The profession of web developer in general, and WordPress developer in particular, is one of the most popular and in-demand jobs and businesses in the digital market, as WordPress powers more than a quarter of the websites in the world.
Therefore, if you become a professional WordPress developer, you will be able to edit code to further customize your site pages, and you will also be able to create custom templates and plugins, which will enable you to obtain full-time or freelance job opportunities due to the increased demand for creating WordPress sites.
In today’s article, we will explain to you in detail who a WordPress developer is, what are his basic tasks, and what techniques must be learned to become a WordPress developer and be able to develop and implement attractive and easy-to-use websites and adapt them as you want? So if you want to know how to become a professional WordPress developer, this article will show you the path you must follow to achieve this goal.
WordPress developer tasks
WordPress is an easy-to-use system. Regular users of WordPress do not need to have programming skills to create their own website based on WordPress, and they can easily customize their site as they wish thanks to the various plugins, templates, and settings available.
Developers, on the other hand, need to delve deeper into the technical aspects of WordPress because they need to accomplish more tasks than just creating and customizing the site. As professional developers have to perform many additional tasks, the most prominent of which are:
- Development and design of the front end of the website
- Management and design of the back-end of the website
- Create WordPress templates and components
- Conduct website performance tests
- Creating and preparing the site structure
- Troubleshoot problems with the site and the content therein
- Training the client on how to use WordPress
- Evaluate and monitor the site’s performance and fix any problems
- Optimizing the site for search engines (SEO).
The above tasks are carried out according to the client’s requirements and needs, which is why you should hold a meeting with the client before starting development and programming.
Types of WordPress developers
WordPress development in general is a profession based on the infrastructure of the PHP programming language and requires a deep understanding of the WordPress core and knowledge of how to develop the latest plugins or templates and make them work correctly without conflicts between them.
You can start step by step towards learning WordPress development, as WordPress developers are classified into several types, each of which has its own specializations within the WordPress system itself. We can divide the types of developers into the following:
1. WordPress core developer
It is the core type that works directly in developing the core WordPress infrastructure as an open source content management system. Its primary function is to enter code or access the core code of WordPress and provide a set of recommendations that contribute to improving WordPress completely.
2. Add-on developer
A Plugin Developer is responsible for creating plugins and extensions that help add new functionality to a WordPress site, expand existing functionality on it, or improve the performance of the site as a whole.
Plugin developers can create custom plugins and provide them to users for free or sell them for a fee.
3. Template developer
The Theme Developer creates custom templates for websites, and is responsible for choosing and customizing the colors, formats, and layout of elements used within the site to publish content, and the way pages of WordPress sites appear to clients according to their specific needs. Templates can also be created and sold to third parties.
4. General WordPress developer
Some companies are looking to hire a single developer for all WordPress specializations (Full Stack WordPress Developer), so you will be distinguished if you are proficient in all WordPress specializations. A general WordPress developer can write and edit codes, make improvements to WordPress completely, add components and custom plugins or modify them to suit the required work, and can program and design the front and back ends, and modify templates appropriately. This, of course, requires a great deal of knowledge and skills.
Read also: What is the WordPress programming system and its basic components
How to become a professional WordPress developer?
We have learned about the tasks, responsibilities, and types of WordPress developers, now it is time to answer the question: How do you become a WordPress programmer? I will show you 5 steps that will save you time and effort in learning WordPress development.
1. Master the basics of programming
The importance of this step is that it helps you acquire the skill of solving problems, troubleshooting errors, and avoiding any programming obstacles that you may encounter during the development and design of WordPress.
You should learn the basics of programming languages and techniques used in WordPress development. WordPress is written in PHP and uses the MySQL database. It also uses HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and AJAX codes to display the front-end of the site.
Therefore, put the following technologies on your learning list (HTML, MySQL, AJAX, jQuery, CSS, Javascript, PHP), and here is a brief explanation of what each technology offers you.
Learn CSS – HTML for WordPress developer
Learning the coding languages CSS and HTML will help you customize the appearance of WordPress, and not mastering the basics of these programming languages will make it difficult for you to design a unique and distinctive WordPress design.
HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) means hypertext markup language that is represented through tags. It helps you organize the structure of pages and define the paragraphs, titles, images, links, and other elements that make up your page.
While the CSS language (Cascading Style Sheets) helps you as a developer to format the content within the pages, distribute spaces, colors, sizes, fonts, and display the pages in general.
Read also: A complete explanation of HTML and CSS and how to use them and modify their codes .
JavaScript language for WordPress developer
JavaScript is a scripting language used to add and control dynamic content on a website. Coding languages such as HTML and CSS work to define fixed elements on the site, such as lines, paragraphs, etc. While JavaScript defines the interactive features of pages such as interactive maps, animated graphics, scrolling video, playing music, showing boxes or pop-ups, etc.
For example, if a client asks you to attach a window showing a specific offer, or to show a pop-up ad on the page while the visitor is browsing, you must know JavaScript to do this task.
You also need to know about jQuery, which is a library that contains a set of shortcut javaScript functions that you can call to make the javaScript language easier to use on your website.
Thus, the jQuery language is useful in shortening the code to complete operations that require a large number of lines of code and makes it easier for you to complete complex programming operations. It is worth noting that WordPress comes pre-loaded with this library, so you can use it directly to write code on your site.
