1. Look for a Real Person
Find and deal with a real person. Instead of handing your project to an unknown freelancer without knowing who will work on your project, make sure you get to know your designer by either having a phone call, skype chat or an email introduction with him. It is a good practice to meet face-to-face if possible but given the current trend in remote work, this may not be feasible or possible as a lot of experienced WordPress developers prefer to work remotely….even WordPress as a $1billion company does not have a physical office and all of its employees are distributed.
2. Get Valid Contact Details
Be sure to get a valid email address and phone number of a WordPress developer you want to hire. It is important to be able to reach the person in case you need him urgently.
3. Ask for References
An experienced and professional WordPress developer can easily provide real customer testimonials and references. Both Facebook and Google are the best sources for reviews since it is very difficult to forge the reviews on those sites which is something that a lot of companies are doing unfortunately.
4. Check the Portfolio
A good WordPress developer should be able to provide real examples of work that has been successfully completed. Without a portfolio, you are at risk of hiring an inexperienced freelancer who just started working in the web development niche.
5. Look for Different Skillset & Experience Besides WordPress
There are lots of vital things your web designer should understand about WordPress and online presence as a whole. Ideally, the person should have all the important skills centered around designing for the web and editing images with Fireworks and Photoshop, website hosting expertise, UX/UI knowledge as well as conversion rate optimization experience.
6. Transparency In Invoicing
It is important that your WordPress designer has an comprehensive process for keeping you up to date about his billable time and what has been achieved or done under a predefined timeframe. He should outline the work and line items with their associated rates in order to provide a transparent picture of what you are paying for.
7. Quick Response Time
When it comes to hiring a reliable WordPress developer, make sure you get a timely response to your emails. A lot of web designers are engaged in multiple projects with many clients at the same time, so they cannot always provide a quick response to address your requests in a timely manner. Make sure it takes no longer than 24 hours to respond to your question, request. If you observe a delayed response during the initial conversation, chances are that the response will take even longer when you start working together.
8. Regular Tasks or Project Updates
There is nothing more annoying than not knowing the status of your project at a given time. Is your task complete? When will your job be done? Your WordPress designer must keep you in the loop on a daily or weekly basis according to the scope and size of your project.
9. Security is a Major Concern
Your payment details, business information, general security details, and website credentials must be kept securely by the person whom you plan to hire.
10. Core, Theme and Plugin Expertise
When it comes to hiring a WordPress designer, it is important for him to have a very good understanding of all the core aspects of the WordPress platform. The developer should be familiar with the general WordPress plugin ecosystem, WordPress security, WordPress core upgrades, and custom theme development. They should also have hands-on expertise in designing and modifying the WordPress core framework if need be.
11. Monthly Maintenance
Keep in mind that good WordPress designers and development companies should provide ongoing service plans and updates if you want to update the content of your site or add new functionality or features. Beware of companies which are only interested in building your website and then not providing an ongoing support.
I hope these 11 tips will help you do your homework before finding a good WordPress developer. Please share your thoughts in the comments area below if I’ve missed anything.