WordPress is a top-notch content management system, but if you want your site to look amazing, you must hire an expert developer.
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While you can create a WordPress website with simple drag-and-drop features. However, with additional coding, your WordPress website will have great functionality and be highly responsive.
If you are thinking about hiring a WordPress developer, you should know about the easy way to hiring WordPress developer. Since WordPress is the most popular CMS globally, you will find a lot of developers in the market.
But the thing is that just because you can find many WordPress developers doesn’t mean they are all skillful. For your project to be successful, you need to hire a developer who excels in their job.
Why are you hiring WordPress developer?
There are many reasons that your organization may need a good WordPress developer.
Your website is custom-made
Even if you purchase a powerful theme, it will only allow you to alter the design in a limited manner. If you exceed the limits, then you risk damaging the entire theme. A WordPress developer is familiar with the programming language used to develop plugins or themes.
So the right developer can fine-tune your purchased theme precisely as you want. If you have not purchased a WordPress theme, the developer will have an opportunity to build the website from the ground up. If you want more control over your website, you should let the developer build the website from scratch.
However, this will cost more, and you may need to hire more than one developer. There are many themes in the market, and if you find one that suits your business, your developer can use it to develop your website.
Your website will be SEO-friendly
Most business owners only know of two types of SEO, on-page, and off-page. In on-page SEO, companies include the discovered keywords in the website’s text and tags.
With off-page SEO, companies focus on increasing their backlinks, and this includes guest posting. However, most business owners do not know that there is a third SEO tactic. Technical SEO focuses on the site architecture and enhances your website’s structured data.
This makes it easy for search engine bots to assess your website. With a WordPress developer, you will ensure that the backend of your website is properly optimized.
Sometimes people do all the right things regarding on-page and off-page SEO, but their main site has problems. When you discover any problem with the backend of your site, the developer will be able to make the necessary changes immediately.
Improve the UX of your website
When someone visits your website, they are looking for something. It is your job to ensure they can easily find what they are looking for.
A good WordPress developer will help you eliminate bottlenecks in the marketing funnel.
A good developer maximizes your site’s potential to convert visitors into customers.
Keep the user information secure
Small organizations are vulnerable to cyber-attacks, and if you lose your customer’s data, you may face punishment or a fine. Do not even think about how it will impact your reputation. Your customers will no longer trust you, and attracting new visitors will become difficult.
An easy way to hiring WordPress developer would be to test their cybersecurity skills. If the developer can safeguard your site from hackers, they are the right person for your organization.
Help you understand website stats
A good website developer should be able to understand important website analytics. They can help you understand what the statistics are trying to tell you. A marketing strategy based on data always works better than a marketing strategy based on assumptions.
If you understand the website analytics easily, you will know what is driving visitors away and which part of the site is converting people. As a result, you can remove any bottlenecks, increasing the conversion rate.
Your developer’s role doesn’t just end with developing the website; they can help you understand the data over which you can create your marketing game plan.
How to identify and hire a qualified WordPress developer for your organization?
With these ten steps, you can recognize the easy way to hiring WordPress developer.
1. Decide if you need a WordPress developer
Think about the purpose of setting up a website in the first place. If your objective is to spread information about your brand, build authority, and work as a knowledge hub for your target audience.
In this case, you should be safe using a theme suited to your brand. However, if you want to open an e-commerce website. In this case, you depend heavily on your website for revenue.
The customer experience should be smooth so they can buy the products they want. It should be safe to make payments online, and the website should run quickly. For such cases, you need a developer and total control over your website.
2. Don’t assume that higher cost means higher quality
Many gurus in the tech industry advise beginners that if they want quality service, they have to pay for it. While that is partly true, you shouldn’t assume that just because a developer is charging a high price, they will also deliver good quality work.
Many good developers charge per hour or provide their services at an affordable price. The easy way to hiring WordPress developer is to test their skills in other ways instead of by checking the pricing model they send you.
A WordPress developer’s pricing model is affected by many different factors. One of them is the cost of living in the area that they live in.
3. Create a project rundown
An ideal developer would want you to have some kind of project brief when you have a meeting. A project rundown is a document that lists everything that you expect the developer to do in this project. For example, a good rundown includes the following details:
- Some context about the tasks the developer is supposed to perform and the timeframe in which you want them to be completed. This will help the developer assess if they can do the tasks within the specified time.
