What Is A Web Developer?
A Web Developer builds and maintains websites and web applications using frontend, backend, or full-stack technologies. The role covers turning designs and requirements into fast, accessible sites that work, and keeping them running as the business changes.
- Also called
- Website Developer, Web Engineer
- Reports to
- Web Development Manager / CTO
- Works on
- Websites, web apps, APIs, CMS
- Measured on
- Site performance, features shipped
What A Web Developer Actually Does
- 01 · BuildBuilds responsive websites and web applications from designs and requirements
- 02 · IntegrateConnects APIs, databases, and third-party services, including CMS platforms like WordPress
- 03 · PerformanceOptimizes sites for speed, accessibility, and search performance
- 04 · MaintenanceDebugs issues, monitors performance, and ships updates as the business changes
- 05 · CollaborationWorks with designers, content creators, and backend developers, and documents the code
Web Developer Vs. Similar Roles
| Role | Main focus | Primary metric |
|---|---|---|
| Web Developer | Websites and web applications, front end through back end | Site performance, features shipped |
| Frontend Developer | Builds the user-facing interface and client-side logic | UI performance, user experience |
| Backend Developer | Builds server-side logic, APIs, and databases | System reliability, API performance |
| Full-Stack Developer | Building both front-end and back-end features | Features shipped end to end |
At smaller companies, one web developer often covers the whole site, front end and back end. Split into dedicated frontend and backend roles as the product and traffic grow.
Skills To Screen For
Interview Questions Worth Asking
Hiring A Web Developer In Latin America
Ready to add one to your team? Hire a web developer from Latin America through LatamCent, with 3 to 5 vetted profiles in the first 10 days.
How Much Of The Workday You’d Share
Bogota, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires don’t change their clocks, so the overlap shifts when yours does. Times shown are in your team’s time zone. National English-proficiency averages vary by market too: Argentina ranks in EF’s "High" band globally, while Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil sit in the "Low" band. Screen every candidate’s spoken English directly rather than assuming by country.
What It Costs
| Country | Entry level (1-3 yrs) | Senior (6+ yrs) |
|---|---|---|
| Colombia | $28K/yr | $62K/yr |
| Mexico | $32K/yr | $62K/yr |
| Brazil | $34K/yr | $64K/yr |
| Argentina | $34K/yr | $76K/yr |
Per-country figures are modeled estimates for the closest listing, Frontend Developer, based on US pay and country multipliers. The LatAm average above is the mean of the four senior figures.
Typical time from kickoff to signed offer. LatamCent delivers 3 to 5 candidate profiles in the first 10 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Web Developer builds and maintains websites and web applications using frontend, backend, or full-stack technologies. The role covers turning designs and requirements into fast, accessible sites that work, and keeping them running as the business changes.
A web developer builds and maintains websites and web applications, and is measured on site performance and features shipped. A software engineer builds and maintains software systems more broadly, and is measured on features shipped and code quality. At smaller companies, one hire often covers both.
US web developers average around $93,800 a year. Senior frontend developers in Latin America, the closest benchmark, average around $66,000 a year, about 30% less, saving roughly $28,000 a year per hire.
Most searches run 21 days from kickoff to a signed offer, with 3 to 5 candidate profiles delivered in the first 10 days.
No. A web designer focuses on how a site looks and how people use it, while a web developer writes the code that makes it work. Many small teams hire one person to cover both, so be clear about which skills the role needs.
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