5 Top Web Development Courses for Beginners

Have you ever been overwhelmed by the abundance of tutorials and courses online about programming? Me too. And I still am.

On top of that, many online courses are either too difficult to follow or they are poorly constructed. So how can you make sure you choose the right resources when you’re just starting out with learning how to code?

I know you don’t want to waste any of your valuable time on the wrong coding courses. Let alone invest your money in a course that doesn’t pay off.

Therefore, this post will help you find the perfect web development course to start learning coding with.

So, as soon as you know what programming language you should learn, you’re good to go! I’ve hand-picked and tested them for you so that you can enjoy a smoother learning experience without having to worry about a thing.

Keep reading!

Here are a few related articles you might find helpful, too:

• The Best Websites to Learn Coding and Web Development
• Why Learn Coding? 12 Benefits from Learning Programming
• 8 Things You Should Know Before Learning Coding

Please note: This post contains affiliate links to products I use and recommend. I may receive a small commission if you purchase through one of my links, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

The 5 web dev courses in this post:

Here’s a short overview of the courses you can use to learn web development from scratch. You’ll learn all the basics (and then some) without wasting your time on something you don’t really need.

(Get ready to hit that favourite button!)

1. The Complete Web Developer Course 2.0 (Udemy)
2. The Web Developer Bootcamp (Udemy)
3. Intro to Computer Science (Udacity)
4. The Complete WordPress Website Business Course (Udemy)
5. Free Code Camp (Free Code Camp)

Alright, let’s get started!

1: The Complete Web Developer Course 2.0 (Udemy)

If there’s one single course in this world that could change your life, this one is it. The Complete Web Developer Course 2.0 is a sure-fire way to get a kick-start into your new life as a professional web developer.

This course is probably one of the most successful online web development courses for beginners ever. With over 200,000 students, it’s one of the best-selling coding courses on Udemy.

Read also: Udemy Review – Learn Coding and Web Development Online

Why am I recommending this course?

Since it worked for me, simple as that.

While I was still working my way through the course content, I had already launched two websites (including this one) and started freelancing as a web developer.

The power of this web dev course lies in the sheer number of programming languages and tools you will learn throughout the lessons. The 30+ hours of video lectures are really well made and even complete beginners can follow along easily.

Furthermore, as an added bonus, you will also get free unlimited web hosting for an entire year with this course.

Hence, you will end up with literally all the tools you will need to create your very own website or web project of any kind.

All in all, if you’re going to take only one of these web development courses for beginners, I’d recommend going with this one. You will get incredible value for your money – I know this from personal experience.

Related: 4 Essential Tools You MUST Learn to Become a Web Developer

Who is this course suitable for?

In case you are totally new to coding and web development, take a look at this course. All you need are some basic computer skills, a text editor and heaps of motivation!

You might want to build your own website from scratch, perhaps develop your own web application, or maybe program your own mobile applications to sell in App Store or at Google Play.

This course will teach you everything you need to know.

Moreover, if you’re not quite sure what it is that you want to create or build, you will get plenty of ideas and suggestions throughout this course. Rob, your instructor, does a great job at preparing you for more demanding projects in the future by yourself.

Recommended: How to Start Learning Coding the RIGHT Way: 6 Practical Steps

What topics does this course cover?

The course covers a whopping number of different programming languages and other technologies for web development.

Together they form a solid foundation for further learning and practice, giving you all the tools you will need to do any of the following:

• Code your own website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Build responsive, interactive websites with Bootstrap and jQuery
• Create web applications based on PHP and MySQL
• Develop blogs and e-commerce websites using WordPress
• Build your very own Twitter clone as a challenge at the end of the course!

I simply loved the comprehensive approach of this course into web development for beginners. You’ll get an introduction to some of the best languages for web development without having to find a separate course for each of them.

Surely, you won’t become a guru or specialist in any of these areas of the course, but it rather gives you the tools for further learning and practice when you start working on web development projects of your own during or after the course.

Start the course: The Complete Web Developer Course 2.0 at Udemy

2. The Web Developer Bootcamp (Udemy)

Another Udemy best-seller, The Web Developer Bootcamp is quite similar course to the previous one, but a little more comprehensive – if possible!

In addition to all the web development programming languages and tools you will also learn about the Command Line, Node JS, and Git, for instance.

Who is this course suitable for?

