Understanding the Different Types of WordPress Developers: Front-End vs. Back-End

WordPress needs no introduction for those like us who are well-aware of the market share of this Content Management System (CMS). It not holds 43% of the share of all websites on the internet, but also has 64.3% of CMS’s market share. The websites of big name brands like Disney, Sony Music, Times Magazine, and many more are powered by WordPress.

Its versatility and user-friendliness make it a popular choice among businesses looking to establish a potent online presence. Nevertheless, the success of any platform or project hinges on the quality of the talent onboard. You must ensure to thoroughly evaluate the skills and expertise when you hire WordPress developers and also have an understanding of the differences between front-end and back-end WordPress developers. In this blog, let’s help you navigate the challenge of how to hire a WordPress developer knowing these distinctions.

Who is a WordPress Developer

A WordPress developer is a skilled professional in creating, customizing, and maintaining websites built on the WordPress front. Their responsibilities can vastly vary from front-end to back-end development. WordPress is a preferred CMS for businesses for its scalability, extensive plugin ecosystem, and large developer community offering constant support and innovative solutions. 

A WordPress developer’s tasks mostly include:

1. Designing and implementing website themes
2. Developing plugins
3. Ensuring website security
4. Optimizing performance

Now, let’s look at the 2 broad categories of talent that fall under the category of WordPress developers starting with front-end developers. 

Front-End WordPress Developers

A front-end WordPress developer has their sole focus on what you as the user see on the digital interface. This means they develop the visual and interactive elements of a website. For this they make design mockups and then convert them into functional web pages using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

The goal is to render a seamless user experience by developing a responsive, visually appealing, and easy to navigate website. By working closely alongside the designers, they can bring your aesthetic vision to life on the digital screens and ensure that the technical needs are addressed. 

Skills Needed for a Front-End WordPress Developers

When you hire WordPress developers from India or globally, you must look for the following skills in a front-end developer to ensure they excel in it:

1. Proficiency in HTML/CSS which is regarded as the backbone of any website structure and design.
2. Ability to make responsive designs to ensure that the site functions well on all devices and screen resolutions.
3. Expertise in JavaScript to be able to create interactive elements and enhance user experience. 
4. Ensuring cross-platform compatibility so that the website looks and functions correctly across distinct browsers.
5. Experience customizing existing themes or creating new ones to align with the brand’s identity. 
6. Apart from technical acumen, they should also have exceptional communication and coordination skills, attention to detail, project management skills, and several such soft skills. 

Tools and Technologies Used by Front-End Developers

Front-end developers use a set of distinct tools to streamline work and ensure quality output. The tools repository include:

1. Knowledge of Bootstrap/Foundation frameworks that aid in developing responsive designs.
2. Experience of using Gulp/Webpack tools to automate and streamline development tasks like minification and bundling.
3. Familiarity with WordPress customizer, a tool within WordPress providing live preview of the theme changes. 
4. CSS preprocessors Sass/Less that help manage complex styling requirements.

Common Front-End Development Tasks in WordPress

Some common tasks that are a part of the day-to-day work life of front-end developers include:

1. Customizing and styling WordPress themes to match the desired design.
2. Ensuring the website is compatible across various web browsers.
3. Implementing responsive design principles to ensure the site functions well on all devices.
4. Enhancing the user interface to improve overall user experience.
5. Optimizing images and other media for fast loading times.

Now that you are aware of what to look for when you hire front-end WordPress developers, it’s time to look at when to hire.

When to Hire Front-End WordPress Developers

In the challenge of how to hire front-end WordPress developers, two critical pain areas that you must resolve include what to look for in the talent and when to hire. Once you have the answers to these questions, you are halfway there in the hiring funnel.

Projects Best-Suited for Front-End WordPress Developers include:

1. Updating the look and feel of website design to reflect your brand identity.
2. Enhancing the user interface and experience of your website.
3. Ensuring responsive designing of the website for its smooth functioning on all devices.
4. Customizing an existing WordPress theme to tailor it to the specific branding needs.

Signs You Need a Front-End WordPress Developer:

1. You have an outdated website design that needs to be refined to align with the modern aesthetics or your brand identity.
2. The site load time is slow impeding smooth user journey which is why visual elements need to be optimized.
3. The site isn’t responsive or user-friendly on mobile devices.
4. There are issues of inconsistent user experience as users can’t navigate or use the interactive features easily. 

Let’s move to those group of WordPress professionals who work behind the scenes but have an equally vital role in the development process. The back-end WordPress developers that work in conjunction with the front-end professionals. 

Back-End WordPress Developers

A back-end WordPress developer works on the server-side of the website, focusing on the technical infrastructure supplementing the front-end. Their typical responsibilities include database management, custom plugin development, ensuring site security, performance optimization, and ensuring scalability and security of the website. 

Skills Needed for a Back-End WordPress Developer

1. Expertise in core technologies of PHP/MySQL for WordPress back-end development.
2. Ability to integrate third-party services and custom APIs.
3. Understanding of server environments and configurations.
4. Familiarity with tools like WordPress Hooks, Actions, and Filters for customizing and extending WordPress functionality.

