7 Things To Check Before Hiring A WordPress Developer

It is not without compelling reasons that WordPress is preferred by thousands of web developers for making varying types of websites. This CMS platform is easy to use, immensely customizable and offers support for thousands of plug-ins and extensions. The user-friendly nature and customizability of WordPress often lure amateur users into site creation. While creating a website with this CMS tool is easy, the work required post creation can prove to be tedious. Optimizing site content, deploying SEO, and securing the site- these are best left to a skilled WordPress developer or agency!

Choosing A Suitable WordPress Developer – What You Need To Do

Hiring a WordPress site developer is the best option when you want your site to be developed using the CMS while focusing on usability, SEO, security, cross-platform compatibility, etc. However, it is also important that you hire the most suitable developer or agency for such needs.

Listed below are some factors to analyze when you look for a WordPress developer or agency offering WP development services:

Outlining What You Need

First of all, you need to figure out what type of website you want to be made using the CMS? The reality is WordPress can be used to build various types of sites. From regional boutique owners to serious bloggers to large-sized eCommerce companies choose this CMS for site building nowadays. This is something you need to consider before hiring a WP developer. You also need to know the features that will be required in your WP site. Examples may include online forms, shopping carts, integrated online payment processors, Comments box, social media sharing buttons or shortcuts, etc. When you interact with web development agencies or WP developers, discuss all these aspects.

Ways To Find WP Developers

As a matter of fact, you can try numerous ways to locate and hire WordPress developers nowadays. You may either hire a freelance WP developer or sign up for the services of a reputed WP development service provider. It depends on both your budget and site usage needs. Typically, hiring freelance WP developers will be lighter on the wallet. However, the dedicated WP development agencies offer better customer service.

Once you decide this, you have to look up the major online platforms for finding WP development agencies or freelancing WordPress developers. There are a few sites where you can find and contact the top freelancers such as Freelancer.com, Fiverr, and UpWork. Those websites typically have all sorts of freelancers from copywriters that specialize in writing a product description for your e-commerce store to developers. However, there are some networks that are specific for the website and WordPress developers like TopTal, Gun.io, and Codeable.io. All 3 of those test their developer’s skills before they can access the platform. You may also find some WP developers in professional networking sites like LinkedIn.

Of course, you can make use of professional references in this regard. Ask your colleagues or even friends about any reliable WP developer or agency they know well. You may also get some useful references in your social media circles.

Assessing Properly

Once you find and contact a few WordPress developers or agencies, take time to assess. A number of aspects need to be evaluated properly here and hurrying is not recommended. It is not just about the pricing that you should be concerned about. You have to check work samples of such agencies or developers. Checking their online portfolio is a must. Besides, you may also check out the online review sites such as Dribble and GitHub. Once again, social media sites can be useful for evaluation.

Analyzing The Response

When you interact with a WP developer or agency, the response should be analyzed well. You need to check out a few aspects here:

• Is the agency/developer answering all your queries patiently?
• Are they willing to showcase a portfolio of work and testimonials?
• Are they clear about service terms and conditions?
• Are they clear on the documentation related to pricing?
• Has the developer the experience of working for clients belonging to your business niche?

Analyzing The Cost

The cost of developing a site in WP depends on a few factors. It is not just about hiring a freelancing developer or a reputed web development agency that you need to think of! The cost will vary on a number of factors like complexity of the site, the number of pages used, the number of plug-ins and extensions deployed, etc. However, you need to be clear on the final cost before signing up.

Mobile Optimized And Cross Platform Compatible Design

Developing an enticing looking and feature-rich website in WP is a great idea. However, you have to remember that your target buyers or site viewers will be using different types of devices. Some of them may use Mac-based PCs, others will use Windows desktops or laptops and there will be tablet users too. The number of mobile web users is something you can’t overlook in this regard. So, your WP website should run on multiple types of devices without issues. It also needs to be mobile optimized. The developer or agency you hire should be capable of ensuring these.

Other Aspects

There are some other aspects that you need to analyze when hiring a WordPress development agency or freelance developer. These are:

• SEO – Whether your site is made using WP or any other web development framework/tool, SEO is something that should not be overlooked. So, you need to ask the developer or agency about SEO measures that will be used.
  
• Plug-ins – You may have specific needs for your website. You should ask the developer/agency on the type of plug-ins that will be used to address such needs. WordPress supports myriads of plug-ins and these can be useful for using and controlling interactive media, enhancing SEO, including the payment processor, integrating social media channels, etc.
  
• Security – Site safety is an aspect you can not overlook, these days. So, you need to ask the WP developer/agency about site safety measures that will be deployed. This is even more important if you are planning to sell services or products online.

• Payment methods – WP supports various online payment provisions and these can be enhanced by incorporating plug-ins. You should ask the developer about supported payment options. If your brand caters to overseas buyers, offering maximum possible platforms for payment processing is necessary.

Conclusion

As you can see, picking the right WordPress developer for your project takes time and skills. It’s not an easy task to do and requires some experience. However, if you follow some of the best practices that have been outlined in this article – the chances of your project being a success will increase dramatically.

Author Bio

Andriy Haydash is a WordPress Developer & Consultant who helps thought leaders and organizations build and launch successful membership sites.