How to Outsource WordPress Development the Right Way

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WordPress development unfortunately ranges from the amateur selling themselves as a developer to true developers. It can be hard for businesses to tell the true developers from the amateurs. However, there are steps you can take to simplify WordPress development and ensure the job is done right. Here are a few tips on how to outsource your development the right way.

Understand Your Requirements

The first step to outsourcing WordPress development is understanding what needs to be done to the website. This affects everything from the type of talent you’re looking for to the type of contract you’ll create. Are you looking to make your website mobile friendly? Does a full shopping cart module need to be built into the website?

Someone whose expertise is setting up user generated content and moderation on a WordPress site may not know how to set up a secure shopping cart system, much less one that emails users when orders are received and shipped and properly interfaces with your inventory management system.

Have a Clear Contract

A WordPress developer’s refusal to sign a contract is a red flag not to use them. They may want the money for services they won’t deliver, seek to charge you excessively for services and licenses they don’t have to document or are so unprofessional they don’t understand basic business requirements. There’s another reason good developers want a clear contract.

The full list of requirements, expectations and deadlines allows them to better determine the time and cost of the project. A good developer will say that finishing all of this work by the deadline requires help – and more money. A mediocre developer will outsource pieces of the work to someone even cheaper and try to cobble something together. A thorough scope of work also makes it clear to both sides the expectations, and good WordPress developers want to be able to say “I delivered what you agreed for in the contract. You want more work done? You’ll have to negotiate for it.”

If you’re having trouble finding a WordPress developer who can agree to a well described scope of work and reasonable pay rate, contact a WordPress development agency, such as the Lexel development agency who are the best developers in London for help instead, rather than independent, less trustworthy developers. And if someone cannot give you a general price range for software licenses and code modules they want to use and instead demand an open work order, you know to go somewhere else.

Communicate Regularly

Set up a clear line of communication between the developer and your team, ideally with a single point of contact. This prevents problems where two different team members provide conflicting requirements or give different answers to the developer’s questions. You should respond quickly to the developer’s questions to keep the project going at the planned pace, and you should have regular status meetings or reports on the project from the developer.

If you want your outsourced WordPress project to go smoothly, follow the few tips in this article. Remember to have your requirements laid out clearly from the start and know that the developer you’re hiring is qualified to do that work. Always negotiate a clear contract up front and have clear lines of communication and keep in regular contact along the way.

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