Tools and Technologies Used by Back-End WordPress Developers

Back-end WordPress developers need to rely on a broad range of tools such as:

1. Version control Git for tracking changes and collaborating with other developers.
2. WordPress REST API for connecting WordPress with other services and building custom solutions.
3. PHP/MySQL for building and managing dynamic content and databases.
4. cPanel/Plesk for panel controlling for managing server settings and configurations.
5. Composer serving as a dependency manager for PHP is crucial for managing libraries and plugins.

Common Back-End Development Tasks in WordPress include:

1. Implementing security measures to protect websites against vulnerabilities.
2. Customizing the WordPress admin area for better content management.
3. Developing custom plugins to add new functionality to the website.
4. Ensuring the site’s scalability and reliability, especially under heavy traffic.
5. Managing and optimizing databases to enhance site performance.

When to Hire Back-End WordPress Developers

Website development is a broader niche that has several sub-divisions in it. Some projects might be best suited for front-end professionals while others might be for back-end WordPress developers. 

Some of the best-suited projects for back-end WordPress developers include:

1. Custom plugin development to add unique functionalities and features that might not be available through existing plugins.
2. Enhancing the site security to protect it from potential threats.
3. Handling and managing large volumes of data efficiently.
4. Optimizing the server-side by improving the site performance and scalability. 

Signs You Need a Back-End WordPress Developer

1. The site performance is slow or unstable especially under heavy traffic.
2. Existing plugins don’t meet your specific requirements and need customization.
3. The site is vulnerable to attacks or the security has been compromised.
4. Advanced database management and optimization are needed.

Key Differences Between Front-End and Back-End WordPress Developers

When you are considering how to hire a WordPress developer, the clarity in how front-end and back-end WordPress developers differ is extremely vital. Let’s identify this distinction based on the following key parameters:

How to Choose the Right WordPress Developer for Your Project

Now that you know both the roles are crucial for the success of your website, it’s time to address how to hire a WordPress developer in the competitive race. 

Follow these vital steps:

Assess the project needs

The first step is to assess your specific project needs with respect to whether your project requires more visual and design-focused work (front-end), or technical and server-side challenges (back-end). Understanding your project scope will guide you in choosing the right WordPress developer.

Evaluate the skills and experience

Once you have identified your needs, evaluate potential developers based on their skill set and expertise. When you go through a front-end developers portfolio analyze their proficiency in responsive design, UI/UX, and cross-platform compatibility. For back-end developers prioritize those that have strong PHP/MySQL skills and experience in custom plugin development and server management. 

Ask the right questions

Ask a certain specific set of questions to ensure you find the right hire. There are different sets of questions for front-end and back-end developers.

For Front-End developers:

• Can you show examples of responsive websites you’ve developed?
• How do you ensure cross-browser compatibility?
• What tools do you use for version control?

For Back-End Developers:

• Have you developed custom WordPress plugins? Can you provide examples?
• How do you approach database optimization for large sites?
• What security measures do you implement to protect websites?

How Uplers Can Help You Hire Top WordPress Professionals

Uplers is a leading hiring platform where we partner with hiring managers to help them navigate and streamline their hiring hassle. Our intent is to bridge the talent gap and connect you with top-tier tech and digital experts in India. We want to facilitate a hassle-free, cost-effective, and AI-driven remote recruitment of Indian talent for global companies. 

Our extensive 1M+ talent network caters talent from across 5+ time zones so that you have elite talent working as per your time schedule. Our 4-step vetting process eliminates 96.5% of unfit candidate profiles. Want to know what our process is?

1. We garner job descriptions from hiring managers that are well-detailed to give us a clarity of your talent requirement. 
2. Our AI-matchmaking algorithm gives you the top 3.5% of Indian remote talent based on language proficiency, aptitude test, skills evaluation, and cultural fitness.
3. You get to interview the shortlisted applicants and finalize the hire.
4. Our team takes care of the entire onboarding process of the newbie.

What makes us distinctive from our IT staffing friends and other hiring platforms in the marketplace?

1. AI-tailored hiring where talent is carefully vetted based on your requirements.
2. 1M+ talent network where you can hire for almost any tech or digital role from hiring Shopify developers to hiring Angular developers and SEO experts. 
3. Access to top 3.5% of Indian remote talent at transparent pricing.
4. Ongoing support with our 2-weeks risk-free trial period, 30-days talent cancellation policy, and a lifetime free talent replacement policy.
5. Up to 40% savings on hiring costs.
6. Hassle-free remote recruitment.

Front-End vs. Back-End WordPress Developers—Who’s Right for Your Project?

Henceforth, from the terminologies it might sound like there is a fine line of difference. But, the difference between front-end and back-end WordPress developers is more than that. Understanding these different types of developers and finding the right hiring partner are your magic bullets in navigating the dilemma of how to hire a WordPress developer.