Hiring guide
How to Hire a WordPress Developer
Where to find WordPress developers, theme, block and plugin skills to check, a paid custom-block test, security red flags and what to own at handover.
The short answer
Hiring a WordPress Developer comes down to verifying php and the wordpress hooks system (actions and filters), block editor development: custom blocks, patterns and block themes and custom post types, taxonomies and custom fields before you commit interview time. The process below runs 5 stages, screens on evidence rather than résumé claims, and scores every candidate against the same criteria.
- Watch for: Relies on many plugins for features that need little code
- Watch for: Uses nulled or pirated premium themes and plugins
- Score on: Secure, standards-following PHP and JavaScript
- Score on: An editor experience non-technical staff can use safely
Paste your WordPress Developer job description; Cohesyve finds, contacts and tests candidates on the real work and ranks them. Ten candidates free, no card.
Applying for a role like this? Practise the assessment free →If you need to hire a WordPress developer, separate site builders who assemble themes and plugins from developers who write custom themes, blocks and plugins in PHP and JavaScript. Both are useful, but they suit very different projects. This guide covers where to look, the skills that matter, a small paid task and the security and ownership points to settle before anyone gets admin access.
Why this role matters
WordPress runs everything from small business sites to large publishers, and a developer's choices decide how fast, secure and easy to edit your site will be. Good work gives editors flexible blocks and patterns without breaking the design. Poor work stacks up plugins, leaves updates undone and makes the site slow and vulnerable.
Where to find candidates
- jobs.wordpress.net, the WordPress community job board
- Codeable, a vetted marketplace for WordPress freelancers
- WordCamp events and local WordPress meetups
- Make WordPress teams and the WordPress.org plugin and theme directories, where you can see contributors' public work
- Freelance platforms such as Upwork, Toptal and Contra
- WordPress agencies if you need design, build and hosting support together
Skills to look for
Red flags
- Relies on many plugins for features that need little code
- Uses nulled or pirated premium themes and plugins
- Edits a parent theme directly instead of using a child theme or custom theme
- Works straight on the live site with no staging or backups
- Cannot explain how they sanitise input and escape output
- Asks to keep the site's admin account or hosting in their own name
The interview process
- 1
Scope the work
List what you need: a new theme, custom blocks, a plugin, a migration, speed fixes or ongoing maintenance. Note your hosting, current theme, key plugins and who edits content.
- 2
Portfolio and code review
Look at sites they built and ask what they personally coded. Ask for a plugin or theme repository so you can check structure, coding standards and security handling.
- 3
Technical conversation
Ask how they would let editors build a landing page without breaking the design. Listen for block patterns, locked templates and custom blocks rather than a page-builder add-on by default.
- 4
Paid test task
Give a small, paid task on a staging site, such as a custom block with editable fields that renders correctly in the editor and on the front end. Review the code, the editor experience and their notes. A job simulation of the real work is one option when you are comparing several developers.
- 5
Terms and references
Agree scope, ownership of custom code, plugin licences in your name, maintenance and update responsibilities, and access levels. Check one or two references.
Cohesyve
Start the WordPress Developer interviews from a ranked shortlist
Cohesyve takes your WordPress Developer job description, finds and contacts candidates and tests each one on an AI job simulation of the job, so the stages above start with people who have already done the work. Ten candidates free, no card.
How to evaluate
- Secure, standards-following PHP and JavaScript
- An editor experience non-technical staff can use safely
- Restraint with plugins and a clear reason for each one
- Page speed and mobile behaviour after their changes
- Use of staging, version control and backups
- Clear documentation and handover
Onboarding
- 1Give them their own administrator or editor account rather than sharing a login, and remove it when the work ends
- 2Set up a staging site and backups before work starts
- 3Buy premium themes and plugin licences in your company's name
- 4Keep custom code in a repository you own
- 5Agree who handles core, theme and plugin updates, and how often
Common questions
Do I need a WordPress developer or a WordPress designer?
A designer focuses on the look and layout, often with an existing theme. A developer writes custom code for themes, blocks, plugins and integrations. Many projects need both.
Should a WordPress developer use a page builder?
It depends on who edits the site and how complex the layouts are. The block editor with custom blocks and patterns now covers many needs a page builder once did, often with less code to maintain.
Who should own the plugin and theme licences?
Your company. Buy licences in your own name so updates and support continue if the developer leaves.
What maintenance does a WordPress site need?
Regular core, theme and plugin updates, backups, security monitoring and uptime checks. Agree in writing whether the developer, your host or your team handles each.
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