Your Next Move: Web Administrator

This article is part of an IT Career News series called Your Next Move. These articles take an inside look at the roles related to CompTIA certifications. Each article will include the responsibilities, qualifications, related job titles and salary range for the role. As you consider the next move in your IT career, check back with CompTIA to learn more about your job prospects and how to get there.

Web administrators use their technical side to code, creative side to design and collaborative side to fix issues. With such varied skills, web administrators are critical to an organization’s online presence, making them a valued asset.

What Is a Web Administrator?

Web administrators design, develop, maintain and troubleshoot websites. Most importantly, they ensure a safe and efficient user experience. This may include implementing security protocols, modifying programs, creating backups, resolving software problems, updating content and more. They may work with many clients or for one organization to design, program and monitor websites.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Coding websites – the most popular languages include HTML and JavaScript.
• Collaborating with development teams to program websites.
• Setting up tools to monitor website traffic.
• Analyzing website traffic to inform design decisions.
• Addressing usability issues.

Web administrators need a mix of technical and soft skills. First and foremost, web administrators must be comfortable working the backend of websites, so they need to be knowledgeable in programming languages and open-source software. Having a foundational knowledge of systems, servers and security will help web administrators develop efficient websites and troubleshoot problems. They also need soft skills like problem solving, critical thinking, active listening and time management.

How to Become a Web Administrator

Requirements for a web administrator range from a high school diploma to a bachelor’s degree, but the most common requirement is an associate’s degree in web design or a similar field. More technical positions require a bachelor’s degree in a computer science–related field.

Alternatively, IT certifications like CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Security+ can give you the foundational skills you need, and CompTIA Linux+ can supplement your knowledge of programming languages and open-source operating systems.

The most common languages used by web administrators are HTML and JavaScript. Many web administrators also have training in graphic design. These can be learned in a traditional classroom environment or from self-study and hands-on practice.

With the right training and credentials, junior web administrator could be an entry-level position. But getting your feet wet on the IT infrastructure side, in a technical support or network support specialist role, will give you a better understanding of how hardware and applications work together.

The Details

Web Administrator Salary Range

$35,390 to $119,550 with a median annual wage of $66,130 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Web Administrator Job Outlook

From 2014 to 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an increase of 27 percent for web administrators, with 39,500 net new jobs expected during that 10-year period.

Job Titles Related to Web Administration

• Web Content Administrator
• Website Developer
• Web Application Developer
• Web Analytics Developer

Will your next move be web administrator? Check out CompTIA Linux+ to enhance your programming skills.