A guide to hiring a dedicated WordPress developer
WordPress is a content management system that runs a very large number of websites, from personal blogs to online stores. Its themes and plugins make it flexible, and that same flexibility is why sites get messy over time. A dedicated WordPress developer is one person who works on your site regularly, learns how it is built and keeps it in good shape. Below you will find what they do, how to pick one and how to organise the work.
What WordPress developers work on
Some jobs create something new: a theme from a design, a plugin for a special feature, a set of blocks for editors or a WooCommerce store. Other jobs protect what you have: updates, backups, speed work, security checks and fixes after a plugin conflict. A third group is change: a move to better hosting, a new design on the same content or an import from another platform. Many sites need all three over a year, which is why having the same developer helps.
How this role differs from nearby roles
A WordPress developer writes and fixes the code and settings of a WordPress site. A WordPress SEO specialist is a different role, focused on how the site performs in search. If you run a CMS other than WordPress, or want advice on which one to use, see our CMS developers. A PHP developer suits custom applications in the language WordPress is written in, and our web developers cover wider web work. A web designer shapes the look of the pages. Use this page when the job is building or looking after a WordPress site.
What to decide before you hire
- Whether the job is a build, a fix, a store, or steady care.
- Your current theme, page builder and key plugins, if any.
- How many hours a week you need, and for how long.
- Who owns the hosting, the domain and the admin logins.
- Whether you sell online and need WooCommerce.
Reading a WordPress developer’s work
Ask for live sites, then look at them on a phone. Check how quickly they load and whether the layout holds together. Ask which parts the developer built themselves and which came from a template. If they share code, look for child themes, plugins with clear names, comments where the logic is not obvious and no edits to WordPress core files. Ask how they handle updates, because that is where many sites run into trouble.
Interview questions to try
- A page takes a long time to open. How do you find the cause?
- When do you write a custom plugin, and when do you use an existing one?
- How do you change a theme so the change survives updates?
- A site was hacked. What do you do in the first hour?
- What is your routine for trying an update safely?
Strong answers name real steps and real tools. Be careful with answers that rely on installing one more plugin for every problem.
Run a small paid task
Give each finalist a short job on a copy of your site, such as speeding up one slow page, building a custom block or fixing a checkout step. Pay for the time. Compare the result, the notes they leave and how well they explain what they changed.
Fit the person to the job
For a store or a site with custom features, look for a developer who has built plugins and understands the database. For care and upkeep, look for someone patient who records every change and keeps backups tested. For a redesign, look for a person who works well with designers and respects your content. Titles vary, so ask what each candidate owned on a past project.
Give them tools and a rhythm
Create a developer account in the admin area instead of sharing your own login, and open a staging copy and the task board to them. Keep hosting, domains and plugin licences registered to your company. In the first weeks, meet each week and test every change on staging first. After that, a short weekly written note and a monthly review will keep things clear.
Working with editors and marketers
The people who write and sell on the site see problems first. Ask them to report what is slow or confusing, and have the developer fix those items first. Marketing teams often add tracking codes and forms, so agree where those go and who may change them. This avoids slowdowns caused by too many scripts.
Mistakes to avoid
- Adding a plugin for every small feature and never removing old ones.
- Editing a theme directly instead of using a child theme.
- Skipping backups, or never testing that they can be restored.
- Updating everything at once on the live site.
- Letting a contractor be the only person with hosting or admin access.
Need other skills? Read how to hire a CMS developer or a web developer for related work.