Skills That Make the Best WordPress Developers
WordPress is the most popular Content Management System (CMS) across the world. Many businesses frequently look for a WordPress developer, with search terms such as WordPress developer near me.
When one becomes a WordPress developer, one can monetize his works or share them for free as well. But for the same, it is important to be thorough with the fundamental aspects of WordPress.
What Can You Create and Develop in WordPress?
1. Themes
2. Plugins
3. Widgets
4. Entire WordPress websites
5. Web Applications via Rest API
What Do You Need to Know as A WordPress Developer?
HTML (preferably HTML5)
CSS (Preferably CSS3)
PHP
MySQL
JavaScript
jQuery
AJAX
Sharing Your Work For Free through WordPress Repositories
Monetizing Your Work by Finding Clients
Dealing with Contracts and Invoices
Counting Taxes and Income
What can you create and develop in WordPress?
When a WordPress developer modifies WordPress, he creates a standalone code that combines with WordPress core code. The developer can bring about a range of changes over his WordPress site by tweaking the standalone code, such as creating new profile pages or transforming the core behavior. The core code stays unaltered at all times.
A WordPress Developer primarily works upon five of these aspects:
1. Themes
WordPress theme development pertains to the styling and layout of a WordPress website. A theme can be manipulated in numerous ways. Multiple elements combine to make a WordPress theme, such as JQuery, JavaScript, PHP, CSS, and HTML.
Keeping a WordPress theme responsive is a must nowadays, and allows the end-consumer to access a website easily over a smartphone. A responsive theme is created using CSS media queries and fluid workflow of grid systems.
2. Plugins
Plugins are the most used feature in WordPress and are currently over 54,000 in number. With WordPress plugin development, a Wordpress developer can add to the collection. Plugins add additional functionality to WordPress without altering the core code. PHP hooks are frequently used for creating plugins. As an example, WooCommerce is a popular WordPress eCommerce plugin while JetPack is a WordPress website design plugin, used to create a WordPress website.
3. Widget
When a WordPress developer creates his plugin or a theme, a custom widget can help create a function which one does not find otherwise.
Widgets are web components and may also be used to access specific parts or pages of a website. As an example, they may enable a quick getaway for certain features, such as the shopping cart in WordPress eCommerce. Creating widgets requires a good working knowledge of PHP.
Default widgets over WordPress can be accessed by appearance -> widgets. Similarly, installing plugins give access to third-party widgets such as Ninja Forms and Simple Page Sidebars.
4. Entire WordPress websites
Entire WordPress websites are created by combining widgets, plugins, themes and custom codes created using PHP, JavaScript, CSS, and SASS. One requires not just WordPress developer skills, but WordPress web design skills as well.
5. Web Applications via Rest API
WordPress now uses REST API, a bridge connecting any working application over a web server with the WordPress core.
By knowing REST API, a WordPress developer can create a working application over WordPress.
What Do You Need to Know as A WordPress Developer?
HTML (preferably HTML5)
HTML ensures that your web pages display nicely across browsers. It is among the key skills for a WordPress designer to know.
CSS (preferably CSS3)
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) determine how HTML elements display over different screen sizes. This makes WordPress web design responsive.
PHP
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a powerful and feature-rich scripting language that takes care of the backend. The results of scripting are displayed by HTML.
MySQL
MySQL stores all information about the website, wherein PHP dynamically retrieves the information.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a web scripting language. It allows WordPress developers to manipulate the content’s behavior over a webpage.
jQuery
jQuery is a frequently used library for JavaScript. Multiple JavaScript functions can be chained together using jQuery. This makes the end code easier to read.
AJAX
AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) allows a WordPress developer to send or receive data without entirely reloading a page. This makes a webpage more interactive.
Sharing Your Work For Free through WordPress Repositories
When a WordPress developer creates a plugin or a theme, he can share it using a WordPress repository. But it is important to release the work under a General Public License (GPL). With a GPL in place, the users get certain rights to your work when they download and use it. In general, the GPL allows you to retain appropriate copyrights to your work. So, each of the files in your works must have this license.
Monetizing Your Work by Finding Clients
For finding clients, it is preferable for a WordPress developer to have a strong portfolio. Similarly, one must be knowledgeable about the skills that his future clients would be on a lookout for. They are looking out for the best WordPress developer.
One can find out the skillsets of WordPress developers in demand online.
Dealing with Contracts and Invoices
A WordPress developer must create a written contract with the client, which specifies the extent of work and the pay rate. Similarly, the contract must specify if the developer is charging an hourly rate or a flat fee.
After the project is through, one must send an invoice to the client. This must list the work done over the project, and the date when it was delivered.
Counting Taxes and Income
Regarding taxes and income, rules differ by the country. But a WordPress developer must understand his tax obligation.
Above a certain income, one is required to pay taxes or a VAT as well. Paying taxes on time helps prevent legal issues at a later point in time.
Conclusion:
There is a range of development related to WordPress that a WordPress web developer can do. The top five include making an entire WordPress website, plugins, themes widgets, and web applications. One must be technically thorough and know Ajax, jQuery, JavaScript, MySQL, PHP, CSS3 and HTML5.
Then, one must share and monetize one’s work. A bright portfolio helps find high-paying clients. One can also access WordPress help, for a range of developer resources available over the website. WordPress support forums are easily accessible as well.
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