So, you might have arrived at this blog post because you have a WordPress website, or you want to build your new website using WordPress. You may have heard that you need a WordPress developer—in other words, a coder who specializes in WordPress (and likely much more). If you’ve gotten some estimates, they may be all over the map. There isn’t really isn’t any official WordPress certification, so it’s not as though you can ask to see your developer’s diploma. But there are a few criteria you can use when interviewing a potential WordPress developer to see if the team you’re working with are WordPress developers, or merely WordPress experts who can navigate it pretty well. A WordPress expert can install WordPress, themes, plugins, and even customize it a bit… but that does not necessarily make him a developer.
How to Tell a WordPress Developer
A WordPress developer moves far beyond the basics of installing WordPress and themes, and pushes the boundaries of what is possible with the platform. In essence, a WordPress developer is someone who can build a website on top of WordPress that’s either entirely new or extends the function of something that exists already, like a theme or a plugin. A WordPress developer understands WordPress’s code structure, how to modify it, and what techniques to use to achieve specific desired effects. A WordPress developer might not always build a website from the ground up, but he could do it if needed.
We could tell you to ask your potential WordPress developer a tricky question to try to trip them up… but that doesn’t really solve your problem as a client who just needs a website. The best solution is to ask him what websites he has done that solve problems similar to yours, and to comment on what he did and why.
What a WordPress Developer Is Not
A WordPress developer is NOT a WordPress designer. Some developers have more design sensibility than others, and when you find one who is, you’ve lucked out. But most developers specialize in code, and while code may be its own kind of poetry, it does not translate directly into beautiful graphics on the front end. A developer works best when you can provide him or her with Photoshop mockups (also known as PSDs) and/or wireframes. You tell her what you want to achieve in as much detail as possible, and the developer will be able to tell you how it can be achieved, or if it’s a good or bad idea.
So… is I.T. Roadmap a Designer or Developer?
We actually provide both; that’s why our estimates always note “WordPress Design AND Development.” Hiring one or the other can lead to certain negative outcomes that our turnkey approach avoids:
- The designer or developer (who is really just a WordPress expert) gets in over his head and bails mid-project.
- The website has to be redone because the designer or developer didn’t know what he was doing.
- The website has security flaws due to improper setup or installation techniques.
Instead, we design with an eye toward what will work on the development end, and we develop with an eye toward security and ease of updates. Hiring a WordPress developer when you don’t know anything about code might look scary, but really… it’s all about communicating your needs clearly to your design/development team, and getting a detailed, well-explained picture of the solution in return. Want to talk about WordPress website development? We’d love to hear from you.
