How to Hire WordPress Developers Like a Pro? (Consider These 4 Steps)

As per recent stats, WordPress powers over 35% of the sites on the internet & covers 14.7% of the world’s top websites. WordPress has certainly cruised a long way since it was first launched in 2003 due to its easy to use admin panel and broad community support.

No doubt, there are more advanced and user-friendly CMS out there, still, WordPress remains to retain the top spot in 2021 & best CMS for website development projects.

Building a simple WordPress site or blog is not gross. All you need is a decent WordPress theme, reliable web hosting & your site is pretty much ready to go ‘on air’.

Though it warms our ears, lit’s your hope and sounds easy-peasy to build a WordPress site, many business owners struggle to hire the best WordPress experts for their projects.

Wondering why? In this article, we will walk you through the challenges many business owners face to hire the best developers and how you can save yourself and overcome these challenges by following four simple steps (More on that below)

Challenges of Hiring a WordPress Developer

To start with, we seldom have a clear idea about the kind of expertise we are seeking from a WordPress developer. There are multiple skilled developers out there in the market but to find the one which overlaps your project needs demands a rock-solid strategy.

Predominantly, it boils down to two major challenges:

1. We fail to evaluate the technical skills required from a developer before beginning our hiring hunt. Every wordpress site requires a diverse set of technical capabilities, some project requires higher proficiency in HTML & CSS skills to style your site as per your will whereas else few require a high level of Database, PHP and Javascript expertise. The first step is to create a precise job description of the skills, capabilities and strengths that your project requires. (More on that below)

2. How much are you willing to invest in your project? Having a laid out budget in mind is crucial before sourcing WordPress developers. It’s recommended to keep a 10% cap on top of your final budget but looking to hire a developer without a clear figure in mind will end up in a wild goose chase.

How to Hire a Pro WordPress Developer (In 4 Steps)

1. Define your needs

As mentioned earlier, being mindful of your project specification goes a long way in helping you find the right developer. The more specific you are with your requirements better the hiring results can be.

For instance, here are some questions you should ask yourself & be prepared with.

1. What’s the goal of your site? Is it to share information, build a community, generate leads?
2. How many pages your site should have?
3. Are you looking at other sites for inspiration?
4. What kind of features do you envisage to have on your site? such as order or booking forms, calendars, social media integration, e-commerce capabilities, and much more.

Being crystal clear about your project requirements sets the right tone from day one. This even gives a clear indication to the applicants that you are here for some serious hiring and not for window hopping. 

2. Screen like a pro

So now you have defined your project needs it’s important to learn how to screen your potential hire like a pro. This is where most of the business owners play loose and suffers badly in the end.

If you are coming from a little or no technical background, it can get tricky to evaluate the best developer for your project but you can consider the following factors to make an informed decision.

• First, look if they have the right technical skills & experience for your project to deliver? A pro WordPress developer should have strong proficiency in PHP, CSS, Javascript and HTML and should be able to customize plugins or build complex solutions by extending the WordPress limits at times. Having SEO knowledge is a bonus, but, if that’s a must-have in your list, don’t negotiate on that too. 
• Second, take a quick stock at their rates. There are loosely three categories of WordPress developers you will come across with a) Intermediate b) Midweight c) Pro’s & each of them will have different rates. This again nudges back to your budget and the kind of developer you are looking to hire. Be wary of those who promise the world with lowball quotes, they often end up as a bad hire.
• Third, Check, if they are able to back up their assertions of technical skills with a relevant portfolio. Ask them to share their best WordPress links. If you can, visit these sites, check how they render under mobile screens, test if the key features are working. To further guarantee their technical claims, you can go a step further and assess how well a candidate has worked in past. With their permission, get in touch with their previous clients & get to know more about their experience dealing with projects like yours.

3. Soft Skills matters

Now you have assessed your needs & screened like a ninja, this is an essential phase that will determine how far your ship will sail. You guessed it right – Soft Skills.

We often overlook the importance of having good soft skills & personality traits while hiring a WordPress developer.

Do they communicate clearly? Are they good to get along with? How has been their past success score with clients? Are they quick to respond? Do they follow any project management process?

Having insights into these questions would give you a clear sense of how easy would they be to work with. By any means, if you are not confident & has the slightest hunch, consider that as a red flag & don’t feel afraid to dig in deep & ask more questions.

Hiring a developer solely on the basis of technical skills might cost you badly in the long run.

4. Find your pro talents here

At this point, you have a fair share of knowledge about how your pro wordpress developer persona should look like. There are multiple sites and platforms available to find pro talents but here are some handpicked sites that might give you the right bang for your buck.

• LinkedIn is one of the premium sources to seek out for pro WordPress developers and agencies. You can review recommendations on their profiles, narrow down your search results with advanced filters to pick the right ones & reach out to mutual connections and ask them about their experience.
• Freelance marketplace sites such as Upwork, Freelancer, Codeable, and Toptal can help you give a multitude of options before hiring a WordPress developer. Are you looking for an intermediate, mid-level, or pro developer? You can find the right mix of developers on this platform that suits your budget and project needs too.
• Getting in touch with some local developers can be of a great way too. Check out your competitor’s website and do your research to get in touch with the developer behind their website work.

In a Nutshell

WordPress is still considered to be the most widely used platform on the internet to build websites. If you want to build your site in WordPress, you have to be willing to invest time and effort to find the right talent for your project. 

The steps mentioned above will help you through your quest, but you have to do your bit to find the developer that suits your needs. 

The choices are many, however, this should not push you to blindly settle for the first couple of developers that you come across. Consider following the four steps while hiring to ensure you end up finding the best WordPress developer for your project.

If you are short on time and don’t want to go on this arduous adventure, you can drop us a line and our team would be happy to help you on your next wordpress project!