webprofessionals.org

WebProfessionals.org is a professional association for people who work on the web — web designers, developers, marketers, analysts, and other web professionals. It describes itself as "Empowering technical, creative & business-savvy Web professional" and organizes its offerings around three areas: Design, Development, and Business. If you are looking for a community, education programs, certification, advocacy, or career resources in the web profession, this is the kind of organization you would evaluate.

What the organization covers

Based on its site structure, WebProfessionals.org spans several distinct functions:

• Community — conferences and events, industry partners, and community programs such as the Web Design Contest and the "Iron Chef of Web Design" and "Iron Chef of Information Security" challenges.
• Education — a Web Professional Academy Program with a directory of participating institutions (for example Illinois Central College, Harper College, and West Hills Community College), an Education Alliance Program and directory, a WOW Education Alliance, and training such as a 2018 summer web design class and "Foundations Courses."
• Certification — a School of Web Certification with an overview, benefits, testimonials, FAQ, and exam registration, plus a long list of individual credentials.
• Advocacy — an advocacy section with a backgrounder, an executive committee, and advisors.
• Career resources — a "Web Pro Jobs" section with job-seeking tips, guidance on hiring a web professional, and interview tips, plus a Web Buyers Guide.
• Membership — a "Why Join?" page, member benefits, join and renewal pages, and a survey center.

Certification tracks

The certification list is the most concrete part of the site. It is organized into families, generally with a professional tier plus associate, apprentice, and sometimes novice levels:

If you are deciding whether a credential is worth pursuing, the site's own "Certification Benefits," "Testimonials," and "Frequently Asked Questions" pages are the places to check what the exam covers and what the credential signals.

Who it is for

The association explicitly names web designers, web developers, web marketers, analysts, and "other web professionals." That breadth matters: the certification catalog alone spans design, development, administration, animation, mobile apps, consulting, and e-commerce, so it is not limited to one role. Students and early-career people are also addressed through the apprentice and novice tiers and through the academy and education alliance programs.

How to engage

The site offers a small number of clear entry points:

1. Join — start with "Why Join WebProfessionals.org?" and "Member Benefits," then use the Join or Renew Your Membership pages.
2. Get certified — review the Certification Overview and FAQ, then Register For Exam for the specific credential you want.
3. Find education — browse the Web Professional Academy Directory or the Education Alliance Directory if you want a program rather than a single exam.
4. Find or fill a job — use Web Pro Jobs for job-seeking tips, hiring guidance, and interview tips.
5. Attend or compete — watch the Conferences & Events and contest pages for community activity.

What to verify before committing

The site does not publish pricing, membership fees, or exam costs in the material available here, so treat cost and any login requirements as things to confirm on the Join and Register For Exam pages rather than assuming they are free or open. Likewise, check current dates for events, training, and contests — some listed items, such as the 2018 summer class, are clearly historical. The most reliable next step is to open the "Why Join?" and certification FAQ pages directly and compare them against what you need from a professional association.

WebProfessionals.org is a professional association for web designers, developers, marketers, analysts, and other web professionals. According to the site, it exists to empower "technical, creative & business-savvy Web professional[s]," and its membership structure is built around three areas it groups as Design, Development, Business. If you work in or around the web and want a professional community, credentialing path, and industry connections, joining is the main way to access those resources. The site lists a dedicated "Why Join WebProfessionals.org?" page and a "Member Benefits" page under its Join section, so the specific benefit list lives there rather than being fully spelled out on the homepage.

Reasons to join the community

The site frames membership around belonging to a community of web professionals rather than a single product. Based on the navigation and headings, the practical reasons fall into a few buckets:

• Community – a "Welcome / About Community" area and a "Join the Community of Web Professionals" call to action.
• Credentials – a full certification program (see below), which is one of the most developed parts of the site.
• Events and partners – a "Conferences & Events" section and an "Industry Partners" listing.
• Recognition and contests – including the Web Design Contest and the "Iron Chef of Web Design" and "Iron Chef of Information Security" challenges.
• Career support – a "Web Pro Jobs" section with job-seeking tips, hiring guidance, and interview tips.

Member benefits

The site points to a "Member Benefits" page as the authoritative list. From the structure of the site, the benefits you can expect to engage with as a member include:

Because the homepage does not enumerate every benefit, treat the "Member Benefits" page as the place to confirm exactly what is included before you join.

Certification options

Certification is the most detailed offering visible on the site. The catalog includes professional, associate, apprentice, and novice levels across several tracks:

• Web Design – Certified Professional Web Designer, Certified Web Designer Associate (CWDSA), plus apprentice and novice levels.
• Webmaster – Certified Professional Webmaster (CPW), Certified Associate Webmaster, Certified Apprentice Webmaster (CAW-apprentice).
• Web Development – Certified Professional Web Developer, Certified Web Developer Associate, plus apprentice and novice levels.
• Web Administration – Certified Professional Web Administrator, Certified Web Administrator Associate, plus apprentice levels.
• WordPress Administration – Certified Professional WP Administrator and associate, apprentice, and novice levels.
• Web Animation – Certified Professional Web Animator (CWAnim) and associate, apprentice, and novice levels.
• Web and Mobile App Development – Certified Professional Web and Mobile App Developer (CWMA) and associate, apprentice, and novice levels.
• Business/consulting – Certified Web Consultant-Small Business (CWCSB) and Certified E-Commerce Manager (CECM).