This guide will be great if you want to learn JavaScript, explain JavaScript for beginners and use it in the WordPress architecture
Php language for WordPress developer
The WordPress platform is built on PHP, an open source server-side programming language used to create dynamic, interactive websites.
The task of PHP is basically to take specific information from the database, compile it and display it together in an HTML web page. Most of the core WordPress files are written in PHP, so learning this language is the essential step to becoming a professional WordPress developer.
Other programming languages and technologies that benefit you as a WordPress developer
On the other hand, you will need to know Ajax, which is a technical phrase that uses JavaScript and XML to display and update data automatically and directly.
Therefore, learning Ajax will enable you, as a developer, to send and receive data without having to reload the page when you change any content within the site.
As for MySQL, it is a language designated for dealing with the site’s database. It is used to create the WordPress site database and store and save all data about the site. A WordPress developer may not initially need to know MySQL, but knowing it will develop his skills and will be an essential factor in understanding the site’s databases in depth.
2. Access specialized sources
You should learn more about WordPress and stay up to date on any updates or new versions of the WordPress system. The WordPress platform has created a global community that helps you be an active member and gain the latest and most important information.
The WordPress community also provided several methods to support WordPress developers. It established specialized support forums and made it possible to meet those in charge of WordPress through the establishment of specialized conferences on WordCamp, which are held periodically in which all those interested in this system, from ordinary users to basic developers, participate and exchange ideas and experiences.
You should also check out useful educational resources about WordPress after you choose the field you want to work in. Suppose you want to be a general developer. This is a great choice, but you need a lot of effort and time to learn it. But this knowledge will help you obtain ongoing jobs with a distinguished income. To get started, you can start learning the codes, apply them, and understand how it works. Here we recommend a group of useful sites on your journey towards professional WordPress development.
3. Choose the development area you want to focus on and gain practical experience in it
As we mentioned previously, there are 4 types of WordPress developers: (WordPress core programmer, template programmer, plugin programmer, and general programmer). Each field has its own programming techniques that you must master and practice. Of course, you can learn all of them and become a general developer for the WordPress system as a whole.
Once you learn the basic principles of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP, you can begin the basics of developing your own WordPress theme and plugins. You will find a large number of written tutorials and videos from various sources on developing themes and plugins and will gain a good understanding of design and layout guidelines using these languages.
You can initially install WordPress on a local server and try editing the template files themselves to modify them and see how the modifications work on the site. Browsing, understanding, and modifying the code will help you a lot in knowing how things work within the site.
4. Create a portfolio
After you know how to become a WordPress developer, it is time to put your skills to work in the job market. Create your own CV and portfolio to apply all the skills you’ve learned. This will help you increase your chances of obtaining unique employment opportunities, whether in the field of self-employment or through employment in a company.
There are multiple sites where you can publish your work and build an ideal business gallery within it, such as GitHub, Independent, Freelancer, UpWork, Fiverr, and other famous sites. There you will find categories for programming and developers.
The best WordPress learning resources
1. WordPress website
Our website WordPress in Arabic helps you to master WordPress, as it provides all the explanations that start from the stage of introducing WordPress and how it is useful for your website, through to the explanations related to installing it on the hosting and customizing it.
As well as at all stages of your learning and work in the field of WordPress development. On our website you will find many educational articles for beginners and advanced alike. You will learn a lot about templates and plugins, you will also learn the basics of programming languages, and you will learn about the most important problems facing WordPress developers and learn how to solve them.
2. WordPress.org Codex website
You can consider this site as the official online user guide for WordPress. It is considered one of the most reliable resources for learning about the platform and is available for free for those wishing to learn all the details of WordPress. This comprehensive guide was created by WordPress developers themselves, and in it you will find details about any template, plugin, or specific technical aspects you want to learn about WordPress.
3. The official website of WordPress developers
This site is considered one of the most clear sites for learning WordPress development. The WordPress platform has collected on this site all the resources that developers need while working in WordPress programming. On this site you will find all database documents, code writing standards, how to create basic website blocks, how to develop WordPress plugin templates, explain how they work, and much more.
4. Watch educational videos about WordPress
If you are one of the people who prefer to learn through videos, do not worry, there are many video learning resources available for you. The most prominent of these sources is the WordPress TV website , which provides a huge amount of videos covering all aspects of WordPress development. This site is owned by WordPress.org and is free and does not require you to log in to view the content.
YouTube also contains hundreds of channels and videos specialized in teaching programming on the one hand and teaching WordPress development in a specialized manner on the other. If you want to learn through videos, YouTube is a great place to learn and benefit. Perhaps is considered one of the best Arabic channels that is concerned with explaining WordPress and other programming techniques necessary for you to become a professional WordPress developer.
Read also: The best resources for learning WordPress from scratch to advanced levels
Conclusion
After you know how to become a WordPress developer, it is time to start and develop your skills from simply creating websites, installing templates and plugins, and adding content to them, to developing deeper and more specialized websites. Learning the profession of WordPress development is a very fun thing.
It may be daunting at first, but once you start working and developing professional websites using programming techniques, you will find it enjoyable and profitable. I can assure you that you will have a distinguished career future if you define your path, master in-depth learning, and build yourself a distinguished portfolio of work. So start now and make sure to invest your time in learning and practicing to be a successful and productive WordPress developer.