If you’ve been browsing through web development courses for beginners online, they often have quite a few prerequisites.

Luckily, all you need to know to start this course is how to use your computer and connect yourself to the Internet.

Anyone looking for a really comprehensive package of skills for starting a career as a web developer will find what they’re looking for right here.

Related: Web Developer Salary: How Much Does a Web Developer Make?

The content is very much up-to-date and relevant for today’s developer indus try, and the instructor doesn’t cut any corners with his lectures.

Which topics does this course cover?

The number of topics covered throughout this course if pretty impressive. You will gain good basic skills in the following tools and technologies:

• HTML and CSS
• JavaScript and jQuery
• NodeJS and ExpressJS
• Bootstrap
• Unix (Command Line) Commands
• MongoDB
• Authentication, PassportJS, and Authorization

Moreover, the course content is updated regularly. With a lifetime access to the lectures and all other material, this means that the course will serve as your own personal directory and platform for keeping your skills up-to-date.

It’s like a lifetime subscription – with just one payment!

Start the course: The Web Developer Bootcamp at Udemy

3: Intro to Computer Science (Udacity)

Out of all the web development courses for beginners I’ve tried, this course is the best one for learning the basics of computer science at the same time.

Thus, this course is a bit more technical in its nature than the course reviewed above.

The course only focused on learning Python, so it’s not the best choice for someone who wishes to start creating websites right away using HTML and CSS.

But keep in mind that learning Python might be a great idea too – it’s one of the most popular and in-demand programming languages out there these days.

The coolest part of this course is that you will learn heaps about how the Internet and search engines work.

In fact, you will build your very own search engine during the course. Of course, a somewhat simple but a fully functional one.

Who is this course suitable for?

All in all, if you’re interested in computer science fundamentals but you’re looking for a course where you can learn coding at the same time, I can fully recommend this one.

You don’t necessarily need any programming skills to start, since you will learn the basics of Python along the way.

Moreover, if you’re considering learning Python and perhaps building web applications in the future, this course should be a great place to start. Python is an excellent choice for back-end web development.

Read also: Why Python Is a Great First Programming Language to Learn

Also, in case you’re interested in how search engines work, go with this one. The main project throughout the course is building your own search engine based on the early logic of Google.

Which topics does this course cover?

As I mentioned, the main focus with this course is on the backend of how the Internet and web applications work.

Using Python as his tool, the course instructor introduces you to the history of computers and Computer Science, the binary system, how Google works, and how you can manage and process data.

The instructor and his occasional guests do a great job at explaining each topic at a very detailed level, so that no one is left behind. And should that be the case, there’s a great community to help you out whenever the road gets rocky. Pay a visit to the discussion forums to find help with a specific assignment of exercise.

I took the course after having learned the basics of Python using Python Crash Course.

However, at that time I had the feeling I needed to know much more about how computers work in general. That’s why I decided to look for an online course that would focus more on computer science for beginners. All in all, I believe this course was probably the best choice out there!

Start the course: Intro to Computer Science at Udacity

4: The Complete WordPress Website Business Course (Udemy)

These days, it’s more and more common for web designers to work mainly with a content management system (CMS) such as WordPress.

It’s the most popular CMS in the world, meaning that there’s a huge market out there for WordPress. This market includes Web Developers who specialise in creating beautiful websites using this particular CMS.

What’s great about WordPress is that it lets you combine front-end and backend development quite easily.

It also helps you manage complex projects by yourself for your clients.

Hence, the CMS takes care of the structure and logic of the website. Therefore, you can focus more on designing great user experiences.

Who is this course suitable for?

In short, this course is perfect for anyone who wishes to start their own website business soon.

I’m not saying it’s a shortcut in any way, though. You will have to work for it, but at the end of the course you could start with your first small web design jobs.

Are you interested in working by yourself in the future, while offering your clients an all-in-one service with design and coding done by you? In this case you should give this course a try!

In fact, that’s partly what I did. I knew the basics of several web development languages and technologies before this course. With those skills, it was really easy to work my way through it and learn WordPress by doing.

As for prerequisites, you don’t necessarily need to know any coding to take this course.

However, having a basic understanding of how the Internet works is a good idea. You will be deploying websites to live servers during the course, but the technicalities are covered in the video lectures. Also, knowing some basic HTML and CSS is helpful, too.

Which topics does this course cover?