The site also provides a Certification Overview, Certification Benefits, Testimonials, and a Frequently Asked Questions page, plus a "Register For Exam" link. If certification is your main reason for joining, start with the Certification Overview and FAQ before registering.

How to join or renew

The Join section contains two clear actions: Join WebProfessionals.org and Renew Your Membership. The general flow is:

1. Go to the Join section of the site.
2. Choose "Join WebProfessionals.org" for a new membership, or "Renew Your Membership" if you are already a member.
3. Review the "Why Join WebProfessionals.org?" and "Member Benefits" pages first so you know what you are signing up for.

The site does not publish pricing or payment details in the material available here, so check the Join pages directly for current fees and requirements rather than assuming membership is free.

Community, conferences, and partners

Beyond certification, the association positions itself as a hub:

• Conferences & Events – listed under the Community section.
• Industry Partners – a partner directory.
• Contests – the Web Design Contest and the Iron Chef challenges.
• Education alliances – an Education Alliance Program and directory, with named institutions such as Illinois Central College (ICC), Harper College, and West Hills Community College.
• In Memoriam – a section honoring members.

A practical way to decide

If you want a professional community plus a recognized certification path, WebProfessionals.org is structured for that. If you mainly need a job board or event listings, the Web Pro Jobs and Conferences & Events sections are accessible entry points to explore first. Before joining, open the "Why Join" and "Member Benefits" pages to confirm the current offering, then check the Certification Overview if a credential is your goal.

WebProfessionals.org is a professional association for people who build, design, market, and analyze the web, and its advocacy and industry work runs along four visible tracks: an advocacy and backgrounder program, an executive committee and advisor structure, conferences and events, and hands-on design competitions. If you are trying to decide whether the organization is worth following, joining, or partnering with, those four areas are where its public activity is concentrated.

Advocacy and Backgrounder

The site lists Advocacy and Backgrounder as distinct sections under its About area. That placement matters: advocacy is presented as an organizational function rather than a blog topic, and the backgrounder sits alongside it as the reference material that supports the association's positions.

For a working web professional, the practical value is context. Advocacy work typically concerns how the profession is represented — to employers, educators, and policymakers — and a backgrounder is the document you read when you want the reasoning behind a position rather than a headline. If your interest is "who speaks for this field and on what basis," start with these two sections before anything else on the site.

Executive Committee and Advisors

WebProfessionals.org names an Executive Committee and Advisors in its About structure. This is the governance layer of the association.

Two things follow from that. First, the direction of the organization's advocacy and education programs is set by named people rather than an anonymous body, so you can evaluate the committee's composition against your own segment of the field — design, development, or business. Second, the advisor group signals which outside perspectives the association draws on. If you are considering a partnership, a speaking slot, or an education alliance, the committee and advisor pages are the fastest way to identify who to approach.

Conferences and Events

Conferences & Events appears as its own top-level item under Community, alongside Industry Partners. This is the association's main in-person and scheduled programming channel.

The distinction between "Community" and "Education" on this site is worth noting: events sit under Community, while structured learning sits under Education. So if you are looking for networking, industry partner contact, or a reason to travel, the events section is the right entry point. If you are looking for coursework or certification preparation, you want the Education section instead.

Web Design Contest and Iron Chef of Web Design Challenge

The competition track is the most concrete industry activity the site documents. It includes:

• Web Design Contest
• Iron Chef of Web Design Challenge
• Iron Chef of Information Security Challenge

These are format-driven events — the "Iron Chef" naming implies a timed, constraint-based build rather than an open submission. For participants, the appeal is a portfolio piece and a public result under pressure. For educators, they function as an extracurricular target that maps onto classroom skills. For employers, they are a way to observe how candidates perform when the brief is fixed and the clock is running.

How the Pieces Fit Together

The pattern is consistent: the association pairs a formal structure (committee, advocacy) with participatory activity (events, contests). Certification and academy programs sit in a separate Education track and are covered elsewhere.

Choosing Where to Engage

• If you want to understand the organization's stance on the profession, read Advocacy and Backgrounder first.
• If you want to know who runs it and who advises it, go to Executive Committee and Advisors.
• If you want to attend, network, or meet industry partners, use Conferences & Events.
• If you want a competitive credential or a portfolio result, look at the Web Design Contest and the Iron Chef challenges.

One caveat worth stating plainly: the site's public structure shows these programs exist and how they are organized, but it does not, in the material available here, publish schedules, entry fees, or eligibility rules. Treat the section pages as the starting point and confirm current dates and requirements directly with the organization before committing time or money.

WebProfessionals.org offers certifications across eight subject areas — web design, webmaster, web development, web administration, WordPress administration, web animation, web and mobile app development, and two business-side credentials (web consultant for small business and e-commerce manager). Most subject areas come in four levels: Professional, Associate, Apprentice, and Novice. You register for an exam through the site's Certification section, which also lists benefits, testimonials, and a FAQ.

