The Power of Coding

One skill that everyone should spend the time to learn, especially if you're in marketing, is coding. Coding is a valuable skill for marketers, and you don't need to be any kind of computer scientist to know how to code. Knowing how to code will allow you to bring more value to your team as a marketer and contribute more in different ways. Knowing how to code can also help you communicate with tech teams and developers more effectively or if your working solo it gives you the independence to not need to rely on someone else to code what you need. Overall, coding is a skill that would help anyone boost their career and be a more efficient, creative, and valuable marketer.

Where to Start

Like I said, coding is not something you need to be a master's in computer science to know how to do. It's very easy to start to learn the basics like HTML and CSS which are the essentials in making a website and will get you going. There are many resources and courses available to help someone learn how to code and assist them with web design like CodeAcademy, WordPress, SquareSpace, and Pineapple Builder.

CodeAcademy:

CodeAcademy has a huge supply of courses and projects to help learn how to code and develop a website. With CodeAcademy you can set goals and inform them on what you want to learn so it can recommend different projects and lessons to help you achieve your goals. This screenshot is of one of the lessons "Learn HTML" where it guided me through writing the code to go from having nothing to designing my own page with headings, texts, lists, pictures, videos, and more.

WordPress:

WordPress is extremely useful in developing and designing a website. Unlike Code Academy it didn't require writing any code. WordPress starts with asking the user questions like what kind of website they are trying to develop. With this information they provide templates and recommendations available to use or you can start from scratch designing it on your own. They have a very user-friendly interface to help with designing your website and adding content. Their ultimate goal is that through their service they can get you from having nothing to a website with content that is ready to publish.

SquareSpace:

SquareSpace is similar to WordPress in helping someone get started on developing their website. SquareSpace also starts off with asking a serious of questions about the user and their goals and will also provide templates and suggestions for the user. Where SquareSpace differs from WordPress is the user interface when it comes to editing and designing your website. Both are easy to use but, in my opinion, I preferred WordPress's UI. However, SquareSpace has a great advantage over WordPress and that's its easy ability to do more than web design. With SquareSpace the user has access to contacts, analytics, setting up marketing campaigns, invoicing, and scheduling. These features are extremely helpful with running a successful website.

Pineapple Builder:

Pineapple Builder is similar to SquareSpace and WordPress in terms of it helping you build a website and not need to write the code but what I really like about Pineapple Builder is that they utilize AI. With Pineapple Builder, a user simply tells the AI exactly what kind of website they want and then AI will get to work. Their AI generates a website and even generates business details, target audiences, selling points, goals, personality, and features which are all able to be changed or added. Once the user is satisfied with the details of the website they can start editing and designing their website just like WordPress and SquareSpace but with Pineapple Builder you have the ability to directly ask AI to help make changes to the site as well. I had a great time playing around in Pineapple Builder and regardless of if you are looking to build a website, I highly recommend giving it a go and experience the power of this AI.

No-Code vs. Low-Code

All these web development services fall under one of two categories, no-code or low-code. Low code would be something like CodeAcademy and needs more done by developers like scripting or manual coding. Low code is good for things like standalone apps and straightforward UI's. No code can be considered more difficult as it requires more knowledge in coding and isn't for everyone. No code on the other hand is more like WordPress, SquareSpace, and Pineapple Builder. No code provides developers with tools and templates to help build apps and websites with very little coding. No code often uses visual interfaces like pull down menus or drag and drops and is often used in situations where someone wants to speed up development and is found in things like web and mobile apps and cross department tools.

Coding:

In today's world of technology coding can be used for so many different things and can be found all around you. Having some knowledge of what coding is and how it's done is a great skill to have in your arsenal. With all of the resources and platforms available for you, it's something that can be picked up relatively quickly and its easier than most people think.