Do you need a web designer or a web developer?
Most small service businesses need one person or a small team that covers both. A web designer shapes how the site looks and how a visitor moves through it to a call or a form. A web developer builds the site and keeps it running. Hire for the job you have: a site on a builder mostly needs design and clear words, while custom features need a developer. Either way, ask who fixes it when something breaks.
The plain difference
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics covers both jobs in one Occupational Outlook Handbook profile. It says web developers "create and maintain websites" and are also responsible for technical aspects such as performance and capacity. It describes web and digital interface designers as responsible for the "look and feel" of a site, covering photos, color, fonts, graphics and layout.
It also separates back-end developers, who handle the site's overall technical construction, from front-end developers, who build the technical features behind its look, and it lists webmasters, who maintain and update sites and test for errors such as broken links. As general advice, on a small site one person often does several of these jobs.
Which one a service business usually needs
| Your situation | Usually enough | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A new site on a builder such as Wix or Squarespace | A designer, or a designer who also builds | The builder handles most of the technical side; the work is layout, words and photos |
| A site that works but loses visitors | A designer | The problem is often clarity or the path to a call or form |
| A quote or booking tool built around how you work | A developer | Custom features need someone who writes and tests code |
| A slow or broken site | A developer first | Speed, errors and hosting are technical work |
The question that matters more
Titles vary: many people who call themselves designers also build, and many developers also design. Rather than sorting by title, ask who will fix the site when a form stops sending or a page breaks, how quickly they usually reply, and how that work is charged after launch. The related answer on questions to ask before hiring a web designer covers who owns the domain and logins, phones and speed, and what happens after launch.
Whoever you hire, test the form and the phone number yourself after every change, so an inquiry never goes missing quietly.
If you already have a site
A designer can often make a working but unclear site easier to use, and a developer can often fix one that is slow or broken, without starting over. The related answer on whether to upgrade or rebuild your website explains how to tell which you need, and the one on choosing a website platform covers what to check before any switch.
Sources
Related answers
- What should you ask before hiring a web designer?
- Should you upgrade your website or rebuild it?
- How do you choose a website platform for a small business?
- Should you build your own website or pay someone to build it?
- Who owns the website a designer built for you?
Websites, upgraded or built
Most businesses do not need a new website. They need the one they have to load fast, say clearly what they do and ask the visitor to take one step.