The choice of a WordPress development company can significantly impact your business website. Although WordPress is among the most popular website platforms in the world, developing a thriving business website involves more than WordPress installation and publishing content.
A professional WordPress development company can help you get a business website that meets your brand requirements, delivers on your business goals, offers an exceptional UX, and grows with your business. However, with numerous WordPress development companies to choose from, it may be challenging to pick the best option for your needs. Below are the crucial considerations when looking for a WordPress development company for your business.
1. Define Your Website Requirements
Before you begin searching for a WordPress development company, you need to clarify your requirements. In this step, you should outline your business goals related to the website. For instance, you may want to generate leads, sell products and services, build authority, promote local business, blog, book services, network, and more.
Once you have identified your objectives, you should make a list of requirements and desired features. For instance, you may need a landing page, homepage, services page, about page, blog, testimonials, contact page, booking system, membership system, and WooCommerce shop. All these details will help you communicate with the development company.
2. Experience With WordPress
The majority of web development agencies have experience working with WordPress. However, not all companies have the same level of expertise and knowledge. It is advisable to work with companies that have experience developing sites in your niche. The company should have a portfolio of websites developed using WordPress. If possible, request links to such sites and go through them.
If you need an eCommerce website, ensure that the company has experience with WooCommerce. If you need a custom business website, enquire whether the company can build custom themes and WordPress plugins. Questions to ask include:
How many WordPress sites have you built?
Do you build custom themes?
Do you build custom WordPress plugins?
Are you familiar with WooCommerce?
Can you integrate third-party software with WordPress?
3. Website Portfolio
A company’s portfolio is a useful guide to evaluating the company’s qualifications. While going through the portfolio, you should be keen on the themes, plugins, and features that the company has been using.
It is advisable to ask for links to the websites developed by the company under consideration and test them on desktop and mobile devices. You can also go through website features such as menus, page builders, forms, call-to-action buttons, and other interactive elements. Besides building WordPress sites, you should ensure that the company has the following skills:
- Building sites with customized WordPress themes.
- Developing custom WordPress plugins.
- Integrating third-party tools and applications with WordPress.
- WordPress speed optimization.
- Making WordPress sites responsive.
- WordPress security.
- WordPress maintenance and support.
4. Development Process
A reliable WordPress development company should have a well-defined process for developing websites. The process helps you monitor the progress of a project and know what to expect. The company should explain its process and respond to your questions. The development process of a professional company may look like:
- Meeting and discovery: Project scoping, requirements, and discovery.
- Planning and sitemap: Creating a website sitemap.
- Wireframes and mockups: Web design mockups.
- Designing UI and UX: Website UI/UX prototyping.
- WordPress development and content: WordPress development and content integration.
- SEO and performance optimization: Improving website speed and SEO friendliness.
- Testing: Testing the website’s features, performance, and UX.
- Launch: Deploying the website to a production environment.
- Maintenance and support: Ongoing website maintenance and support.
5. Custom WordPress Development Experience
Various businesses have different requirements for their websites. While some companies need a website built on a WordPress theme, others may require a custom WordPress solution. Custom WordPress development refers to building a website from scratch. It can also be altering an existing theme, WordPress core, or plugins to meet specific requirements. Custom WordPress development solutions include WordPress theme development, custom WordPress plugin development, database, and API development. Some of the reasons why businesses require custom WordPress development include:
- Enhanced performance.
- Improved security.
- Thorough customization.
- Full control and flexibility.
- Better user experience.
It is advisable to hire a company that offers custom WordPress development solutions in case your project requires end-to-end customization, extensive coding, or APIs.
6. Knowledge of WordPress Performance Optimization
Website performance is one of the most critical aspects of a website. Poorly performing sites tend to have high bounce rates and low traffic. When selecting a WordPress development company, you should consider its knowledge of WordPress performance optimization. The following are some of the crucial optimization areas:
- Image optimization.
- Caching.
- Optimization of CSS and JavaScript.
- Using lightweight WordPress themes.
- Plugin optimization.
- Database optimization.
- Content delivery networks (CDNs).
- Mobile responsiveness.
7. SEO Knowledge
Although you can hire a separate SEO agency to optimize your website, your WordPress development company should be familiar with the basics of SEO.
SEO considerations for WordPress websites include:
- SEO-friendly website structure.
- SEO-friendly URLs.
- WordPress theme customization.