They may also analyze your website and then mention whether your plans are viable according to your current assets or not.
- If you want to hire a developer to update your WordPress site, then the developer must have your design assets. This will ensure that your overall brand identity remains constant and does not change because of a simple update.
The aim of any update is to improve the user experience, which is what the developer should focus on instead of changing the look and feel of your brand.
- Your developer must understand your brand’s messaging. A brand’s messaging explains why the company exists in the first place and what problem it aims to solve.
4. Hire a developer that agrees to work on a fixed fee
If you are just starting up your shop, you are probably on a tight budget. That’s why it may become troubling if you hire freelancer developers who work for you on an hourly charge. Instead, try to hire freelancers who promise to deliver the project at a fixed rate.
In addition, they can include the costs and what their fee for the website development will be. In this situation, both you and the freelancer can be satisfied.
However, if you start to work with a developer who works at an hourly rate, you may receive an invoice that exceeds your budget.
5. Check out the websites of the WordPress developers that you are considering
You may have to stalk someone a little to know how good someone is at their job. Just kidding, ask the developers who you are considering for an online portfolio or link to any past projects that they have worked on.
Then, when you go to the website they have developed, you will see the quality of work you can expect from them. Never hire anyone before checking out a sample of their work.
Then, you will know whether they have potential or not. If you like what you see, you can proceed further and come to an agreement.
6. Take your time to go through their web portfolio and case studies
Before you hire a web developer, you should know about the projects they have worked on in the past. Some freelancers also include case studies, which include data about their work’s impact on their past clients.
If a developer doesn’t have any of the above, they may not have much experience and are unsuitable for your project. On the other hand, if a developer has a case study or project that mirrors what you expect for your website, you should consider giving that job to the developer.
You can also contact the developer’s old clients and ask about their experience. They will be able to paint a picture of the work-related attitude of the freelancer.
If you like their portfolio or case studies and their old clients speak well of them, that is a positive sign. In that case, you should consider hiring that developer.
7. Look at the reviews
Not all clients allow their data to be used in case studies or the project to be discussed after it is over. That’s why in that case, you can lean on the reviews of old clients.
Most platforms like freelancer, Upwork, Fiverr, and LinkedIn allow old clients to post their testimonials or reviews. If you find that the freelancer you are considering has a lot of positive reviews from old clients, it is a good sign. An easy way to hiring WordPress developer is to check for their old client’s reviews.
8. Ask them to come in for an interview
When you have compiled a list of developers, you see fit for this role.
Then, invite them to an interview. It can be through a video call or in person.
Of course, you should evaluate what the WordPress developer is saying, but other than that, you should also focus on non-verbal communication.
Intuition is a powerful thing; if you feel that someone is suitable for the role but cannot explain why then you probably have a reason.
You see, it is possible that during the interview, the developer communicated something to you in a non-verbal manner which made the impression that they are fit for this project.
Video calling platforms like Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, and others let you share your screen. So, you will be able to demonstrate to the developer what you are looking for and where you are stuck.
Provide the candidate with an opportunity to demonstrate their plan for the project. After the interview, consider who you were most impressed with intuition-wise and whose plan you liked the most.
9. Test them before giving them the project
In the freelancing world, it is common to test freelancers before hiring them. For example, you can ask them to work on a test project for your website for a fraction of the cost. This will help you assess the quality of their work and how quickly they can reach the goal.
You will also be able to see how it is to work with the developer, and if the experience is pleasant, then why not expand the relationship?
Since the developer will be doing the test project for a fraction of the normal rate, you will not lose money if you are unsatisfied with the outcome. Testing the developer, you hire has increased the chances of getting quality work.
10. Form a legal contract
When selecting a freelancer, make sure that you both sign a contract that includes all the terms you discussed, from deliverables to charges. A contract keeps you and the freelancer safe as you are legally in business. The developer owes you the project’s timely completion, and you owe them timely payment.
Conclusion
WordPress is one of the most popular CMS around the globe, which is why it is quite easy to locate a WordPress developer. However, to ensure that you hire the right developer for your organization and project, you must be on the lookout for a few things.
The procedure mentioned in the blog will help you identify the green signals. Unfortunately, you will have to put in some effort to locate a WordPress developer who can provide you with high-quality work, and there is no easy way around this. However, this guide makes it a little easier and more efficient.
Are you thinking about hiring a WordPress developer?