How to hire a WordPress developer: a practical checklist

Hiring a WordPress developer looks easy: there are thousands of them. Hiring a good one, who writes clean code, communicates clearly and is still around when something breaks, is harder. I'm a freelance WordPress developer, and this is the checklist I would use if I were on your side of the table. If you want to see how I work, read hire a WordPress developer.

Step 1: be clear about the kind of WordPress work

"WordPress developer" covers very different jobs, and the right person for one is not always right for another:

• Site builds with a page builder (Elementor, Divi, Bricks): mostly design and configuration, some custom CSS.
• Custom themes: PHP templates, the block editor, custom post types and fields. Needs a real developer.
• Custom plugins and integrations: connecting WordPress to a CRM, a payment provider or an internal tool through APIs.
• WooCommerce: online stores, payment and shipping rules, product logic.
• Speed, security and rescue work: fixing a slow, broken or hacked site someone else built.
• Maintenance: updates, backups and small changes over time.

Write one or two sentences about which of these you need. It filters candidates faster than anything else.

Step 2: decide between a freelancer and an agency

An agency gives you a team: designer, developer, project manager, sometimes a copywriter. That makes sense for large sites with many moving parts. A freelancer gives you one person who does the work and talks to you directly, which is usually faster and simpler for small and medium sites. The trade-off is capacity: a freelancer can only take on so much at once, so ask about availability early.

Step 3: where to find WordPress developers

• Referrals from other business owners. Still the best source.
• Freelance platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr, where you can see job history and client reviews.
• Search. Developers with their own site and real case studies are showing you how they work.
• Communities such as local WordPress meetups and WordCamps.

Wherever you look, judge the work, not the profile headline.

Step 4: check real work

Ask for two or three sites or projects similar to yours, and look at them properly. Open them on your phone. Run them through PageSpeed Insights. Click around the menu and the forms. Ask what exactly the developer did on each one, because "I worked on this site" can mean anything from building it to changing a button colour.

Step 5: ask the questions that reveal how someone works

1. Who will actually write the code? You want the answer to be the person you're talking to, or a clear answer about who else.
2. How do you test changes before they go live? A good answer mentions a staging copy and backups.
3. How many plugins do you usually use, and how do you choose them? Fewer, well-maintained plugins usually means a faster, safer site.
4. What happens if something breaks a month after launch?
5. Who owns the hosting, the domain and the admin accounts? It should be you.
6. How will we communicate, and how often?
7. What do you need from me, and when? A developer who asks this is planning properly.

Step 6: compare quotes properly

Two quotes for "a WordPress site" can be far apart because they describe different work. Ask each developer for a written scope that lists:

• The pages and templates included.
• Whether the design is a theme adapted to your brand or built from scratch.
• Who adds the content.
• What is included for SEO, speed and analytics.
• How many rounds of changes.
• What support is included after launch.

Hourly or fixed price? Fixed quotes are easier to budget for well-defined projects. Hourly works for ongoing, open-ended work. I quote fixed prices per project, after a call, so the client knows the full cost before work starts. I explain more about cost factors in ecommerce website development cost, which applies to most website projects too.

Red flags

• No written scope, or a scope so vague it could mean anything.
• The developer wants to host the site on their own account with no admin access for you.
• A promise of first place on Google.
• A plan that relies on a long list of premium plugins for basic features.
• No mention of backups, testing or what happens after launch.
• Pressure to decide quickly.

Step 7: start with a small task

If you're unsure, start with something small and paid: a speed fix, a new page template, a form integration. It shows how the developer communicates, how they handle feedback and how good the work is, before you commit to a bigger project.

Step 8: set the project up well

Once you hire someone, a few things make the project go smoothly:

• Give them their own user account, not your password.
• Agree on one channel for messages and one place for feedback.
• Send content early. Missing text and photos delay more projects than code does.
• Ask for changes to be tested on a staging copy before they reach the live site.
• Agree on what happens after launch before launch day.

Hiring a WordPress developer in another country

Many UK and US businesses hire WordPress developers abroad. It works well when time zones overlap and communication is clear. Portugal shares the UK's time zone, and afternoons in Portugal overlap with mornings on the US East Coast, which gives a daily window for calls. Whoever you hire, agree on working hours and response times at the start.

How long a WordPress project usually takes

A small fix can be done in a day. A typical small business site takes a few weeks, and most of that time depends on content and feedback, not code. A WooCommerce store or a site with custom integrations takes longer. Ask for a timeline with the quote, and ask what the developer needs from you at each stage, because missing content delays more projects than anything else.