A WordPress developer is in charge of managing and maintaining a WordPress website. They are typically responsible for the back-end or front-end development of these websites (or sometimes both). Duties like website planning, custom theme development, installation of plugins, etc. are all part of WordPress developer’s job. What does a WordPress developer do?
What is WordPress?
WordPress is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) that can be used to create websites.
WordPress is one of the biggest website management and blogging systems out there. A lot of huge companies and big names in media use WordPress including CNN, TechCrunch, the NFL and TED.
According to a study by W3Tech, 43.2% of websites were using WordPress in 2022.
Users can even enhance their website and add value and functionality by using plugins. For example, they can add essential Security Plugins like Wordfence and Loginizer to protect their website from hacks or add enhanced plugins like Elementor to create beautiful pages using a visual editor.
Does WordPress require coding?
The best part about WordPress is that its interface is made for beginners. That means that it can be incredibly easy to create beautiful and functional websites with little to no prior experience in web design or coding.
If WordPress allows you to create websites without programming knowledge, why are there WordPress developers?
The help of a WordPress web developer can be crucial if you want to achieve certain features and ensure that your site runs smoothly over time.
Due to WordPress’ popularity, professionals have specialised in different areas within WordPress. Some popular roles within WordPress:
- Back-End developers: focus on WordPress plugin development
- Web designers: focus on WordPress theme design
- Consultants: an experienced professional who can advise a company on what would be the best WordPress solution for them
- Full-stack developers: These professionals have front- and backend knowledge and can therefore develop plugins and custom themes. Usually they can also develop using other programming languages, but they understand the potential of WordPress and know when using it would be beneficial for the company or client.
Looking for an expert WordPress Developer?
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Responsibilities of a WordPress Developer
A WordPress developer is responsible for designing and building the website front-end for businesses and clients. They implement new features and functionality and are in charge of establishing and guiding the website’s architecture.
WordPress developers generate WordPress themes and plugins and depending on the job role, are also in charge of designing the website back-end which includes database and server integration.
These professionals help formulate an effective, responsive design, conduct website performance tests, and troubleshoot content issues.
What are the responsibilities of a WordPress developer?
- Meet with relevant personnel to discuss website design and function
- Design and build website front-end
- Interface layout using HTML5, CSS3, JQuery and Bootstrap
- Design website back-end including database and server integration
- Implement new features and functionalities
- Plugin development, installation and configuration
- WordPress theme development
- Establish and guide website’s architecture
- Formulate effective and responsive design
- Conduct website performance tests
- Maintain well-documented and reusable code
- Monitor performance of website
- Website mapping and wireframing
- Perform migrations of pre-designed material into WordPress
- Redesign and SEO optimisation of existing sites
- Add functionality such as different languages, etc.
- Ensure content is secure, avoid viruses
- Make backups to prevent loss of information
- Maintain and update WordPress sites
- Troubleshooting (server errors or 4xx errors)
Are you feeling a little overwhelmed by WordPress and need someone to help you out?
Skills of a WordPress Developer
A WordPress developer has knowledge of front-end technologies including CSS3, JavaScript, and HTML5. They also have experience building user interfaces for websites as well as designing and developing responsive design websites.
WordPress developers have knowledge of a variety of WordPress plugins and have experience working with debugging tools such as Firebug and Chrome inspector.
These developers have knowledge of code versioning tools including Git, Mercurial, and SVN and have experience with PHP development and PHP frameworks, as well as MySQL to manage input and output to the database.
Advanced content creation and management experience with features like metaboxes and custom post types is also required.
They also have the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and possess strong communication skills.
What are the skills of a WordPress developer?
- Advanced knowledge of HTML5 semantics, CSS3, Bootstrap, WordPress, Gutenberg, Woocommerce and SEO optimisation
- Experience building user interfaces for websites
- Experience with usability standards PHP, SASS, SCSS, jQuery
- Knowledge of databases (MySQL)
- Experience designing and developing responsive design websites
- Solid knowledge of WordPress and/or other CMS (Joomla, Magento, Drupal)
- Understanding of AJAX techniques (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML)
- Knowledge of a variety of WordPress plugins
- Experience working with debugging tools such as Firebug and Chrome inspector
- Strong understanding of website architecture and aesthetics
- Knowledge of code versioning tools including Git and SVN
- Ability to manage multiple projects
- Good communication skills
- A desire to learn and take on new challenges
Find WordPress Development jobs
How can I become a WordPress Developer?
Though not technically needed, a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field can help you get better paying jobs.
Generally, previous experience with WordPress development is what companies value the most.
There are also lots of courses that you can take to improve your skills and increase your knowledge as a developer.
WordPress itself provides a great deal of information that can be helpful to you in your training to become a WordPress developer.
The WordPress Codex is a manual created by WordPress developers that you can study and consult as needed.
There are many more online courses available to learn WordPress. Check out the options below:
- Become a WordPress Developer: Unlocking Power With Code
- Increase SEO Traffic with WordPress
- Complete WordPress Theme & Plugin Development Course
- Responsive Web Design
In contrast to other tools and programming languages, there is no official certification for WordPress.
What is the salary of a WordPress Developer?
In the US, junior WordPres developers and beginners can earn approximately $43,000 annually. The average salary for WordPress developers with a few years of experience is $69,000 whereas for senior developers, the salary can go up to $113,000.
