When discussing web development salary in terms of an employer-employee relationship, the factors involved are numerous. Salaries for independent, freelance, or self-employed web developers are virtually limitless, depending on the individual's ability to market themselves, rates charged, and clientele. However, for professional web developers in the employment of an agency, firm, or corporate IT department, other factors come into play. Things such as company size, the complexity of their web presence, specific job responsibilities, and company budget are more important factors than education required or years of experience. Although, education and experience do have influence when determining salary figures and benefits for web developers.

It is important to understand that the job responsibilities for web developers, while often confused with web designers or web masters, require different skills sets, education, and time commitments. For example, website designers generally focus on the aesthetic appearance of a website including color schemes, element placement, and basic script installations. Web developers, on the other hand, may begin with web design but also develop content, handle network security configurations, install e-commerce software, and work on web servers. Therefore, a web development salary is often higher than web designers or web masters.

Unfortunately, the confusion between web designers and web developers in terms of clients and hiring managers often further clouds web development salary information. For example, some companies will hire a senior web designer when what they really mean is a web developer. Likewise, many private clients and companies hire web designers yet expect them to carry out the duties of a web developer. This is not necessarily an effort to get skilled labor at a cheaper rate, but rather lack of knowledge that there is any difference.

To get an idea of the average web development salary, one must first understand that web developer job titles vary, even when clients and companies understand the difference between designer and developer. For example, a web developer may be a website manager, a web systems manager, or a senior web designer. Each of these job titles carries similar responsibilities for managing their employer's web presence. On average, these jobs pay between $50,000 to $68,000 per year, although salaries can easily top $100,000 per year for developers who manage extremely complex, large, or program-intensive websites for large companies. Again, company size and budget often play a larger role in determining salary than the actual professional, but job responsibilities and expectations are still primary factors.

For example, a large pharmaceutical company may have a website with thousands of pages listing all of the medical information for the medications they manufacture, as well as other health topics. While this site may be large and owned by a big company with a large budget for web work, but that does not mean their web development salary offerings top the high end of the pay scale. However, if their website involves a complex intranet that allows researchers, scientists, and executives to share sensitive documents and study information through encrypted channels, then the salary for their web developer would be understandable higher.