How to choose the right WP developer? Business checklist

• By Denis Cherniavsky
• 17-06-2025
• Web Development

It's no secret that doing business online allows you to reach a larger target audience than when selling goods/services through a physical store or office. A website is a company's business card. It is important for a client or buyer that the web resource is understandable, loads quickly, and the interface is accessible. The website quality largely depends on the qualifications of the WordPress developer who created it. In this article, we will talk about how to choose the right IT specialist for a business, what to pay attention to when concluding a cooperation agreement so that the result of the partnership is positive.

Freelancer or company: analyze the pitfalls

Choosing a WordPress developer is a strategic decision for a business. The future website quality directly depends on the specialist qualification level, his experience and skills. To develop an online store or other web resource, a business can contact an IT company or look for a freelancer. Let's consider the features and advantages of both:

• Support. Companies are able to provide better support, since they have several best WordPress developers, QA engineers, and project managers. A freelancer is, as a rule, one person who finds it difficult to manage an entire project.
• Speed ​​of implementation. Several developers will create a website from scratch much faster than one. For example, a team of specialists will need about 2-3 weeks to launch an online store. Imagine how much time a freelancer will need for this?
• Functionality. As a rule, one freelance developer cannot implement all the necessary functions. To implement a large-scale online store, different functions will be required, so a team of specialists will be more suitable for such a project.

We answer the question of what is better to choose:

"If you are planning to implement a small project — a blog, an information site with a small number of pages, you can order WordPress website development services from a freelancer. To create a large-scale online store or other web resource with a large number of functions, it is better to contact a custom WordPress development company."

Key Criteria for Choosing a WordPress Developer

Whether you decide to hire a freelancer or a development company, it is important to know how to choose the right specialist. Below we will look at what to pay attention to and the key criteria for choosing a WordPress developer.

How to check a developer's experience

The developer's experience determines what functions they can implement. The less skilled a specialist is, the less suitable he is for implementing large projects. Let's figure out how to check a developer's experience:

• Reviews. There are platforms where both companies and freelancers offer their services. There you can read real reviews about them.
• Portfolio. After reviewing the portfolio, it is easy to understand what services a specialist or team can provide. You can assess how suitable they are for your project.

It is important to understand whether the specialists or company are engaged in custom development or provide services for creating websites on ready-made themes.

Why is experience with custom development important?

Each business has its own needs for functionality. Ready-made themes do not always provide certain options. If you need to implement a special function, you will need a custom WordPress development team which can do it with custom code. Let's give an example:
"Imagine that you own a business selling building materials. If the site has a custom calculator, with which customers can calculate the cost of certain goods depending on their quantity, this will favorably distinguish the business from its competitors."

Custom development allows you to favorably emphasize the strengths of your business with the help of useful functions and individual design.

About the importance of knowledge in PHP, JavaScript, CSS, MySQL

Knowledge of programming languages ​​is the basis for a specialist to build a website with a logical structure, attractive design and wide functionality. For example, the adaptability and design of a website depend on CSS. If the code scripts are written incorrectly, the pages may not be displayed correctly.

PHP is responsible for the behavior of the site in dynamics. If a specialist does not know this programming language, forms may not work, the transfer of information from the database may be disrupted. Animations, clicks, transitions and interactivity are the responsibility of the JavaScript language. Incorrect syntax will lead to incorrect display of elements.

To create a full-fledged website with functions, mobile adaptability, interactive transitions and other features, a specialist must know several programming languages. Otherwise, the pages will either be displayed incorrectly or function.

Portfolio and case studies

A portfolio is a developer's business card. Let's take a closer look at how to evaluate it and what to pay attention to.

What projects should a developer be able to do

There is no single answer to this question, since you need to determine what kind of project you want to implement. If you need an online store, the portfolio must include e-commerce-based sites. Let's consider what to pay attention to in a portfolio.

WordPress developer portfolio: key points

One of the important points is how fresh the cases are presented in the portfolio. Pay attention to the publication date. If the project was completed 10 years ago, the technologies are most likely outdated.

In addition, confirmation of the case plays an important role. It's great if you can see the site, good if there are screenshots, albeit with an NDA mark. Pay attention to how many works are presented in the portfolio. If there are up to 5-10, most likely, the specialist or team has not been working for long.

For the implementation of complex online stores, sites with different integrations, it is better to choose a team with extensive experience. Specialists who have been working with programming languages ​​for a long time will make a website quickly and it will be fast, reliable and durable.

Why are real client cases important?

Sometimes unscrupulous companies and freelancers "invent" projects for themselves. What does this mean? They write that they have completed a particular project, but in fact, they have no idea how to implement it. If such a company takes on your project, there is a risk that the quality of the site will be low.

How do you know if a case is real?

There is a link to the site. You can see what functions have been implemented on the site, compare them with the text attached to the text.

Screenshots. Sometimes companies do not leave a link to the site, but confirm cases with screenshots. You can also see the main features of the project using them.

Screenshots "under NDA". Sometimes companies cannot post screenshots or add a link to the site they developed, since they signed a non-disclosure agreement. In this case, the case may contain screenshots with blur and the inscription "under NDA".

In addition, pay attention to how many reviews the specialist has. If there are 2 cases in the portfolio and more than 10 reviews, it is possible that the latter were purchased.

WordPress SEO best practices and performance optimization skills

Search engines see and scan websites. If SEO is set up incorrectly, it will be difficult to promote a website to the top of search results.

