I'm thinking about going to school to be a webmaster, but I don't know anything about webmaster tools or benfits, or any services that I can offer outside of making websites for people. Can anybody tell me what I'm getting myself into?

In order to really know what you're getting yourself into, first take a look at what a webmaster really is. By definition, a webmaster is the person who is in charge of maintaining a website. This person often builds the website as well, and the primary function of your position would be writing HTML, site structural organization, email responses concerning the site, site updating, etc.

I’ve been doing this for almost five years – it’s hard work, but if you love script-writing, maintenance and are willing to deal with crazy clients sometimes, then being a webmaster is a great job to look into.

So what are some of the things that I need to learn while training to become a webmaster? Like, what are the tools of the trade and stuff?

If you are a business owner, our recommendation is to (if you can afford to) hire separate people for each main web management task. For example:

1. A graphic designer

2. An xhtml coder

3. A programmer

4. An SEO expert

You may choose to fill one of the above positions yourself to save up, however if you can hire a person for each of the above positions (or more than one for those positions which require more attention), you can then focus on the key tasks for your business, which involve coordinating staff, finding new ways of promoting and growing your business, and evaluate expansion. As a business owner you cannot possibly manage every task if you want your business to grow to a significant level. It is also important to choose your staff carefully, their work will be a reflection of your business to your customers.

There are so many webmaster tools on the internet. When you start to look at all that is available to you it can be really overwhelming. I'm just going to cover a few basic tools here that you need to become intimately familiar with (and will be, if you're going to be a successful webmaster).

 SEO Tools: Search Engine Optimization is just about the fastest free way to get your website seen on the internet. What it means to optimize your site to a search engine's specifications is to use key words and phrases in your copy, HTML Meta tags, etc, so that spiders can effectively find your website and rank it accordingly. Subcategories include but are not limited to: Keyword researching tools, keyword density measuring tools, keyword analysis, search position, link popularity, search engine simulators, meta tag generators...the list goes on and on.

 Web Page Analyzers: This webmaster tool reads your webpage to make sure it's search engine friendly. After, it gives you a report that tells you all the positive and negative aspects of your site. It's what I like to call my “fresh eyes” tool. Analyzers you might already be familiar with are Google Analytics and Crazy Egg.

 Domain Support Tools: Don't just go in willy-nilly and pick a domain name out of the air. Using domain tools is a great way to find what domains are up for auction or for sale.

It’s interesting that you mention SEO first. SEO is not the first step to creating a website (it's one of the last, honestly), but it is one of the most important. Gotta know SEO.

I think it’s important to point out Google Analytics is by far the most popular analyzer out there, and it's also free. A lot of the others make you pay.

I mean, being a webmaster sounds like it's pretty hard work. That’s a lot of stuff to keep straight for somebody starting out. What are some benefits I can look forward to for putting in all that effort?

Well, if you work for a web development company, you can look forward to webmaster benefits like full coverage insurance, ready-made tools at your disposal, a corporate budget, along with paid vacations and an excellent salary. I work for a pretty big company, and I have to tell you, I love the health insurance and vacation.