Certification tracks and levels

The site organizes certifications by role, and within each role by experience level. The naming pattern is consistent: the "Certified Professional" credential is the top level, followed by Associate, then Apprentice, and in several tracks a Novice entry point.

Two observations from this structure:

• The webmaster and web administration tracks stop at Apprentice; there is no Novice credential listed for them.
• The consultant and e-commerce credentials are single-level, business-oriented certifications rather than part of a leveled ladder.

How to choose a track

Pick the track that matches the work you actually do, then pick the level that matches your experience:

• Building and coding sites → Web Development (CWDVA family) or Web & Mobile App Development (CWMA family) if you also ship mobile apps.
• Designing interfaces and visuals → Web Design (CWDSA family).
• Running and maintaining sites, including WordPress → Webmaster (CPW family), Web Administration (CWAA family), or WP Administrator, depending on whether your work is platform-specific.
• Motion and interactive graphics → Web Animation (CWAnim family).
• Advising clients or running an online store → Certified Web Consultant-Small Business (CWCSB) or Certified E-Commerce Manager (CECM).

If you are unsure which level fits, the Apprentice and Novice tiers are the entry points in the tracks that offer them, while Associate and Professional assume progressively more experience. The site's Certification Benefits and Testimonials pages describe what the credentials are meant to signal; the FAQ is the place to check before committing.

Registering for an exam

The registration path on the site is: Certification → Register For Exam. From there you select the credential you are pursuing. Before registering, read the Certification Overview and the FAQ, since those pages carry the details on eligibility, exam format, and what happens after you pass. The site does not publish pricing on the pages reviewed here, so treat cost as something to confirm during registration rather than assuming it is free.

Related resources on the same site

Beyond certification, WebProfessionals.org runs an Education section with a Web Professional Academy Program, an academy directory (including Illinois Central College, Harper College, and West Hills Community College), and an Education Alliance Program. There is also a Web Buyers Guide and a Web Pro Jobs board with job-seeking and hiring tips. If your goal is hiring rather than getting certified, the "Hire a Web Professional" and interview-tips pages are the relevant entry points.

WebProfessionals.org offers three main resource tracks for people building or advancing a web career: the Web Professional Academy program and its directory of participating institutions, an Education Alliance Program with member colleges, and a career section built around Web Pro Jobs plus job-seeking, hiring and interview guidance. The site also lists training courses, including a 2018 summer class and web design training foundations courses. These resources are aimed at web designers, developers, marketers, analysts and other web professionals, and at students working through the organization's education partners.

Education programs

Web Professional Academy Program

The Web Professional Academy Program is the organization's academic-side offering. It is paired with a Web Professional Academy Directory that lists participating institutions, so prospective students can find a school rather than only reading about the program in the abstract.

Education Alliance Program

The Education Alliance Program is a separate membership track for schools. It has its own directory of member institutions. Institutions named in the site's navigation include:

• Illinois Central College (ICC)
• Harper College
• West Hills Community College

If you are choosing a program, the two directories are the practical starting points: the Academy Directory for the academy program, and the Education Alliance Directory for alliance member schools.

Training and courses

The site lists training under an education section that includes:

• 2018 Summer Class — a dated training offering
• Web Design Training Foundations Courses — foundational coursework in web design

Because the summer class is labeled with a specific year, treat it as a historical listing rather than a current schedule. For current availability, check the training section directly rather than assuming the listed class is still running.

Certification as a training pathway

Certification sits alongside education and training on the site, and the certification structure is organized by role and level. Each track generally runs from a professional-level credential down through associate, apprentice and novice tiers. Tracks listed include:

The certification section also provides an overview, benefits, testimonials, a FAQ and a registration page for exams. If your goal is training rather than a credential, the certification FAQ is still worth reading because it explains how the exams are structured.

Career resources

The career side of the site is grouped under Web Pro Jobs, which has its own overview page. Around it, the organization publishes guidance for both sides of the hiring process:

• Job Seeking Tips — for candidates
• Hire a Web Professional — for employers and clients
• Interview Tips — for candidates preparing for interviews

There is also a Web Buyers Guide, which sits closer to the business side: it helps someone who needs to select a web professional or service rather than apply for a role.

How to use these resources

1. If you are a student or career changer: start with the Web Professional Academy Directory and the Education Alliance Directory to find a participating institution, then look at the certification tracks that match the role you want.
2. If you want a credential: go to the certification overview, read the benefits and FAQ, then use the exam registration page for the specific credential.
3. If you are job hunting: read Job Seeking Tips and Interview Tips, then browse Web Pro Jobs.
4. If you are hiring: read Hire a Web Professional and check the Web Buyers Guide.
5. If you want coursework without a credential: look at the training section, but verify current dates — the listed summer class is tied to 2018.

What the site does not specify

The available site information does not state prices, membership fees, exam costs or whether any of these resources require login. It also does not give current course schedules beyond the dated 2018 listing. Confirm those details on the relevant page before planning around them.