying about me,

You know a lot of things but not specialized in anything. Just like, "Jack of all trades, master of none". You only have a usual college degree. No MBA. No MCA. No post-graduate/professional degrees. Nothing! That's why you're struggling, you're incompetent.

I appreciate all their feedback. So, now is the time for a quick reality check.

Webmaster Skills

I’ve prepared a comprehensive mind-map (see below); the reason is to see really where I’m now in my career path after spending ten years as a salaried employee? To understand how may I help others as a consultant? What are the areas I'm still lagging to become a truly professional webmaster?

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LD3W4vVCxpVdi99ADhO83HS096HWy6y3 (PDF version is available here)

From my past experiences, I’ve listed all the essential skills that I believe a webmaster must have (or likely to have) and presenting them in a hierarchically structured document (see above).

I believe, reviewing once the above mind-map will be a great aspiration for all those who want to become a webmaster and those who are looking for those professionals.

When I started my career, I didn’t even know the term webmaster. I didn’t know what are the responsibilities of a webmaster? But today, I know how to play the role of a webmaster (a.k.a website manager or web admin).

I've divided a webmaster's job mainly into four categories.

• Technical skills
• Non-technical skills
• Personal/behavioral skills
• General skills

Have I ever thought that gaining knowledge about so many different verticals could be beneficial someday? Honestly, no, never.

Notably, if you check the above-mentioned list of skills carefully, all are interconnected in a way and push you up to clear all the professional obstacles that you may face while working and progressing in your career.

Now let's explore how different people with different objectives can get benefits by considering the mind-map that I've shared.

1) For jobseekers

Confidently reply back to those who have asked you about your area of expertise in interviews. Don't feel shy to say, I’m a webmaster. Yes, if you are agreeing with my mind-map, and if you’ve adequate knowledge about the 51% items mentioned in it, then don’t hesitate to claim yourself as a webmaster. But remember, always stay honest with yourself.

Difference between webmaster and web developer/designer:

Also, there are certain differences between a webmaster, a website designer, and a developer. You must first realize, identify, and differentiate the duties and responsibilities of each position according to your personal area of interest.

Build your resume based on the job description so you have got a clear idea about the role you're applying for and if get selected, you have enough technical/non-technical exposure to tackle the situations.

2) For employers

If you as an entrepreneur feel that skill-sets which have been mentioned in the mind-map, are essential for your company - your company’s growth, then start thinking seriously about building a team of trusted webmasters. Or hire a team of professional webmasters. Or hire a truly professional webmaster, who can play the role of a conductor in your orchestra to achieve an optimized level of performance for your organization.

3) For amateurs

Living in an ultra-modern era, knowingly or unknowingly, most internet-savvy people have already got the basics of website management work.

Not only that, but many are also even read a lot of resources available on the web for free related to website optimization and applied accordingly to taste the actual effects. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) now becomes a much more common and understandable term among common people who used to spend a lot of time on web/social media platforms.

Many individuals have now their own website and they are now actively optimizing it to stay independent professionally, to open a parallel source of income for them, to only express their own thoughts in their own way.

Google Search Console:

Knowing the nitty-gritty of Google Search Console (a free tool, also popular as Google Webmaster Tools) will help you to check your website’s health continuously and take action accordingly.

Not only that, but the data available within Google Search Console also helps site owners popularizing their site's content to a great extent.

3) For professionals

In addition to webmaster tools and website audit mechanisms, professional agencies and individuals are relying heavily on Analytics data to provide result-driven services to their respective clients.

So interlinking between your Google Analytics and Search Console profiles will empower you with lots of insights about your site’s performance and help you run your SEO (search engine optimization) and Google AdWords (now Google Ads) campaigns successfully.

By the way, you as a webmaster should definitely take advantage of interlinking between your Google Analytics, Ads (formerly AdWords), and Search Console (formerly Webmaster Tools) accounts. Every smart digital marketer should leverage this facility to ensure taking more data-driven decisions for their day-to-day operations.

You know, this is something I call "chain reaction". The more you go deep inside my mind-map, the more you’ll realize how essential every element is.

Every node of my mind-map is just like a building block - the missing block in a puzzle. Knowing every single block will help you become a webmaster. I’m not claiming one must know everything equally. No. I personally trust my design sense and it has been tested and tried a lot by my employers. But, I know if a Photoshop specialist challenges my knowledge about the tool, I cannot stand in front of him/her. Because I only have the working knowledge of Photoshop, I know only some essential functionalities of the Photoshop tool. And that’s fine because my goal is to support the design work which is only a part of the webmaster’s entire roles and responsibilities as shown inside the mind-map.

The bottom line is, to do anything, to execute something as per the agreed plan, to get the desired outcome; you must not know the topic extremely well. Along the way, you’ll essentially come to know about the topic if the situation demands or if you have a real desire to learn.

Otherwise to start, knowing the basics are fine. I know one thing, the more you practice, the faster you become a master. And after finishing my mind-map, when I look back to my creation, I only see a message -

Being a jack of all trades doesn’t always mean you’re a master of none.

I was trying to publish this post for a long time however couldn’t. But today, I’m feeling happy because finally, I’m able to publish the post.

This is my friend, another lesson for webmasters like me, though the name has the phrase "master", be always a "student" to see the actual beauty in it.

Guide To Become A Webmaster

The focus should be on improvement.

Remember,

• Even the greatest specialists have also miscalculated solutions countless times
• The greatest strategist also did some blunder
• The proud owner of a business may be a hated figure in his/her family
• Sometimes one of the greatest success stories is considered most unethical (or lucky escape) by many

If you identify some skills are necessary and some are not, believe me, you don’t know yet the complexities of a webmaster's job thoroughly.

Team with clearly defined roles & responsibilities.

Before you start your career in the webmaster's role, you need to decide, will you act like a paid employee ONLY or ready to take ownership? Similarly, employers also need to determine whether they can rely on hired webmaster COMPLETELY or not? Then choose your individual path accordingly.

A rule of thumb:

As a webmaster, we must allow our thoughts to fly independently (keep experimenting to make informed decisions). Else keep your thoughts locked inside your mind to remain only "master" - a happy stable career.

Nurture your leadership skill as well in the way of becoming a webmaster.

Nothing is certain in this dynamic world of the web. What you think is a "surety" is just a "possibility", out of 1000 other possibilities in the digital world. We are all facing different challenges for different reasons in different situations. I’m telling you all these because; personally you also need to groom yourself to become a successful (not completely in a materialistic way) webmaster.

This is very important to know - "good" and "bad" decisions are not completely separated from each other, they are weaved together. There is a bit of bad in good and a bit of good in bad. So as a webmaster, face your obstacles directly.

Believe me; you were not born to become a master of the web. You are born to live, simply explore, without prejudices, without any bias, the bias you have created by some uncertain information. Enjoy the life of a webmaster. Learn new skills. Keep the windows of your mind and soul open.

Cheers!