Internet Marketing And Web Development Careers In India

By: Joseph de Souza

Internet Marketing And Web Development Careers

Introduction

After graduating in Science, Computers, IT or Engineering thousands of graduates are on the lookout for a suitable career. Now many of them will look upon Internet Marketing or Web Development as suitable career choices.

But sadly the requirements of the industry does not match the syllabus taught in the college. As far as syllabus goes, Internet marketing and SEO is totally ignored or gets just a brief mention. The same with most of the technologies used to power today's websites.

Internet Marketing And Web Development Careers - Qualifications Required

I would like to mention that while specialised qualification in computers will certainly help you to have a good foundation, a post graduate qualification like M.C.A (Master Of Computer Applications) from a recognised university will help with software development and also to apply for jobs in those companies where a specialised qualification is mandatory.

In case you only want to pursue a career in content writing, you will have to have extremely good writing skills and an engineering or science background will not be necessary.

However, while a qualification is strictly not necessary to get into the Internet Marketing and Web Development field, appropriate knowledge is a must.

It is worthwhile to note that while a good qualification may enable you to apply for a job only your knowledge and experience will help you get selected.

I have mentioned earlier on my profile page that although I have no specialised computer qualifications, I have worn several hats already.
Some of them are:
Web Application developer (Affordable Online examination system in PHP and MySQL)
MS Access Application Developer (Automobile Service Station Management Software)
Website Designer and Developer for static and dynamic websites with Joomla, Wordpress and Drupal
Database administator for MySQL databases
E-commerce website development with Prestashop
Setup, configuration and maintenence of open source applications in PHP and MySQL
Content writer for travel (Hotel) websites. Also wrote some content for wristband and access control products, fashion and other sectors.
Search Engine Optimization specialist (Currently the leading SEO freelancer in India) having optimized websites in English, German and currently also optimizing a Danish language website.
I have also optimized Google Adwords accounts in English and German , including writing the Ads in German.
I have also tried my hands at photography and one of my photos has already been published in a leading international travel website.

I have mentioned all this just to let you know that if you have got the ability and the desire to work hard and excel in all you do you can go places.

I have learnt all the skills by reading and implementing and whenever roadblocks arose, I have researched a solution to the problem.

Web Development Careers

Well the main technologies used to power the open source world online and most of the websites are Apache Web server and other open source webserver Nginx, PHP and MySQL database (or it's fork MariadB)

They are basically used on a Linux server. Apache powers around 35% of the websites and Nginx accounts for another 25% in the webserver category. PHP powers over 80% of the websites where a scripting language is used.

MariadB is a fork of MySQL and is practically compatible. For example MySQL 5.1 and MariaDB 5.1, MariaDB 5.2 and MariaDB 5.3 are compatible. MySQL 5.5 is compatible with MariaDB 5.5 MySQL 5.6 is compatible with MariaDB 10.0. However MariaDB 10.0 does not import all features from MySQL 5.6. The mysql-client package (up to MySQL 5.7) also works with MariaDB server. The latest version is MariaDB 11.1.2 (August 2023).

PHP

It was originally created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994. PHP originally stood for Personal Home Page. The latest version is PHP 8.2.12 (October 2023). For PHP it is best that you know how to change the settings in PHP.ini. PHP is used in an extremely large number of open source web applications.

Wordpress
Wordpress, the world's most popular CMS and blogging and web publishing platform is developed in PHP. So also Joomla, Drupal, Backdrop CMS, Contao, CMS made Simple and a host of others.

Joomla

Learning Management Systems like Moodle, Claroline and Atutor.


Moodle  open-source learning platform
The world's leading open source ecommerce applications like Prestashop, Woocommerce, Magento open source, Virtuemart, Ubercart, Open Cart and Zen Cart are all based on PHP and MySQL.

Woocommerce

View of a Prestashop 1.5 based Website

Prestashop E-Commerce website screenshot

There are also popular CRM (Customer Relationship Management) like SuiteCRM (fork of SugarCRM Community Edition 6.5) and HRM (Human Resource management) like Orange HRM applications based on PHP that are described elsewhere on the website.

