When creating a WordPress website, there are two questions one might consider. Should I build the site on my own or should I hire a WordPress developer?
Adopting to develop the website on your own is good when you know WordPress. With just a little bit of familiarity, you can’t create a website. It requires a lot of effort from design to development. You must be an expert in PHP, CSS and WordPress.
If you are not an expert, you better hire a developer. They can be a freelance worker or through a WordPress development agency.
Let’s see the following points that can help you hire a WordPress developer
Describe what is required .
Today’s WordPress is not the same; it was a few years ago. It is powerful and can help build from a personal site to a complex application. So if you are asking a developer to develop a WP site, then that is not enough. Do you have to first decide what you are looking for?
- Is it for blogs?
- Online store?
- Corporate site?
- Directory?
- Magazine?
And the list goes on …
List all the functions you are looking for.
- Integrated social sharing
- Widget areas
- Author box
- Comment box
- Post and Category Layout
- Header and footer
and so…
It does not matter, what you are going to develop it: inform the developer that you are looking for a lightweight code, SEO optimized fast loading site and a better search ranking.
Writing an elaborate job description would help you find the best developer. Before publishing, it is important to prepare a clear and detailed description of the requirements considering the factors of result, budget and deadline. Most of a schema has been found to not work because clients cannot provide complete and detailed information. So if you don’t spend time on homework, how do you hope to get good developers?
Use references
Being a new resident in some areas, we need to do several things. So generally we ask our friends, colleagues or family. Similar is the case with WordPress developers. You can go with the references that your friends, experts or trusted developers, with whom they have worked, can give.
If the investigation is not yet complete, then you need to expand it by getting involved in WordCamps or local meetings, etc. LinkedIn is the tried and tested way to hire a WordPress developer by asking your contacts for suggestions.
Don’t miss the whole picture
After choosing a few names from the list, be sure to take proper care of the wallets. You can get reviews about them on review websites, Dribble, and GitHub, etc. You should analyze your previous jobs before making sure to hire. The facts, such as; Well presented and detailed case studies, contribution to the WordPress community, theme and plugin reviews, relevance of themes with blogs and other posts should be properly analyzed and examined.
You can check their social profiles and get an idea of how they interact with others. From here you will understand their attitude to everything, as well as to work. It has been said that having knowledge is nothing until you have enough resources.
Experience your past work
If you’re not a techie and can’t understand coding and technical terms, then the main thing you can focus on is experiencing your previous work. You can ask them to show you some examples related to your project. Comment on it after analyzing a bit.
Analyze whether your previous jobs meet your requirements or not? Are all elements on the page aligned properly? Has the plug-in passed all the tests according to the test plan? Above all, you must be happy with the work and convince yourself to hire them.
Hire the service-minded developer
Most developers have some business and freelance experience in the past. So it becomes beneficial for them when they start working in some company as WordPress developers. They really know the value of time without wasting an iota.
For a successful entrepreneur, you must hire a service-minded developer. Receiving what you have hired in a truly professional manner is the key goal when hiring a WordPress developer.
Check the fundamentals
Yes, it is important to analyze the fundamental elements.
- Can the developer adequately answer your questions?
- Can you provide the status update?
- Is the developer explaining the points so that you understand them quickly?
- English or your preferred language to communicate?
Code review
Reviewing the code is a powerful method of verifying the quality of work. Some other (third party) developers will verify the code and review it based on logical errors, full implementation of all cases, number of tests performed, security, and performance issues . This way, you can get an idea of the developer’s performance and can request a modification if necessary.
Where to hire a WordPress developer?
It depends on your preference, but the following are some of the best places online to find one for your next project.
Upwork – Hundreds of developers, hire flat rate or hourly.
Toptal – hire the top 3% freelancer
Fiverr – good for some small tweaks
Guru – similar to Upwork