Why SEO optimization should be built into the code

If SEO optimization is not built into the page code, it is difficult for systems to analyze and evaluate the site. Let's consider the key reasons why it should be built into the code:

• Mobile adaptability. Google prefers websites that are optimized for mobile devices. Media queries and adaptive layout should be included in the page syntax.
• Structured content. For search engines, content is structured using special tags, such as <h1>, <h2>, etc. Thanks to this, search engines can more easily read the content of pages.
• Correct meta tags. The page title, description, and indexing control are set using HTML code. These attributes are necessary for clear indexing of the page by search engines.

Website loading speed and its impact on conversion

The website loading speed directly depends on the purity of CSS and JS codes. If the syntax contains extra lines, unnecessary symbols and other garbage, the page is “given” to the user for a long time. Consequently, the website visitor is forced to wait until the content is displayed.

The website loading speed affects conversions. Modern users are not used to waiting for a long time. If the page does not load within a few seconds, they close the site. We recommend checking the loading speed of your web resource. If you notice that it is low, it is important to conduct an audit and eliminate the reasons why the site is slow.

Security Best Practices

One of the criteria for a good website is reliability. The web resource must be protected from hacker attacks and break-ins. In this section, we will consider how to protect it, and why the WordPress developer should take security into account at the stage of writing the code.

How to protect your website from attacks and hacks

The first thing you need to do is restrict access to the admin panel. When you receive a website from a developer, the login and password for entering the admin panel will be "admin". Change them to make them more secure - use upper and lower case, numbers and symbols. The following steps to protect your website from attacks and hacks:

• Installing an SSL certificate. Thanks to HTTPS, data is encrypted, making it very difficult for scammers to intercept.
• Installing a WAF. A firewall tracks, intercepts and blocks malicious requests.
• Backups. It will not help protect against hacking, but in its case, it will help restore the website.

Regularly updating plugins and themes is a must for website protection. Outdated versions may have vulnerabilities that hackers use for unauthorized intrusion.

Why a developer should consider security at the coding stage

It is always easier to prevent hacking and viruses than to cure them. That is why it is important to initially build protection into the code. Let's look at what a WordPress expert can do in the code to protect a website:

install file checks and restrict their download;

• set access rights to different sections;
• make database queries secure;
• implement verification of data entered by the user;
• install reliable verification during authorization and session.

A developer can protect a website from attacks by bots, hackers and viruses at the code level. Thanks to this, there is less risk of losing access to important data.

Communication and Transparency

Communication is one of the important aspects of cooperation. It is important for a specialist to regularly notify what stage of development the project is at. Next, we will consider how to understand that the WordPress expert will not "slow down" the project:

Planning. If the developer plans each action, uses trackers (Jira, Trello) to track progress and clearly defines deadlines for completing work, there will be no unpleasant surprises.

Transparent communication. A developer will not slow down a project if he regularly communicates, discusses edits and talks about progress with evidence — screenshots, videos.

Extensive portfolio. If a freelancer or a website development team has many completed projects, most likely, specialists have a good reputation.

Why it is important to discuss the work process, deadlines, reporting

Let's imagine a situation:

"A week after you hired a person and provided the technical task, your marketer says "two days ago it became fashionable to make the site menu not at the top, but on the side. If you do not tell the specialist at this point that you decided to make changes, you will get a site with a menu on top. At the same time, if you want to redo it later, it will take time and you will need to allocate an additional budget."

That is why it is important to discuss the work process. Transparent communication should be on both sides. What we recommend discussing with the contractor before starting cooperation:

• regularity of meetings to discuss the project — specify how often meetings should take place to notify about progress;
• deadlines — if you set deadlines for the implementation of a particular function, clearly specify them;
• reporting — decide how often and in what form the specialist should provide a report on the work done.

Post-Launch Support and Maintenance

Not only WordPress development for business is important, but also its support. The web resource quality in the future depends on it. Let's consider the features in more detail.

Who will update the site and maintain it after launch

Updates are a must-have for the site to be reliable and difficult to hack. If you do not know how to update plugins and themes yourself, it is better to contact a specialist. About why it is important to maintain the site and update it regularly, below:

• Security. Outdated versions of plugins and themes may have vulnerabilities that hackers can use to gain unauthorized access.
• Functionality. Outdated versions of plugins may not work properly, disrupting the functionality of the site.

Technical support is important for the web resource to work without failures. In case of malfunctions, a technical specialist must fix them. This is why it is better to contact a website development company, because freelancers most often do not provide support after the project is completed.

Common Red Flags When Hiring a WordPress Developer

We want to tell you about the common red flags when hiring a WordPress developer:

• Low price. A good website cannot be very cheap. If the price is too low, the web resource may be of limited functionality, slow or insufficiently protected. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the average market prices for website development before hiring a specialist.
• The developer does not ask questions about business goals. If you want an online store with 50 items, but plan to expand it in the future, the specialist should take this into account. When a developer does not ask questions about goals and plans for business development, this is a red flag, because it will be difficult to expand the site in the future.
• Lack of project documentation. If there is none, another specialist will not start making edits or implementing new features on your site. It is better to find out how and in what form the project documentation will be prepared before starting cooperation.

The Ultimate Checklist for Hiring a WordPress Developer

Let's summarize what to consider when hiring a WordPress website developer:

• Experience in custom development and an individual approach to each project.
• An up-to-date portfolio, which is supported by reviews about the specialist.
• Understanding of SEO and performance, taking these aspects into account during development.
• WordPress website security not as an additional feature, but as a priority.
• Transparent communication, development of project documentation, regular reports on the project's progress.
• Site support after launch.

Conclusion

The success of a project largely depends on the developer who implements it. If you need not a website from scratch, but an improvement of an existing web resource, a competent specialist will immediately study and analyze it in detail. For example, WPWP.BZ conducts a thorough audit before optimizing or improving a website.

Before hiring a specialist, it is better to sign up for a consultation and discuss all the nuances of cooperation. We wish every business to find a good developer!