If you want a career in web development it is imperative to learn PHP, learn to develop simple applications at the minimum and then be well versed in a large number of the above mentioned applications.

Except for Magento which is resource heavy, the rest of the applications like CMS and webshops can esily be installed on any Windows or MAC computer using XAMPP or MAMP.

After installing the applications learn how to modify and create a template. For the content management systems learn how to update the application, as well as how to make simple modifications in the source code like Wordpress functions in the template.
You can also use barebone templates or frameworks and build your own template.

Responsive Web Design Frameworks

Today it is a must that all websites are responsive so it is a necessity that you should be well versed in Bootstrap, Skeleton, Foundation, Pure, Semantic UI, UIkit and other responsive frameworks. Make sure that you know at least Bootstrap and Skeleton. Bootstrap as it is the most popular and having lots of features and Skeleton as it is very simple and extremely easy to implement and can be implemented in simple static websites which do not require a big feature set.

Bootstrap Framework

MySQL Database Administration

Learn how to design a database and enter and edit data using PHP functions. Learn to protect your website against Sql injection attacks.

Before that you should learn how to create and administer MySQL databases using PHPMyadmin .

Content Writing

Content Writing As A Career

For those with a good command over English and a flair for writing you can choose Content writing as a career. You must have the ability to research and write on a given topic. Additionally if you are subject expect you will be able to command a higher price.

Your writing must be easily understood by the targeted audience, and free from spelling and grammatical errors. The content must include "Keywords" wherever appropriate. Keywords are the words or phrases which the targeted audience are likely use to search for the topic on which you have written in the search engines.

For example "resort Vagator Goa" is a likely keyword (Keyphrase) that someone who is looking out for a resort in Vagator, Goa is likely to use. You must also use LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords wherever possible so that information closely related to the core topic is also covered in the content that you have written.

Marcus Sheridan, well known content marketeer explains that the content on a website should answer the questions of the website's targeted audience. He explains that visitors who have read lots of pages of content on your website have greatest chance to convert (into buyers). This concept is beautifully explained in his book "They Ask, You Answer".

Basically your content has to be useful or more accurately answer the question and provide the information that your visitor is looking for. It must also be unique and of a high quality.

The content writer should also know that they cannot simply copy paste content from other websites as they will definitely violate copyright laws. Copyright laws also apply to all forms of content.

Careers In Search Engine Optimization - What Does It Take To Become A SEO Consultant

A SEO consultant improves the existing content and adds new content based on the researched keywords,search queries and questions of the website visitors. The other functions include auditing the website for technical errors as well as content targeting mistakes and removing technical flaws. Finally it involves marketing and promoting the content in different media including social media, attracting links and thus increasing the rankings of the website in search Engines.

I would like to repeat that if you want to get a head-start in a field like SEO and stay ahead of the competition, Excellent Language skills, Research skills, sufficient technical knowledge to modify HTML & CSS and ability to code CSS and HTML by hand. It is also preferable that you have basic knowledge of PHP and MySQL, enough to code simple applications.

Finally nothing beats experience. You must put the knowledge that you learnt by reading books or written by subject experts on their blog into practice after duly modifying the same for your particular situation and observe the results.

You must also remember that to reach a reasonably good level of knowledge it takes years. The reason being that applying the knowledge that you just acquired is difficult and SEO is an ever changing field and you have to work hard to remain ahead of the changes.

Google Ads And PPC Optimization

If you wish to opt for a career as a Google Ads consultant or a PPC consultant, you must have the ability to write great ads that convey the message and entice the searcher to click and convert.

The functions of a PPC consultant (and Google Ads consultant) include researching keywords with special attention to long tail keywords with a low CPC (Cost Per Click) that convert well. The other functions include account setup, creating the keyword groups, writing the Ads and improving the landing pages.

Optimizing a PPC account results in increasing the quality score, increases the clicks, the Ad position, decreases the CPC and increase conversions. IF you have done everything correctly and focussed on the right keywords, it should definitely increase your clients profits as well.

Google Ads

Social Media Careers

A career in Social Media optimization involves promoting website content as well as curating and sharing information from other websites that your followers and targeted audience will find useful.

