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WordPress has apparently emerged from a mere blogging system to be one of the most popular CMSs in the global marketplace. Recognized for its flexible architecture, several customization features, simplicity and versatility, WordPress has been used globally and presently powers more than 24.7% of the websites. It can also manage huge web traffic and with the help of thousands of themes and plugins, any type of website can be created on this CMS.
However despite the ease of use, building a feature-rich and fully functional WordPress website is still not everyone’s cup of tea. Not only it needs you to have good working knowledge of certain programming languages like CSS, PHP, JavaScript, HTML, and MySQL, but also to be highly-skilled in various other techniques such as Photoshop, Responsive Design, SEO etc.
In regards to hiring a dedicated WordPress developer for your project possessing adequate WordPress knowledge and experience, the pool of professionals seems limitless. Thus, it becomes inevitable to set out certain criteria which can assist you to narrow down your options.
The biggest problem arises when you do not belong to a technical background and have to hire a professional and experienced WordPress developer or company for your WordPress needs. And since you do not have a working knowledge of code, you cannot be 100% sure about the company you will end up with. But it’s okay, you cannot always succeed in all your hires. However, if you keep few things in mind before you start seeking the best company for your requirements, you can assure you find a great WordPress developer to work with.
Ready to get started? Let’s dive in!
1. Determine what you really need
People use WordPress for almost anything, from blogs to e-commerce stores. And with such a huge market of WordPress, the requirements that people have is tremendously heterogeneous, ranging from minor customization to a theme, to database optimization or custom forms. So determining what you really require and configuring the desired result meticulously is no choice here, irrespective of the type of hire you’re seeking.
Thus, it is always suggested to write a detailed job description explaining your needs and requisites and communicate well to get the desired outcome.
2. Total Experience
Experience counts more than anything else! When interviewing a potential WordPress development company, ask them about their experience. Obviously, you would get different answers. Thus, depending on your project’s needs and budget, you need to first decide on the experience level you need.
Before entrusting the job to a particular service provider or skilled developer, it is very crucial to ensure that the potential company has at least 3 years of relevant experience.
The more experience, the better.
3. Consider the whole picture (Online presence, reputation, and portfolio)
If you were able to create a list of some prospects, your discovery stage has begun. In order to further narrow down your list, you need to browse through their online repos, websites, portfolio etc.
Also, consider the following:
- How they display their work?
- Do they provide well-presented and detailed case studies?
- Do they occasionally contribute to the WordPress community?
- How clients review their themes and plugins, if they have any?
- Whether they contribute about related topics to your business on their publications or on their blog
Now widen your research and browse through their social profiles to check groups they are a member of and how active they are on these groups. Do they help users to solve their problems or they strategically overlook their problems?
Well, answering to every user’s questions is not the foremost job of a WordPress developer, but it shows how active and helping they are and would they be able to help you even after the delivery of the project.
4. Technical Skills
Assessing the technical proficiency of a potential service provider for the project is of primary concern. You need to know about the type of features you would particularly need on your website and then do a cross-examination to check if the potent WordPress development service provider owns the required technical skills. Also, check their proficiency in basic languages including MySQL, XML, and JavaScript.
5. Strategies used to generate revenue for your website
The WordPress development company you would choose must be just as concerned about improving revenue on your website as you are. They must be able to brief out the strategies that they are planning to integrate into your website development. As mentioned earlier, a website is not all about the design and functionality integrated, you would also need to pay attention to other aspects of an online venture including SEO, social media presence etc.
Make sure the strategies offered by the potential company are in line with your objectives like calls to action that are prominently placed to capture the visitor’s attention, appropriately added featured products and sales on every web page, an aesthetically appealing slideshow and prominent placement of your business phone number.
6. Delivery Timelines
Would it be acceptable if your project is delivered after a long period of time? Of course, not! Planning your online venture is a key to ensuring its success, which includes performing a basic market analysis, researching your industry, elements, content structure and website’s overall functionality. Aside, it is important to discuss the delivery timeliness before the commencement of the project to ensure best results. Talk to the potential development company and agree upon a fixed delivery period.
7. Ask for related samples of work
Apparently not every project is same, but there are certain elements that remain same for almost every project such as needs, budget, deadline, functionality and so much more. To ensure that the company you’d choose for your project meets your expectation, ask one significant question:
Ask them to share one particular example from their past that is most related to your project.
This way you will be able to understand whether the potential company is a right fit for your needs or not.
8. Get a quick feedback from their previous clients
Collecting feedback is yet another important step to hiring the best WordPress company for your project. It’s obvious, if a company has been in business for many years, it would have an impressive roster of clients. Talking to such clients can help you understand the pros and cons of hiring the potential WordPress experts.
So, open your Gmail account, write a brief email asking if they would be willing to share a quick feedback about the services of a particular company they used.
Here are some of the questions you can include in your email:
- To each name you’ve got, ask these questions:
- Was work delivered on time?
- Did the project stay on budget?
- How happy were you with the end result?
- Just keep it honest, short and nice to increase the chance of receiving useful answers.
9. Continued Support and Maintenance
Before entrusting your project to any WordPress development company, you need to make sure that the respective company offers continued support and maintenance even after delivering the project. What are the terms and conditions for the same.
Author Bio:
Jason is a professional WordPress Developer who has vast experience in Converting PSD to WordPress theme in less time. He is associated with Wordsuccor Ltd., a leading firm in the field of WordPress Development. He loves to share his knowledge with others on the web in his free time.
The post Things to consider before hiring a WordPress Development Company appeared first on Smashing Buzz.
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