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Web Wrangler prides itself on keeping up with industry standards and the latest technologies. The concepts of responsive design and search engine optimization are a necessity in the age of mobile technology and worldwide visibility. These concepts can only be achieved through the effective design and the proper implementation of HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript.
While the previously mentioned concepts and languages will help your site reach the masses, it isn't without the server side languages like PHP or ColdFusion that, when married to a database like MySQL, that the true power can be harnessed. Through these technologies, your site has boundless opportunities to do everything from communicate with your audience, to parse and categorize statistics that help you analyze where your company excels and falls short.
PHP
PHP stands for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor and it's a free, open-sourced server side language that allows for dynamic processing based on user interaction. It contains many built in functions, as well as the ability to create your own custom code. There isn't the overhead of having to compile code or adapt your environment based on your processes. It interacts well with databases, Microsoft products like active directory, as well as working extremely well with all front-end web-based languages. Of all the server side languages to write code with, this is the most prevalent one found on the web.
ColdFusion
ColdFusion is an Adobe-based server side platform used for rapid web application development. We got our taste fo ColdFusion while working for Franklin County. Once the server stability is tweaked, it is a really fun language in which to develop. It's strong suit is not only quick turn around time, but its integration with applications rooted in PDF output is unmatched.
HTML5
This language is the foundation of web development. Without it, the web would not exist the way that we know it. HTML5 is not an extension of its predecessor, HTML4. It is a complete overhaul and has many new technologies based within it. Beyond all of the basics of new form input types, attributes, validation, and behaviors, there is a whole new tag based structure that allows for a lot of innovative technology.
The improvements in processing for data collection, storage, and distribution through the use of concepts like Web Workers, Web Sockets, and Web Storage help to alleviate some of the issues HTML4 relied on additional languages to perform.
In addition to the aforementioned, the addition of new tags that interact with a JavaScript based technology, allow the user to experience processes that were usually relied upon to be performed in areas that, at the time, were better suited. Areas where these are most noticeable are in the audio and video departments, and through the use of the canvas tag, can now be completely interactive without high memory and CPU overhead.
CSS3
The latest evolution in cascading style sheets allows the user interface to vastly improve from not only a performance perspective, but is now able to take on duties that used to be assigned to languages like JavaScript - items like animations and transitions. Additional items that help simplify coding for responsive design were implemented - items like flexible box or grid layouts. Items like shadows and gradients alleviated the need to PhotoShop images to be used as headers.
JavaScript
This client-side language, and its shorthand version - jQuery, have the ability to be very useful interacting with server-side languages through variations like AJAX and jSon. It also has the ability to give the "wow factor" through the use of animation and user interactivity. If you've ever seen something move on the page before your eyes, chances are (at least up to this point) it is JavaScript behind the scenes.
Adobe
Adobe has become an integral part of the web development community. While it is possible to work on the web without Adobe, they make it so much easier. Applications like PhotoShop and Illustrator allow the developer to produce pixel and vector based images used within a website build. Additionally, Adobe has many more applications in their suite. It's no longer available without a subscription, but with that subscription, they have a multitude of functionality. Everything from code editors, to audio and video processing software, to PDF development.
MySQL
There are many database technologies out there and it's best to do your research to discover what best works for you. For some, there are nuances between languages, and for others, there are dramatic differences. Databases like Oracle and Microsoft SQL server cost a chunk of change, but have serious processing power. If your website is hugely database driven and you're processing massive amounts of data, something like MongoDB might be right for you. For our purposes, MySQL works well. It's a free and open sourced relational database. Understanding the foundation of a normalized indexed database and the power it can unleash was one of the first experiences that made me want to write code.
Responsive Design
Responsive design is an essential key to properly representing your website through a browser. With the invention of web technologies like cell phones, tablets, and phablets, if your pages doesn't render correctly based on a devices screen dimensions, the user is just as likely to move on to another site. Whether the intent is to rearrange the page to better suit the content, or give the user a completely different experience when on a mobile device (with the option to go to the full site), responsive design is a must. It can be very tricky to code properly considering that there are a thousand different screen sizes to take into consideration.
Search Engine Optimization
SEO is the process of making your website more visible on the internet when user's utilize a search engine unpaid results. Through the use of some of the newest HTML5 technologies, search engine optimization (SEO) is made dramatically easier. By properly using HTML5 semantics and schema, you can improve your SEO. Google has done a lot in determining the standards by which results are returned, and letting the web development community in on those secrets has helped tremendously. Effectively using HTML5 tags like the canvas tag, eliminates the need for Flash, a very non-friendly SEO technology. Making AJAX more compliant with SEO has also helped. Coding your site improperly could do more damage than good, so it's best to understand best practices and adhere to them.