WordPress powers almost a third of all websites on the internet, including many of the most popular and influential sites. In addition to its popularity, WordPress is known for its ease of use and extensibility. These factors account for its popularity among users and developers alike.
If you’ve been thinking about becoming a WordPress developer, or are already one and want to know if there’s demand for your skills, you’re in luck.
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In this article, we’ll explore the job market for WordPress developers, some of the skills you need to get hired, and some resources to help you brush up on your skills. By the end, you’ll have a good idea of whether or not there’s a future for WordPress developers.
First, let’s look at who is actually a WordPress developer.
Who is a WordPress developer?
A WordPress developer is a web developer who specializes in the WordPress environment. A WordPress developer is responsible for both the front-end and back-end of WordPress.
A WordPress developer is responsible for maintaining and updating a WordPress website.
The primary goal of a WordPress developer is to build a WordPress website that complies with the client’s requirements.
What Are the Roles of a WordPress Developer?
A WordPress developer’s job description is broad. Some of the tasks of a WordPress developer are:
- A WordPress developer is responsible for creating and maintaining websites.
- Additionally, a WordPress developer is in charge of making responsive themes that work well on both desktop and mobile devices.
- Customizing themes and templates is your responsibility as a WordPress developer.
- Building new WordPress themes and plugins.
- Analyzing the website’s performance.
- You will also troubleshoot errors on the website.
- A WordPress developer is responsible for migrating the website.
- Ensuring the website’s security.
Read more: How to Install WordPress on Xampp for Windows 10 (Step By Step Tutorial)
Job Prospects for WordPress Developers
WordPress is the most widely used content management system (CMS) and the easiest and cheapest way to create a website. WordPress jobs are expected to grow quickly in the future as more and more businesses conduct their operations online.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that overall employment for web developers and digital designers will increase by 23% between 2021 and 2031.
As of the time of writing this post, there were over 1,000 WordPress job openings on Indeed alone.
And most of these jobs are remote, so you can work from anywhere in the world.
How Much Does a WordPress Developer Earn?
The salary of WordPress developers depends on factors like geography and industry. For example, a WordPress developer in the United States will be paid more than a WordPress developer in India.
- According to Glassdoor, the average yearly salary for a WordPress developer in the United States is $72,628.
- According to Indeed, WordPress developers in the United States make $59,835 a year.
- WordPress developers make an average salary of $89,076 per year, or $43 per hour, according to ZipRecruiter.
- SimplyHired reports an average annual salary of $55,596.
- Talent reports a salary of $72,500 annually.
The average of these figures is $69,927, so that figure represents the annual salary of a WordPress developer in the United States.
Freelancing is another option. Many WordPress developers are independent contractors, and their rates are influenced by things like geography, location, and the specific project.
Freelance WordPress developers are available on freelance marketplaces such as Fiverr, People per Hour, and Upwork.
Many freelancers charge per project. On Fiverr, freelancers charge a medium rate per project, ranging from $140 to $255. On Upwork, however, freelancers charge by the hour, with rates ranging from $30 to $175.
Read More: Is WordPress Going To Die? The Future Of WordPress.
How to Become a WordPress Developer
The salary is good, and the job prospects are promising. How do you become a WordPress developer?
Let’s look at this in this section.
1. Become Familiar with the WordPress Platform
WordPress is open-source and free to use. Building websites on the platform can help you get acquainted with it. Learning to use the WordPress platform is simple. By enrolling in free or inexpensive WordPress courses, watching YouTube videos, and reading articles, you can accomplish this.
Below are resources to get you on track:
At this level, you can even create websites for individuals at no cost or at a low cost.
2. Acquire the Essential Coding Skills
You can build WordPress websites without coding skills; however, if you want to be a WordPress developer, where you can develop plugins, themes, and templates, you must be well-versed in the various programming languages.
The programming languages allow you to build more complex websites with the platform.
These coding skills will also allow you to debug errors and perform troubleshooting.
Here are the programming languages you should learn:
- Hypertext Markup Language (HTML): With the aid of this markup language, you can organize the content of your website into a footer, header, and sidebar.
- Cascading Style Sheets (CSS): This language allows you to style your website content with colors, fonts, backgrounds, and many more.
- JavaScript: You must be proficient in this language because it improves the functionality of your website as a whole. Javascript, for instance, specifies what happens when you click a button created with HTML.
- PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP): This is a back-end scripting language that enables database interaction and dynamic content creation for web developers.
3. Choose Your Focus Area
Because the WordPress platform is so vast, it is not advisable to concentrate on every aspect of it.
This is why you should focus on a specific area of the platform; however, you should have experience in other aspects of the platform as well, because you may perform various tasks as a developer that go beyond your area of focus.
The WordPress areas you may focus on are:
- Core development
- Theme development
- Plugin development
- API development
4. Join the WordPress Community
WordPress, as a large platform, also has a large community of support; the community helps to improve the platform and helps each other solve platform issues.
As a developer, you should join these communities to get advice and tips so you can help other beginners who join the community.
There are online forums. social media groups that you can join.
For the physical community, central.wordcamp.com organizes conferences all over the world to talk about everything WordPress.
5. Build a Portfolio.
You have acquired all the necessary knowledge; it is now time to build your portfolio. Your portfolio will show the world the kind of work you do with your skills.
An effective portfolio should showcase your projects, your skills, and your personal information to help you find clients as a freelancer or a job as an employee.
I recommend that you start by creating a portfolio using our simple tutorials and documenting your journey in your portfolio.
Read More: How to Build a Personal Website In 5 Minutes.
Where do WordPress Developers Work?
There are numerous companies and freelance opportunities where one can work as a WordPress developer.
WordPress developers may work for organizations like graphic design firms, digital marketing consultancies, and web design firms. and has the capacity to work as a freelancer.
Where to Find WordPress Jobs
There are multiple job platforms that link WordPress developers with prospective customers.
To work for a company, one can look for vacancies on websites such as:
- Indeed
- WordPress Jobs Board
- ZipRecruiter
- SimplyHired
- We work remotely
- Remotees
- Stack Overflow
- Naukri
- Totaljobs
- CyberCoders
As a freelance WordPress developer, you can find clients on platforms such as:
- Fiverr
- Toptal
- Upwork
- Freelancer
- PeoplePerHour
- Truelancer
- 99designs
- Dribbble
- Codeable
- WPHired
Conclusion: Are WordPress Developers in Demand?
So there you have it: WordPress developers are in demand.
As more businesses move online, demand for WordPress developers will rise. Everyone wants the simplest way to do things, and WordPress is the simplest way to build a website, so more businesses will choose it.
Furthermore, businesses are only interested in making sales and not the platform on which their website is built on, as long as it is fast, secure, and presentable.
So start your WordPress development journey by taking free courses in the area. And use our detailed step-by-step guide on how to build a WordPress website in just 5 minutes to build your portfolio from the onset.
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