There are almost 1.5 billion websites constructed on the WordPress platform, and more than 2 million people download it annually. This is one of the largest platforms like this, and it is growing steadily every year. Because of it, millions of people are employed, and it leaves room for even more job positions.
The current statistics suggest that currently, there are about 10 thousand developers available to hire that are proficient in WP, and if you want to get one, or if you want to become one, you need to know what you are looking for. Here, we are going to list some of the main things that every WordPress developer needs to know, and we will tell you why these skills are crucial.
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How to work on the WP platform
The first thing that is essential and that you have to focus on if you want to be a good developer is knowing how to work on this platform. This is a structure that is at the same time, extremely easy and extremely complex, and it is perfectly scalable for everyone’s knowledge and experience. There are limitless opportunities for those who want to do more and do better, and at the same time, it is simple enough for those who are just starting.
You are striving to be one of the further, but you have to start as the latter if you want to become a master in WP. So, start by learning all the basics of WP and learn how to find your way around it.
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How to make a WP platform
Once you become proficient in working on the platform itself, you need to learn how to make it from scratch. Not every client is going to be interested in getting things that are already available as templates, so you need to know how to create and code things, and how to optimize them based on your brand’s needs.
You will know how to use the themes that are available for you, how to change and optimize them, and how to create the content from scratch. The same goes for plugins and every other detail that is going to make a difference on the site.
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How to create and install plugins
Plugins are the core of the platform, and every client is going to want to use them. If you open any site that is made on this platform, you will see that they utilize at least one plugin. So, you have to be proficient in this, and you need to know how to create them and how to utilize the resources that are already available for you.
With proper websites and tools you don’t have to worry about creating them from scratch, and you can just access a library that allows you to get so many different types of plugins, already made for you, and the only thing you need to do is place the code in the right location.
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Proficiency in the main languages
There are a lot of programming and markup languages that you need to be proficient in if you want to be one of the top WP developers. We are not going to go into details in every single one of them, but you have to if you want to show that you are interested in making a career in this.
Hypertext Markup Language is a must, and this is where the foundation of the site is going to be laid, so you cannot advance in your career unless you are fluent in it. JavaScript is the part that is used to have control over the interactive elements of the platform, so you need to understand how it works and what it does, even if it is not one of your main responsibilities. Cascading Style Sheets is the one responsible for the visuals of the site, and Structured Query Language defines the communication between databases. Finally, you must be proficient in PHP because it is the main language for developing anything on the platform. If you are searching for examples of high-quality websites, we recommend you to check out custom websites by Digital Silk as they can help you build your website following the latest design trends.
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Mobile development
This is not required from all the WP developers, and more often than not, there is another set of professionals who takes care of this part, but if you want to be able to present your skills properly, and if you want to be chosen over every other candidate for the job, it is better to understand how mobile development works.
As you probably already know, this platform optimizes its content for mobile devices, but you may need to do some changes to the plugins or the content to make sure everything looks as it should. Make sure you understand the responsive design and how it can be translated to different-sized screens.
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Additional skills
The skills that we mentioned before are crucial for every WP developer, and they have to be fluent in the programming and markup languages, as well as their understanding of the platform and all things that come with it. However, there are other skills that are going to make a difference as well.
No matter if you want to become a developer, or you are looking to hire one, you should also focus on business knowledge. Even though this is not a must, it is far better to be a well-rounded professional who knows why some points of the platform are going to be more important than others, and how they are going to help improve the brand as is.
Search engine optimization is one of the most important things for every platform, and even though you don’t have to be fluent in this as a developer, it is preferable for you to understand what it is and how it is implemented.
It is also a positive thing to understand how sales and marketing work, what WP affiliate software could be involved, and how the platform can be optimized to draw more customers in.
You should also understand the security site of WP, and what are the biggest threats that your brand or customers are going to face when using the platform.
These are the things that you should be looking for in every professional that you want to hire, and on the same note, these are the skills that you need to have if you want to be a high-quality developer for the biggest platform in the world. Some things are going to be more important than others, so make sure you focus on getting the right skills, mastering them, and knowing at least the basics of everything else.
