Web Development 101 for Marketers & Content Creators

Build it, publish it, track it, improve it

Most marketing work now lands on a web page: a launch page, a link-in-bio, a sign-up form, a campaign with UTM links. This course teaches you how those pages really work, so you can build, publish, track and improve a fast, accessible campaign page yourself, and talk to developers as an equal.

You build one launch page (a personal brand page or a product launch) from Module 2 to the final capstone. Modules 1–3 run entirely in your browser; local tools arrive in Module 4. Every lesson ends with an exercise and a short quiz, and every module ends with a hands-on capstone.

At a glance

• For: content creators, digital marketers, social and brand managers, and small business owners. No coding experience needed.
• Length: 8 modules, 36 lessons and 8 module capstones, plus a final “Launch Week” capstone. Each lesson is about 15–20 minutes of reading plus a hands-on exercise.
• Tools: free tiers only (browser DevTools, VS Code, GitHub Pages, Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, Search Console).
• You finish with: a live, version-controlled launch page on your own domain with HTTPS, a working lead form, consent-aware tracking, Lighthouse 90+ and WCAG 2.2 AA checks.
• Next: WordPress 101 for Content Creators, then Modern SEO.

Syllabus

M01 — How the Web Works

Goal: A clear mental model of what happens between typing a URL and seeing a page.

• The Internet vs the Web
• URLs, Domains & DNS
• Hosting & How a Page Loads
• Static vs Dynamic, Code vs CMS vs No-Code
• Your First Look at DevTools

Module capstone: “How this site works”

M02 — HTML: The Structure of Content

Goal: Write clean, meaningful HTML for real marketing content.

• Anatomy of an HTML Page
• Text, Links, Images & Media
• Semantic HTML & Heading Structure
• Forms for Lead Capture
• Meta Tags & Social Previews

Module capstone: Launch-page content skeleton

M03 — CSS: Design, Brand & Layout

Goal: Turn the skeleton into an on-brand page that works on every screen.

• How CSS Works: Selectors, Cascade, Box Model
• Typography, Color & Brand Tokens
• Layout with Flexbox & Grid
• Responsive, Mobile-First Design
• Conversion-Focused UI Patterns

Module capstone: Styled, responsive launch page

M04 — Publish It: Tools, Hosting & Domains

Goal: Move from playground to a real, live site you control.

• Your Toolkit: VS Code, Files & Folders
• Git & GitHub Without Fear
• Deploy to Free Hosting
• Custom Domains, DNS Records & HTTPS
• Choosing How to Build: Code, CMS or No-Code

Module capstone: Live, versioned launch page

M05 — JavaScript for Marketers

Goal: Add interactivity to the launch page and understand (and debug) the scripts that marketing tools inject.

• What JavaScript Does (and Breaks)
• JS Basics: Variables, Functions, Events
• Interactive Components
• Forms That Work: Validation & Sending Data

Module capstone: Interactive launch page

M06 — Tracking, Analytics & Consent

Goal: Measure what matters on the launch page (visits by campaign, sign-ups as key events), legally and honestly.

• Tags, Pixels & UTMs
• Google Analytics 4 & Key Events
• Google Tag Manager
• Privacy, Cookies & Consent Around the World

Module capstone: Fully tracked launch page

M07 — Fast, Accessible & Search-Ready

Goal: Make the live launch page load fast on a mid-range phone, work for everyone, and be understood by search and AI engines, and prove it with before/after reports.

• Performance & Core Web Vitals
• Images, Fonts & Media Optimization
• Accessibility in Practice (WCAG 2.2)
• Technical SEO Foundations

Module capstone: Before/after: fast, accessible and search-ready

M08 — Advanced: AI, Automation & Scale

Goal: Work faster and scale beyond one page: use AI assistants without shipping their mistakes, send every lead to the right place automatically, reuse components across many pages, and launch a second-language version that search engines and visitors can find.

• Building with AI Assistants
• APIs, Webhooks & No-Code Automation
• Templates, Static Site Generators & Headless CMS
• Going Global: Multilingual & Multi-Region Sites

Module capstone: Automated leads and a second language

Final capstone — “Launch Week”

Write a one-page brief, launch your page with tracking, consent, quality checks and lead automation in place, run one week of real traffic, and report results against your target. Proficient on every rubric criterion, plus all module capstones, earns the certificate.

Not sure where to start?

A 15-question placement quiz before Module 1 tells you which of Modules 1–3 you can skip or skim.