How to Hire Dedicated WordPress Developer: Everything you need to know

24 Feb 2022
How to Hire Dedicated WordPress Developer: Everything you need to know

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WordPress remains the most widely used CMS even with several advanced and user-friendly content management systems in the market. It powers over 39.6% of the internet in 2021. If you consider only CMS-built sites, then 64.1% of them are on WordPress.

That’s because creating and managing a WordPress website is easy. It also has in-built support for blogging and SEO, helping you improve your site’s ranking on the search engine results page (SERP).

However, creating a WordPress website is easier said than done. To create a site that meets your business’s unique requirements, is optimized for search engines, and provides a great user experience, you’ll need to hire a dedicated WordPress developer.

How to Hire a WordPress Developer: 6 Tips

To help you get the most out of your investment and hire WordPress developers for your company, we’ve created this detailed guide. Let’s get started!

#1. Jot Down Your Needs

The first step to hiring a WordPress developer is having a clear idea of your needs. The more specific information you’ll give your developer, the better the result will be.

You don’t actually need to create a layout of your website. Instead, note down the purpose and key functionalities of your site. For example,

  • What do you want users to do as soon as they land on your website?
  • What type of pages do you want on your site, and the volume (e.g., about section, product pages, blog, etc.)?
  • Do you need any specific functionalities, like payment integration, calendars, booking forms, etc.?

You can even go a step further by finding websites that you like and send them to your developers for reference.

#2. Decide Between an Agency and Freelancer

Now that you have an idea of what you’re expecting from your website, it’s time to decide whether you want to hire a freelancer or an agency.

Hiring a freelance WordPress developer would cost you far less than an agency. However, it’s not just the costs associated. Here are some key differences between a freelancer and an agency.

Talent

When it comes to hiring freelancers, you are not limited to a geographical area. Instead, you can find the right talent for your requirements from across the globe.

When you hire a WordPress development agency, you get access to their best talents. Plus, you get a team of developers, designers, testers, and dedicated managers.

Reliability

While most freelancers maintain their reputation by submitting the project before the deadline, there are some who ghost halfway through the project. This will leave you in the first stage (i.e., finding a good developer again). And, if you have already paid the advance, add monetary loss to it.

Agencies, on the other hand, are incorporated in their country of operation. The chances of them ghosting you is highly unlikely.

Scalability

If you want faster delivery or add more functionalities at the last moment, freelancers can work additional hours to keep up with the development. However, scaling is much easier when it comes to agencies as they have several developers who can help fasten the development process.

Maintenance and Support

Freelancers don’t usually offer after-development support and maintenance. If they do, you will likely have to pay extra for it. However, most agencies offer free maintenance and support for the first few months (up to 12 months).

This is crucial as you would not want your website to go down and no one to help solve the issue.

#3. Ask the Right Questions

When you hire a dedicated WordPress developer, it is essential to determine if they are perfect for your requirements. Here are six questions to help you ensure that:

  • What is your experience in working with WordPress projects?
  • What is a custom theme?
  • What major problems have you faced while working on a WordPress project, and how did you solve them?
  • Can you create custom themes in WordPress? What is your experience with it?
  • How do you ensure the website is optimized for search engines?
  • Which tools do you use while creating WordPress websites?

#4. Take Time to Review Their Portfolio

The next step is to review the potential candidates’ portfolios to determine if they can handle your requirements.

Experienced WordPress developers usually have an online portfolio to showcase the projects they have worked on. However, some go beyond portfolios to include reviews and testimonials from their clients.

If the developer doesn’t have a portfolio, the chances are they are new to the field and might not have the required experience to meet your needs.

When reviewing the portfolio, ask these questions to better understand their knowledge and expertise:

  • How easy is the website to navigate?
  • Does the website’s overall design match with what’s represented in the portfolio?
  • What do you like about the website and what you didn’t?
  • What things would you want to do differently (this will help you improve your site)?

#5. Don’t Focus on Reducing Development Costs

As someone said, “quality comes at a price.”

It’s true for WordPress Development. If someone is charging low rates, they are probably not as expert as someone asking for a high hourly charge.

Though, it doesn’t mean that if someone is charging more, they are the best. There are a lot of factors that influence the costs, such as the standard of living where they’re based, their years of experience, and the number of projects they’ve completed.

It’s just a baseline to ensure you’re not hiring a newbie for your project. Combine it with other tips in this list to get the best results.

Pro tip: We recommend going for a flat rate instead of hourly charges to ensure the costs are within your budget.

#6. Get Everything on Paper

The last thing you’d want is your developer to ghost you after taking the advance. Therefore, it is essential to get everything in writing.

Usually, it’s the agency or the freelance developer you’ve chosen to hire that writes the agreement. However, you can also create a contract from your side.

Whatever the case, make sure to go through the terms and conditions before you finalize the deal. Check if everything you’ve discussed is on the contract (even the minor details).

Wrapping Up

When you hire a dedicated WordPress developer, it is crucial to analyze their expertise and knowledge of the platform. Ask the right questions and go through their portfolio to determine if they’re perfect for your requirements.

Or you can hire an agency like ours that has years of experience in creating WordPress websites. Our team of expert developers can meet your requirements.

Contact us now, and we’ll help you reach your business goals!

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