WordPress powers a very large share of business websites, which means there are countless people offering WordPress services. The difference between a good WordPress developer and a poor one shows up later: in a site that loads slowly, breaks after a plugin update or gets hacked. This guide shows you how to hire someone who builds WordPress sites properly.
Do you need a WordPress developer or a WordPress designer?
Start by being clear about the work:
- A WordPress developer writes code: custom themes, custom plugins, integrations with other systems, performance and security fixes, and anything a page builder cannot do.
- A WordPress designer focuses on layout, visuals and page building with tools like Elementor, Divi or the block editor.
If you need a new look and your site is otherwise healthy, a WordPress designer may be enough. If you need custom functionality, speed, security or an online store, hire a WordPress developer. Many projects benefit from both.
What skills should a WordPress developer have?
- PHP and WordPress hooks. They extend WordPress with actions and filters instead of editing core or plugin files.
- Theme development. Block themes and classic themes built from a design, not only customized templates.
- Gutenberg blocks. Custom blocks so your team can edit content without breaking layouts.
- Plugin development. Clean, secure custom plugins for features specific to your business.
- Performance. Caching, image optimization, database cleanup and Core Web Vitals improvements.
- Security. Safe update routines, hardening, backups and malware clean up.
- JavaScript and the REST API. Needed for modern blocks and headless builds.
- WooCommerce, if you sell online. See our WooCommerce developers page.
Where can you find WordPress developers?
Freelance marketplaces, agencies, job boards and vetted networks all offer WordPress developers. Marketplaces are fast but inconsistent. Agencies are reliable but expensive. Vetted networks such as Cubehire give you pre tested developers with interview scores already attached, which removes most of the screening work.
Interview questions to ask a WordPress developer
- "How would you add a custom field to a post type without editing the theme files directly?" Look for hooks, a custom plugin or Advanced Custom Fields used properly.
- "Our site is slow. Walk me through how you would investigate." Good answers mention measuring first, checking plugins, hosting, caching, images and database queries.
- "How do you update plugins on a live business site?" Expect backups, a staging site and testing before production.
- "When would you build a custom block instead of using a page builder?" Look for reasoning about performance, editing experience and maintenance.
- "How do you secure a WordPress site?" Updates, strong authentication, least privilege user roles, security headers, backups and limiting plugins.
- "Show me a plugin or theme you built and explain one decision you made." This reveals real experience quickly.
Red flags to watch for
- Solving every problem by installing another plugin
- Editing parent theme or plugin files directly
- No mention of backups or staging
- Unwillingness to give you admin, hosting and repository access to your own site
- Page speed promises without measuring anything first
How much does a WordPress developer cost?
Costs vary with the hiring model. Freelancers charge by the hour or project, agencies charge a blended rate with their margin included, and in house developers carry salary and overhead. Hiring a vetted remote WordPress developer through Cubehire is priced as a flat monthly rate for ongoing work or a one time placement fee, with no percentage of salary. See pricing for current rates.
How to set up a WordPress developer for success
- Give them a staging site and version control from day one.
- Share brand guidelines and your list of must keep plugins.
- Agree how updates and backups will be handled every month.
- Keep hosting, domain and admin accounts in your company name.
Custom theme or page builder: which should you choose?
This decision affects speed, editing and long term cost more than almost anything else in a WordPress project.
- A page builder such as Elementor or Divi is quick to design with and easy for marketing teams to use visually. The trade off is heavier pages, more reliance on one vendor and layouts that can break when the builder updates.
- A custom block theme takes longer to build up front, but produces lighter, faster pages and gives editors a set of on brand blocks that are hard to break.
- A hybrid is common: a lightweight custom theme with a small set of custom blocks, and a page builder only where the marketing team genuinely needs freedom.
A good WordPress developer will ask who edits the site, how often pages change and how important speed is before recommending one approach.
What does a good WordPress project process look like?
- Discovery. Goals, pages, integrations, who edits content and what must not change.
- Audit. For an existing site: plugins, theme, hosting, speed and security checks.
- Build on staging. Work happens on a copy of the site under version control, never directly on the live site.
- Review and testing. Forms, checkout, mobile layouts, redirects and page speed are checked before launch.
- Launch with a rollback plan. A fresh backup is taken and redirects are in place so search rankings are protected.
- Handover. A short guide for editors and a list of plugins, accounts and licenses.
What should a monthly WordPress maintenance plan include?
If your developer will look after the site after launch, agree the scope in writing. A solid plan covers core, theme and plugin updates tested on staging, daily or weekly backups stored off the server, uptime and security monitoring, a monthly speed check, and a small number of hours for content or layout changes. Knowing exactly what is included prevents surprise invoices and forgotten updates.
Frequently asked questions
Can a WordPress developer also improve SEO?
They can handle technical SEO: speed, clean markup, structured data, redirects and indexing issues. Content writing and link building are separate skills.
Do agencies hire WordPress developers through Cubehire?
Yes. Many US agencies add vetted WordPress developers to deliver client builds and maintenance under their own brand.
Should we move from WordPress to something else?
Usually not. A well built WordPress site is fast, secure and easy to edit. Problems typically come from poor builds, not the platform.
Looking for a WordPress developer? Tell us about your site and get vetted WordPress developers within 48 hours.