Note that salaries can vary depending on whether the developer specialises in front-end or back-end, location, agency, corporate, government, etc.
The salary range in Germany for developers is between €29,000 to €65,000 while in the UK, it ranges from £30,000 to £52,000.
In Spain, the salary of a WordPress developer is around €25,000/year.
How much do WordPress developers make?
| US | $43,000 – $113,000 |
| Germany | €29,000 – €65,000 |
| UK | £30,000 – £52,000 |
Working as a freelance WordPress developer
Due to the fact that more than millions of websites and businesses are powered by WordPress, there is a huge demand for freelance WordPress developers. If you have experience working with WordPress, you can offer your services as a WordPress developer on a freelance basis instead of working as a full-time employee.
Freelance WordPress developers can work on very different websites and with different types of clients, so if you are passionate about creating different, optimised and functional websites, being a freelance WP developer may be the best option for you.
However, you will need to learn to quote for a WordPress Project the right price in order to succeed. This is because there are a lot of freelancers out there who create all kinds of stuff with WordPress. Yes, there is also a lot of demand, but there is also competition and quoting the right price can help you stand out.
Also keep in mind that being open-source, WordPress has always naturally been a place of sharing knowledge, helping others out and generally encouraging beginners. To succeed as a freelance WordPress developer, you will find that there are countless tutorials, amazing plugins and a lot of advice forums out there that focus solely on WordPress.
Find the right WordPress project for you here!
How much do freelance WordPress developers charge?
To get an idea of how much you can charge as a freelance WordPress developer, we analysed the rates of WP developers registered on freelancermap:
WordPress Developer on freelancermap charge on average:
Rates in this field range between $40 and $96/hour for most freelancers.
The daily rate for WordPress Developers (8 working hours) would be around:
Keep in mind that these are average global rates as freelancermap welcomes developers from all over the world.
Looking by country or region, we see that freelance WordPress developers in Latin America charge $22/hour on average, while freelance WordPress experts in Europe charge $33/hour (average rates on freelancermap as of April 2023).
To help you decide what your minimum rate should be, check out our freelance pricing guide.
Pros of being a freelance WordPress developer
It’s a huge, well-developed and known platform.
WordPress is the biggest website management and blogging system out there – it supports over 60 million websites. A lot of huge companies and big names in media use WordPress including CNN, TechCrunch, the NFL and TED. This leads wide target audience of clients since virtually everyone has heard of the platform, which is great for freelancers starting out.
Low entry-level barrier.
The interface of WordPress is made for beginners. That means that it can be incredibly easy to create beautiful and easy-to-use websites with little to no prior experience in web design or coding. You will be able to start with stuff that corresponds to your skill level.
WordPress has a big, amazing community.
And that’s not only because the site is so popular. Being open-source, WordPress has always naturally been a place of sharing knowledge, helping others out and generally encouraging beginners. There are countless tutorials, amazing plugins and a lot of advice forums out there that focus solely on WordPress. Personally, I think that the community is one of the best advantages of the service.
Cons of freelance WordPress development
There’s huge competition and price undercutting.
While popularity has lots of advantages, the big name also means a lot of competition. There are a lot of freelancers out there who create all kinds of stuff with WordPress. Yes, there is also a lot of demand, but you will be competing with hoardes of people, some of them coming from very poor countries and willing to price their services very low. That makes it hard to sell a quality service at the corresponding price.
How to compete with freelancers who have lower prices than you
Earlier we looked at the average rates of freelance WordPress developers. If we compare them to the prices charged by other web developers, we can see that freelance WordPress developers do not have the highest rates.
However, the demand for these professionals is there (remember that more than 40% of websites are built on WordPress!), so if you manage to make a name for yourself in this sector, it can be a very interesting option.
‘Easy-to-use’ misleads clients.
Again, everyone has heard about WordPress. And pretty much the first thing anyone associates with it is how easy it is to use. But while that’s true at the basic level, developing really great websites with WordPress does take time, effort and knowledge. Unfortunately, clients looking for freelancers will often be unaware of this and see you as the cheapest way to get a decent website. Convincing them of the opposite can be difficult.
You will eventually hit a wall.
It might take quite a while – think multiple years. But at the end of the day, you will get to a point where you have mastered WordPress, but still aren’t able to make the crème de la crème of websites. Unfortunately, a lot of what you have learned is not transferable to website development outside of the ecosystem of WordPress. For the really high-end stuff with optimized performance and full control of everything, you will have to switch it up.
How to make money with WordPress as a freelancer?
As a freelancer, there are other ways to make money with WordPress than just WordPress web development.
Here is a list of ideas:
- Sell ads on your own WordPress blog (Adsense, Ads plugin, etc).
- Affiliate marketing with products you endorse
- Sponsored articles that companies want to show your audience
- Sell articles to other publications using your WordPress expertise
- Publish an ebook with tips on how to become a WordPress developer
- Videos, courses to learn different aspects of WordPress
- Mentor other beginning WP developers
So, should I become a freelance WordPress developer?
WordPress can be a great place to start if you want to start with web development on a freelance basis. Its simplicity and popularity can help you on your way to building a successful freelance career.
However, the market is extremely competitive and the service itself will only take you so far. If you want a place among the top web developers, you’ll need to look beyond WordPress.
Knowing the tool and what it can do is good, but don’t limit yourself to it. Take a look at freelance IT trends and make sure you know the other languages that companies are asking for.