A relatively new field is social media advertising such as promoted tweets and Facebook Advertising. There are also advertising options in other social media webites and optimising them is a field in itself.

Conversion Rate Optimization

A CRO specialist makes changes in the website for example buy buttons, page copy, photos, forms etc so that a larger percentage of the website visitors takes the desired action on the web page i.e. buys the product or service, submits inquiry form etc.

Does an MCA degree relate to a web developer? If not, then which master degree should I pursue for web development?

In my opinion an MCA can help you to a certain extent depending on what you learn there. Just having a B.E. degree for that matter will not be of any use unless you have the necessary skills in the field that you wish to work.

I know of many persons who are just B. Sc degree holders doing much better in their career and have higher posts in better companies or have setup their own companies compared to B.E. degree holders because they are much more skilled in web development and coding.

My personal experience says that if you can prove to your prospective client your knowledge, abilities and have a good track record of projects successfully completed it matters at lot more more in the IT field than mere qualifications. An example of this is myself. I have detailed my personal experience of how I succeeded in becoming a leading SEO freelancer in India.

Certain companies may shortlist candidates on the basis of the qualifications rather than skills at the initial stage. However in case the shortlisted candidates do not have the required skills they ultimately do not get selected.
In the final analysis: you must decide what profession you want to select and which in which field you want to advance. In case your lifetime ambition is to get selected into one of the companies that insist on qualification for shortlisting you will have to get it - in all other cases it is not necessary.

Is it the right choice to make a career in digital marketing after completing M.Tech in electronics?

Now, if you already have a M. Tech in Electronics, B. Tech. or B.E. from a highly reputed university or any IIT or similar qualification which is rated among the best in that industry you have to think well before you make a decision.
You can turn your attention to digital marketing only if:
You are highly interested in it and you do not have good opportunities in your chosen field of work.

I have a technical background myself. I shifted to this career as I was highly interested and had already gained the required knowledge in associated fields as well. I have listed most of that above earlier on this page for your reference.

Which is the best digital marketing course? Is a certification course in Digital marketing fruitful for a good future?

As far as I know there is no university recognised course in this field. You will have to find out which institute provides the best training in digital marketing and decide. Check the topics covered and select the institute which provides the most useful knowledge. A good institute could give you an edge over the other candidates competing with you for the same jobs. You have to remember that the training provided to you at an institute will be useful if you are a beginner.

In case you want to opt for online training, you can select a course from one of the several leading internet experts conducting online classes. But remember the price is a bit high.
Alternatively, if you want to learn by yourself there are free resources available online as well as several books on SEO written by experts.

Google has a free training course called "Learn Online Marketing". There is also another free course in SEO Fundamentals by SEMrush Academy. They also provide a nice certificate when you answer their SEO Fundamentals exam. I answered it and got their certificate so that you all can see how it looks.

SEMrush Certification in Digital Marketing

In brief the following careers can be pursued without highly specialized qualification. You should have an aptitude for the selected career, be willing to learn to acquire the necessary skills and be ready to work hard to be successful.

Internet Marketing And Web Development Careers In India:

  • PHP and MySQL Web Application Development
  • Web Development Of Static Websites
  • Web Development Of Dynamic Websites Using CMS like Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal, Backdrop CMS, Contao etc.
  • Full Fledged Consultant in a certain Application like a Wordpress Consultant
  • Setup of Open Source Web Applications Like CRM, HRM etc.
  • Ecommerce website development using Prestashop, Woocommerce, Magento, Virtuemart, Open Cart, Zen cart
  • Content Writing
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO Consultant)
  • Google Ads And PPC Optimization (PPC Consultant)
  • Social Media Marketing (SMM)
  • Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

About The Author

Joseph de Souza is a leading Freelance SEO consultant and Web developer in Goa, India with more than 15 years of experience in internet marketing.
He has a proven track record and has has helped several companies increase their traffic many times over and thereby increase their revenue and profits.
Besides English, Joseph has also successfully optimized two German language websites and a Danish language website and obtained outstanding results.
[Read full bio]