WordPress powers almost 39.6% of the internet in 2021 and has seen steady growth year on year. 64% of CMS-built sites are WordPress, and over 400 million people visit WordPress sites every month. The most significant advantage of WordPress is making changes and editing the content without any technical knowledge. WordPress’ reach has extended to eCommerce solutions, ERP solutions, and website analytics solutions through customized plugins and unique WordPress themes. The open-source WordPress website development technology is popular among numerous small, medium and big enterprises to create their websites. WordPress makes it straightforward for business owners to modify, alter, change and update content on their sites, especially with the availability of WordPress tutorials. Here we will examine the key skills you need to be a professional full-stack WordPress developer.
Technical Set of Skills
WordPress uses standard web coding languages and MYSQL. HTML and CSS, JavaScript, API, and AJAX combine for the front-end presentation. Here we break down the technical skills set.
HTML:
The implementation of Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML) is necessary for a smooth user experience. It ensures your web pages fit any browser. If the code isn’t valid, browsers misinterpret that code and may display parts of your page poorly. HTML5 is the current version of the markup language. It has several significant advantages over its predecessor (HTML4), such as video and audio support, JavaScript, and new elements like footers, headers, tracks, and summaries.
CSS:
Cascading Style Sheets are for styling your pages and their content. It determines how the HTML elements appear on the screen. The stylesheet language enables you to make significant style changes to your entire site quickly. CSS has a feature called Media Queries, which allows you to define how each part of a page behaves on the specific screen size. The function is an essential component to create a responsive website that can adapt to the user’s device.
API:
API lists many operations developers can use, along with their descriptions. A developer needs to know that an operating system builds and presents a “Save As” dialogue box on the app. APIs allow web developers to save time with the platform’s implementation to deal with the nitty-gritty work. That helps reduce the number of code developers’ needs and helps create consistency across the same platform apps. APIs can control access to the hardware and software resources.
Programming Languages:
PHP:
Almost 78% of websites use PHP programming language, and it’s an ideal choice for WordPress. PHP is primarily for website development, although it has since become a general-purpose language. PHP manages the content and communicates with databases while controlling the plugins and third-party integrations.
Javascript:
JavaScript makes themes and plugins interactive. It is a standard programming language that’s known as a client-oriented scripting language. It’s an essential WordPress developer skill. Apart from that language, it is better to know one or two JS libraries and frameworks like Angular and Vue.JS.
Python:
Python is a popular programming language for websites and one of the most popular for science, data analytics, fin-tech, and web scraping. Python puts results into a MySQL database, then outputs the results through a custom WordPress plugin that makes MySQL queries to the database and displays the results on the front end.
Ruby on Rails:
You can build a blog using the Ruby on Rails framework itself. WordPress is already so well optimised and ready to use in a few clicks that you don’t need to code a blog from scratch. Building your blog solution might still be the best option if you want a complete Rails integration, and maybe you require a simple version of a blog.
Keen to Learn:
Web development isn’t a stagnant field. On the contrary, it’s constantly evolving and changing. You must keep up with any changes. Developers understand current trends in modern web design and use them for a more appealing and responsive WordPress web page.
Solid Planning Skills:
WordPress attracts artistic people; however, while passion and enthusiasm are commendable, elevating your craft from a hobby to an occupation will fail without planning. Working with customers and getting work done promptly requires serious planning skills. Besides setting and outlining goals, it includes breaking down tasks into components, setting priorities, creating and sticking to deadlines.
Business Set of Skills
Marketing: As a WordPress developer, marketing is critical to bring your brand to the world. Marketing empowers you to comprehend your clients and their needs better. Knowing what to sell to your clients is vital. Subsequently, sharpening your marketing skills will enlarge your scope.
Business Mindset:
You need knowledge of market trends and industry requirements. If you develop a website, put in a lot of effort, and it fails to draw attention, the site is ineffective. The insight and growth of a business mindset are helpful to excel. Ask yourself how you can solve your client’s problems with a website or develop the existing website further.
Customer Focus:
Excellent customer service is an effective communication medium with clients. It is a critical factor in your success as a developer. No one likes stalling in the middle of an important project due to unresponsive plugins and no support from the developer. These experiences make people avoid that specific product. Superior customer service has the accompanying goals of offering a way for individuals to get in touch, discussing with clients, putting forward your ideas, asking the correct questions, providing solutions for their issues, and having an applicable refund policy. Your customers will undoubtedly return to you if they are content with your responses.
Round-Up
To sum up, the essential skills you need as a WordPress developer include practical knowledge of WordPress. PHP for creating customized functionalities. HTML and CSS to make the site visually stunning, and a knowledge of MySQL for managing data. You will also need RESTful APIs for third-party integrations and JavaScript for future-proofing. Marketing and a business mindset are valuable skills, and planning is advisable. These are the fundamentals of what makes an excellent WordPress developer.
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