With around 40% of all global websites powered by WordPress, it’s a great option to manage your online business! If you’re looking to hire a freelance WordPress developer to level up your professional online presence, you’re looking at between $15 and $35 per hour on average.
A lot depends on the project’s scope and whether you need any specific skills or experience.
Hiring a junior developer to make some minor adjustments will require a different budget from contracting a pro-level freelancer to take on complex reformatting tasks!
If you’re wondering how much does a WordPress developer cost for your project, here we’ll run through some of the frequently asked questions to help you allocate an appropriate budget.
What Do WordPress Developers Charge?
As we’ve mentioned, it’s tricky to put an accurate price on hiring a WordPress developer. There are thousands of highly skilled professionals out there, from WordPress to NinjaTrader developers, all of whom will charge different rates.
Here are a few things to consider:
- Would you prefer a fixed-rate price for your project, or are you happy to pay as you go on an hourly rate as the site build progresses? Fixed rates generally work out as more cost-effective, but may require ongoing renegotiations if you need regular work.
- Do you know what work is required? Many businesses want to improve their site or iron out some glitches, but it isn’t always obvious how complex those jobs will be or how long they will take.
- Are you looking for a freelancer with relevant experience in your sector or industry? In some cases, it can be preferable to pay a higher rate for a contractor who grasps what you’re trying to achieve and can therefore complete the job faster.
- Is there a deadline to work with? If you need a fast turnaround or have an urgent development job, you’ll often pay a slight uplift for speedier work.
While the average hourly rates are around $15 to $35, you might find that if you have ongoing work or a large project that will span a few weeks, there are cost-efficiencies to be gained if you decide to hire a freelancer that you’ll be working with regularly.
How Quickly Can I Hire a WordPress Developer?
We appreciate that some projects can be business-critical – and if you haven’t got time to waste, you need someone to get on with the job immediately!
The great news is that WordPress is a standard content management system (CMS) for most of the online world. That means that the vast majority of developers will be familiar with the features, and you won’t struggle to find someone who has instant availability.
We’d recommend posting a work requirement on Guru and being clear that you have a fixed deadline to work towards.
That ensures you won’t hear back from freelancers who aren’t available to start straight away or don’t have the capacity to finish the job in the timescales you’re dealing with.
Can I Build a WordPress Site Myself?
The basic WordPress CMS is free – although there are many add-ons and plug-ins you might need to pay for, depending on the functionality you need from your site.
Now, you can build a WordPress platform yourself, and it’s relatively simple to use. However, the other services crucial to operating an online site, such as hosting and establishing a domain name, might not be.
Managing the site means having clarity of the quality, functionality, and accessibility you need. With so many moving parts, it’s all too easy to invest hours in a website that doesn’t work.
Although WordPress itself can be free, there are several reasons it is highly advisable to use an experienced WordPress developer, whether you’re creating a new site from scratch or making amendments to an existing one:
- First impressions seriously count. It’s not just about having a slick website that showcases the professionalism of your business but about making sure your site doesn’t feel amateur and challenging to use.
- Performance is critical, and self-build sites commonly have crucial design flaws that won’t become apparent until the impact hits your sales or web traffic.
- SEO is also a fundamental factor. Contrary to popular opinion, SEOis not solely about filling a site with keywords but is more about providing excellent information, well structured site-architecture, readable sentences, fast loading times, and authoritative backlinks.
If you’re not 100% confident in your technological and design skills, it’s best to use a professional developer to ensure your website delivers the results you’re hoping for.
Should I Use a Freelance WordPress Developer or Hire Someone Permanently?
The decision between hiring someone permanently and contracting a freelancer depends on the nature of the project and how often you find yourself needing a developer.
There are many compelling reasons that so many modern businesses prefer the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of working with contractors:
- You can find a melting pot of skill sets and high-level experience in the online freelance recruitment world. Hiring someone full-time with a specific accreditation, ability, or qualification can be prohibitively expensive, and so using freelancers offers greater access to outstanding skills than you’d likely find with one individual.
- Freelancers are cost-effective. You can bring them on by an hourly rate or with a fixed project budget, hire someone as and when you need them, and have no need to worry about taxes, employment benefits, or any other costs associated with employees.
- Flexibility is key – a freelance WordPress developer will be there when you have urgent requirements. Many businesses find a freelancer they trust who provides excellent quality work and turn to them as the need arises.
Permanent hires, whether full-time or part-time, are no longer the status quo. Millions of enterprises recognize the value of using skilled freelancers.
What Tasks Can a WordPress Developer Carry Out?
It’s entirely up to you how much work you’d like your WordPress developer to manage.
You might have a specific scope of work or a particular problem you’d like them to solve – or you might be confident in giving them free rein to ensure your website is performing perfectly.
Some of the typical tasks include designing new features, formulating the responsive design, installing plug-ins, guiding the site’s architecture, and making sure it is working optimally with all the technical aspects of the CMS operating like a well-oiled machine!