Obviously, this course mainly focuses on building websites using WordPress. You will learn everything you need to start offering web design services to your first clients, such as:

• Hosting plans and installation of WordPress
• WordPress maintenance, updates, and speed
• WordPress themes and plugins
• Email systems and mailing lists
• Ecommerce using WordPress
• Client proposals and billing for your business

Summing it all up, I’d recommend combining this WordPress course with another web development course. The other one should focus more on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP.

If you’re a creative person and love working with people, WordPress is a great choice for you. You can design amazing user experiences and create beautiful websites using WordPress.

Start the course: The Complete WordPress Website Business Course at Udacity

5: freeCodeCamp.org

FreeCodeCamp is a great place to start learning web development and especially front-end development if you have no previous coding experience.

All of their content is freely available and nicely structured. You’re always aware of where you’re at with the easy navigation and progress elements.

As a nice bonus, there are short video lectures that cover the basics of Computer Science, too.

All in all, the entire curriculum consists of the following modules, with regular updates and new content being added:

• Front-end development
• Data visualisation
• Backend development

Being a non-profit organisation, freeCodeCamp can’t quite keep up with the quality of the video lectures of paid courses.

However, it’s a great platform for everyone to start at. Apart from most paid web development courses for beginners, you will need to show a bit more initiative, since the constant guidance of video lectures is missing.

What’s great about freeCodeCamp is the big, supportive community. It is guaranteed to get you connected with plenty of like-minded developers.

When you start learning with them, you can also join the freeCodeCamp group on Facebook and connect with other coders and campers around the world.

Who is this course suitable for?

If you’re an active and highly motivated self-learner, freeCodeCamp is definitely a great option for you.

Since there are no video lectures with a hands-on approach for beginners, this platform is quite different from the previous courses discussed in this post.

However, keep in mind that the lack of instructors and video lectures can often be compensated with a helpful community of like-minded programmers.

Therefore, remember to browse through the discussion forums regularly. Early on, you’ll probably have more questions than answers. After some time you should share whatever knowledge you might have with others. The lovely community will surely give everything back to you at some point when you need help the most.

I’d definitely recommend giving FCC a try for anyone interested in learning the basics of web development.

It introduces you to a nice selection of tools you will surely need as a web developer in the future.

Which topics does this course cover?

freeCodeCamp focuses on both front-end and backend web development. This gives you the perfect tools for building websites, web applications, and more. The topics covered include:

• HTML5
• CSS3
• JavaScript and jQuery
• Bootstrap
• Databases
• Git and GitHub
• NodeJS
• ReactJS

As with many other online learning platforms and courses, the content only serves as an introduction to each of these areas and technologies.

It is up to you to take what you’ve learned and applying it to real projects of your own. Only then will your knowledge and understanding of these topics deepen little by little. That’s when you will start grasping how all the different building blocks work together in more complex web projects.

Recommended: What Does a Web Developer Do Exactly?

Final Thoughts: The Best Web Development Courses for Beginners

If you’re looking for a good course to start learning web development, I’d suggest starting with a free course to see if it’s for you.

Once you get familiar with the basics, consider spending a few bucks on a course. Find one with more video lectures, interactive exercises, and better support and regular updates.

All in all, based on my experience, if you’re only going to choose one web dev course, go with The Complete Web Developer Course 2.0 at Udemy. It was quite a life-changer for myself, which is why I’m always prepared to recommend it to anyone.

About a month after starting with the The Complete Web Development Course I was building my own websites from scratch.

A few more months in I was earning some money with small web development jobs.

And after about 10 months, I launched my own web design business, which is now paying my bills. All this happened while I had a full-time job, too. Hence, I wasn’t spending more than an hour or two daily practising.

Whichever course or platform you choose, all that matters is that you start somewhere. I’ve tried all of these courses myself and can fully recommend each one of them.

For even more top learning resources, check out these best websites to learn coding and web development from scratch. I’ll see you there!

Here are a few related posts you may want to read, too:

• 13 Tips for Finishing Every Coding Course You Start
• How to Get Your Money’s Worth With Online Coding Courses
• Learning Programming and Web Development: Online Coding Courses vs Books

If you enjoyed this post with awesome web development courses for beginners, please drop me a line in the comments below! What courses have you tried? Which ones were your favorites?

P.S. If you liked this post, I’d appreciate if you shared it with others! Thanks so much!

That’s all for today! Catch you later, happy coding!
– Mikke