WordPress is the best CMS platform in the world, and it powers well over a third of all websites. But it’s not enough to just get your site set up with WordPress – you need someone to handle your site design, development and hosting. With work from professional wordpress: design and development, you can scale up your site’s performance.
The services offered by these companies range from simple hosting solutions to full-service design and development. And they’re rather expensive. To help you find the right web developer for your needs, we have created an informative article on five questions you should answer truthfully when interviewing potential developers.
1. What is your background?
Never underestimate the value of a developer’s personal experience. He or she should be able to take their years of experience with other programming languages, frameworks and platforms and translate it into WordPress. This means you should be prepared for a developer who has worked with PHP, WordPress, MySQL and other back-end technologies – even if you have only ever used front-end platforms like WordPress.
Whilst it is not always possible to run all the tests in your project with their specific skills, you should try to answer their experience in the following areas:
Full stack –
If you need someone who can implement and manage a full-stack CMS and integrate external APIs, then this is what you should expect from them. PHP, MySQL and WordPress experience.
Frontend –
If you need a developer that can create highly interactive websites using HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript with rich media functionality then they are probably more geared towards front end development. Also be prepared to explain any MySQL or PHP server differences as they may not be aware of these.
2. Who is your client?
Every project needs a client, so if you already have a website that needs an update then there is little point in looking for a developer who will work on WordPress and not make the changes to your existing site. They should be able to clearly outline how they would go about completing the project for your company.
How many years do you have in the industry?
The fact is that development is a very competitive business – and even the best developers can’t expect to stay on top forever. So while it’s not crucial to know his or her current development competition, knowing their past is important. This can range from specific websites they have designed and developed to the number of years they have been in the industry.
3. What platforms do you use?
If you want certain features on your site, chances are a developer will need to integrate into WordPress. He or she may also need to work with other platforms and frameworks like PHP, Java and Ruby. It’s important that developers know the languages they will be working in, so make sure you ask how their previous work has included those languages.
What is your pricing?
This question is obviously more important when it comes to freelancers here in the UK. However, it should still be a standard question you put to any potential developer. Your budget for the development doesn’t necessarily have to be set in stone, and you should always allow for scope and growth on your estimates, but it’s important that your developer knows what he or she is working with – and how much it will cost you.
4. What about hosting?
If you want your site to run the way you want it to, you need your site hosted with an experienced company. All developers will have their own favorites, and it’s important that you know where they host their sites. If they don’t host their own sites with the same company, ask why. Also ask if they have a client list, so that you know they will be a safe host.
What are the benchmarks for your success?
These can be used when defining your budget and scope on the project. But you should also ask them what their personal benchmarks would be – all developers have to define their own targets and timescales to make sure they meet deadlines.
5. What can I expect from our relationship?
It’s up to a developer to make sure you understand what he or she expects from a development and client relationship – because whether it’s money or happiness (or both), everyone wants the same thing out of their website development partner. You should expect a personable, helpful and creative developer. The last thing you want is to have to wait weeks for your site, or have to pay over the odds for his or her time.
