How to become a WordPress website developer in 2022

 According to W3Techs, WordPress is utilized by 37.8% of all websites online.

One of the reasons for WordPress's widespread appeal is that it does not need users to have any technical knowledge. They may use a theme to easily modify the look of their website, create and publish content, add multimedia, tweak settings, and more – all without touching a single line of code.

On the other side, a complete lack of technical knowledge might lead to problems later on. Some new users have difficulty safeguarding their websites, saving their data, completely altering their appearance, and reconstructing them. These are only a few reasons why people employ wordpress developers.

This free tutorial will show you how to make your website more user-friendly.

In conclusion, a wordpress website developer can handle the more technical parts of establishing and maintaining a wordpress site that the average user does not have the expertise or time to perform.

WordPress development is a lucrative industry that attracts both businesses and individual freelancers due to its large share of the CMS market and large user base. The majority of WordPress developers earn between $45,000 and $150,000 per year, according to a study performed by Delicious Brains.

What exactly does it imply to be a wordpress is a professional who focuses on the infrastructure and environment of the WordPress platform. They might focus on improving the WordPress platform or creating new products like plugins and themes. They could also help clients with WordPress site construction, modification, and administration.

This is a broad term because WordPress development is such a big topic. Below, we'll go over the responsibilities and job descriptions of wordpress developers in greater depth so you can have a better idea of what they do daily.

What exactly does a wordpress website developer do?

A wordpress developer is often responsible for the back-end or front-end development of wordpress sites (or both). Customizing wordpress themes and plugins is one example, but it's far from the only one. In addition to offering these tools, wordpress developers may be hired to construct a sitemap or wireframes for a new site, convert an existing site to the WordPress platform, or redesign it to boost its SEO and conversion rate.

Instead of working with clients on their sites, wordpress developers might examine and debug the WordPress codebase as a whole to enhance the software for everyone.

This is only a small portion of the work done by WordPress developers. To gain a better understanding of what this profession includes, let's look at a WordPress developer job description. The following job description may be found on Indeed.com.

For a more in-depth look at what wordpress developers perform, visit the services page of WordPress design firms. Here's the page for WebDevStudios, for example.

Given the diversity of wordpress developers, determining where or how to start acquiring the skills and competence required to pursue a career as a full-time professional or part-time freelancer in this field can be difficult.

To help you get started and avoid feeling overwhelmed, we'll guide you through the basic phases of becoming a WordPress developer.

What Are the Requirements for Becoming a wordpress Developer?

1. Starting from the earliest stage, figure out how to code.
2. Realize everything to be aware of wordpress.
3. Choose a focal point.
4. Create a development testing environment.
5. As a contributor, you may join the WordPress community.
6. Create a portfolio to showcase your work.
7. Make yourself a technical résumé.

Learning the fundamentals of coding is the first step.

WordPress is well-known as a content management system that, as previously said, does not need users to code or even know how to code. Understanding the principles of HTML, CSS, Javascript, and PHP as a developer, on the other hand, is essential for troubleshooting, debugging, and expanding the platform's capabilities.

You'll need a basic understanding of PHP to install WordPress error logs on a client's site, for example. A list of random posts in the sidebar of a WordPress site is the same. You'll need to utilize JavaScript if you want external links on your wordpress site to automatically open in a new tab. If you want to change a WordPress starter theme, you'll need to know HTML and CSS.

These are just a few examples of coding tasks that a developer could be asked to complete.

Step 2: Become an expert in WordPress by learning all there is to know about it.

After you've learned the basics of coding, dig into wordpress -specific resources to learn more about what makes this CMS so unique. The resources mentioned below might help you along your path to becoming a WordPress developer at various stages.

• WordPress codex is the wordpress developers' official online guide. It covers everything from the principles of website development to the most technical aspects of wordpress, such as how to include AJAX functionality into your custom plugin.
• Envato Tuts+: This website, among other things, offers anything from how-to lessons to courses to WordPress ebooks. Their wordpress how-to classes cover a similar range of subjects as the wordpress Codex but also include photographs and videos for visual learners.
• WordPress Developer Resources: wordpress has compiled a variety of official developer resources, including a code reference and handbooks for APIs, plugin and theme development, the block editor, and other topics. This is becoming more of a need as developers progress.
• Understand the Code: For individuals who prefer video instruction, this e-learning site provides three distinct learning paths: one for plugin developers and two for theme developers. Because you'll learn how to build a plugin or theme from the ground up, this class is intended for expert developers.

Step 3: Pick a focal point for your composition.

You have three possibilities if you want to work as a wordpress developer. You can focus on the core program, plugins, or themes if you choose. Although you can work in all three areas, you must be an expert in at least one of them.

Here's a short review of these emerging sectors. Later on, we'll go further into plugin and theme creation.

• Core Development: Developers in this section produce and maintain the wordpress -commerce core. The software that may be downloaded from the WordPress website is known as the wordpress core. While co-founder Matt Mullenweg oversees the wordpress core team, anybody may view and analyze the code, report security problems or bugs, and contribute code. There's even an official manual for essential contributors.
• Theme Development: People that work in this field create bespoke themes. They can customize it for individual clients, offer it for free in the WordPress Theme Directory, or sell it on a third-party marketplace or website. A theme developer's guide is also included.
• Plugin Development: Programmers in this sector create custom plugins. They, like theme developers, can create a plugin for a single customer, offer it for free in the WordPress Theme Directory, or sell it on a third-party marketplace or site. There is also an official guide for plugin developers.

These are the top three areas of focus, however, there are more. APIs, for example, are growing in popularity and profitability. Choose the choice that best suits your skills and interests while assessing your possibilities (and desired income).

Step 4: Create a development testing environment.

Setting up a development environment is crucial for each sort of developer. It not only speeds up the development process but also typically produces higher-quality outputs.

You may store all of your WordPress plugin and theme files, as well as the core WordPress files, in a local or remote environment. This will enable you to test and examine changes in a browser rapidly. While it will look as if you are viewing any other website on the internet, the data will be downloaded from your computer rather than the hosting server for your website.

This enables you to collaborate with a group of other developers to address any issues before releasing your security patch, custom theme, or custom plugin to the wider public.

Step 5: Become an active part of the wordpress community.

When compared to Joomla, Drupal, and other content management systems, WordPress has the largest worldwide community devoted to improving the platform. These millions of users may be reached through support forums and Slack channels, as well as in person at WordCamp conferences and other community events across the world.

Actively participating in this community may help you debug software or website issues, stay up to know on product releases and changes, and network.

Create a portfolio of your work as the sixth step.

When applying for a job, you want to provide as much proof as possible of your skills and abilities. This holds true in virtually any field, but it is especially true in wordpress website development.

A portfolio is a great way to "show, don't tell." A portfolio of your development work might help you get hired full-time or as a freelancer.

Here's an example of a freelance developer's portfolio. One of his advantages is that it shows he's worked on a wide range of WordPress projects, including a custom wordpress photography theme, an ecommerce business, and a review site.

Step 7: Prepare a technical skills resume.

A technical CV, like a portfolio, is an essential component of every wordpress developer job application. A technical CV can also be used as the foundation for an About page on your website if you're a freelancer.

A technical CV includes all of the necessary competencies, professional experience, education, and project components. Because you're just getting started, it's okay if you have little or no professional experience to include. Make certain you fill in the blanks.