Coding: Why do we need it?

Recognizing that we are in a digital age, knowing all things you can know about technology is crucial. Marketer's need to perform research, and in order to properly measure that resource we need to consider all the data that we collected. Essentially, coding is a tool utilized to better understand consumers/users across platforms in a efficient manner.

I feel like I bring this up a lot, but I always feel like my phone is listening to me. However, this is just clever computer software that allows the tracking of user identity in order to approach a proper audience.

The importance of Coding

Without the proper coding of software to guide a user to site, or in the good old days with no worry about tracking whatsoever. While I do believe my phone is listening to me, there are patterns that are meant to be tracked in order to get the best information out of consumers. Coding is also crucial in efficiency, imagine doing all services manually. That includes promotional emails and analyzing your sites analytics. Coding is meant to bring a no nonsense approach to your marketing journey.

While coding might seem intimidating, there are many sites and applications you can use to bring ease to website development. Some website builders require some knowledge of coding, while others don't require any knowledge of coding at all. This is called low code and no code.

Low Code and No Code

These terms are in reference to the amount of knowledge needed regarding coding. Low code means little knowledge about coding is necessary and no code means no knowledge of coding is needed. A site that provides you knowledge on low coding is Codecademy. A website developed to gain a general and basic understanding of how coding works.

Codecademy

Codecademy allows users a step by step course to learn the basics of coding. Throughout the course there are steps to complete in order to move on to the next lesson and there are graphics and an informational slide regarding what the different elements of coding mean and do. Codecademy essentially is an introductory course into the world of low coding.

No Coding Website Builders

Squarespace, WordPress, and Pineapple Builder are all platforms that utilize a no code development strategy. When using these applications, it will prompt you to answer a few questions regarding what kind of site you are building and the purpose behind the site. WordPress and Squarespace have been a go-to tool for consumers to use when seeking ease of website development.

Throughout my time at Western, WordPress was an application I had to get the hang of when learning about website development. While it initially took me a while to get the hang of, I was able to build a whole website about my personal brand! Similarly to Squarespace, these website builders have you take a short survey and then customize how you want your site to look and function like.

Once you have filled out your preferences and goals, the site will prompt you to choose a template to work with. And from there you can customize the template to match your brand and reflect brand elements.

Now, with the ever rising popularity of AI usage, there are ways to implement AI when generating a website. Pineapple builder essentially lets the user type out the goal of their site, and who their audience is and Pineapple builder will generate a website to match your needs. I asked the AI to build me a site regarding environmental consciousness that is meant to receive donations.

From the prompt that I gave Pineapple builder, it was able to generate this:

The site was able to curate everything that I wanted into a page! I asked for plants to be included as well as a donation button and then a brief description of the goals for the site. Pineapple builder was able to include everything I asked for and I barely had to do any work when it came to actually building the site.

It truly is amazing that there are so many applications to use when it comes to website development. I feel that many have misconceptions about coding and development in the sense that it is a complex and confusing tool. However, there are many facets of coding that exists, and often enough there are many applications available to create a easy and effective experience. In order for digital marketers to complete their job, it is important to know some basic understanding of the world of coding.