- Proper use of headings (H1, H2, H3…)
- XML sitemap
- Metadata
- Image optimization
- Internal linking and linking structure
- Website performance and speed
- Mobile-friendliness
- Schema markup implementation
8. Security Experience
No business website can afford to experience a cyber-attack. You need to look for a WordPress development company that is experienced in WordPress security and hardening techniques. Some of the security aspects that a WordPress development company should be familiar with include:
- WordPress updates.
- Secure hosting.
- Protection against spam, brute-force attacks, and hacking attempts.
- Malware detection and removal.
- Limited WordPress user roles and permissions.
- Website backups.
- Two-factor authentication.
9. Monthly Maintenance Packages
Experienced WordPress development companies offer monthly maintenance packages. Such plans typically include WordPress updates, plugin updates, theme updates, backups, security monitoring, performance monitoring, technical support, and minor changes. It is advisable to subscribe to a maintenance plan as it keeps your site updated, secured and functioning correctly.
10. Compare Proposals and Cost
The costs of WordPress development companies vary depending on the following factors:
- Size and complexity of the website.
- Number of pages.
- Website design requirements.
- Need for custom code.
- Need for additional WordPress plugins.
- WooCommerce or eCommerce functionality.
- SEO packages.
- Website testing process.
- Number of revisions.
- Website maintenance and support.
11. Client Reviews
Client reviews offer valuable information about a WordPress development company. You can learn about their strengths and weaknesses and the issues that they are likely to encounter. When going through client reviews, ensure that you look for the following details:
- Quality of customer support.
- Communication skills.
- Ability to deliver on time.
- Technical expertise.
- Project management.
- Post-launch support and maintenance.
12. Communication Skills
Most businesses overlook communication when choosing a WordPress development company. However, excellent communication skills are critical, especially if you are not a WordPress developer. You should be able to understand the technical aspects that the developer is explaining. You need to clarify who you will speak with and how client and developer communication will occur.
13. Website Ownership
Before you sign a contract and make any payments, clarify who owns the website. Clarify who owns the domain, hosting, WordPress core, themes, website content, custom codes, images, and videos. Ideally, you should have access to all the above elements, and the developer should have limited access where applicable.
14. Post-Launch Support
The post-launch support package determines the support that you will receive after the website launch. You need to understand what the support options and processes are in case of a problem. You should also clarify the cost of post-launch support and maintenance. Some companies include maintenance and support in the website development budget.
Conclusion
Choosing a WordPress development company is not an easy task, especially if you do not have much experience in the field. A reliable WordPress development company should have the technical skills and competencies to deliver a website that meets your business requirements and objectives. Avoid choosing a company based on price alone. Instead, look at the company’s overall competence, website development process, and post-development support options.
A good WordPress development company should respond to your requirements, implement SEO-friendly practices, and offer affordable yet reliable support. By considering the factors discussed in this guide, you are in a position to choose a company that will deliver a professional website that drives your business forward. A WordPress-powered business website offers numerous advantages over other content management systems. Thus, the selection process should be done with utmost precision to avoid wasting time and resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I choose the right WordPress development company?
You should evaluate the company’s WordPress experience, portfolio, development process, technical expertise, reviews, cost, communication policy, security know-how, SEO know-how, post-launch support, and website ownership policy. Ideally, you should choose a company that meets all your requirements.
2. How much does a WordPress development company cost?
Website development costs depend on the website’s complexity, number of pages, technical requirements, SEO requirements, number of revisions, maintenance and support, and several other factors. The exact cost will be determined following the requirements analysis.
3. Should I hire a WordPress developer or a WordPress development company?
Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. A freelance WordPress developer may offer competitive rates, but a WordPress development company may have more experience and knowledge. Besides development and design, such companies can also offer SEO, business analysis, project management, and website maintenance services. Choosing between a freelancer and a company depends on the project’s requirements and your preferences.
4. What should a WordPress development company include in a proposal?
A company’s proposal should explicitly state the project’s scope, including the website’s pages and features. The company should also specify what services are included and which are excluded. The cost estimation, timeline, and project management terms should also be included.
5. Should I choose the company that specializes in my industry?
Industry-specific experience can be an advantage, but it is not mandatory. The company needs to be able to understand your requirements and goals. In some cases, agencies with diverse experience have an advantage over industry-specific agencies.
6. Does the WordPress development company offer SEO services?
Some companies offer end-to-end services, including WordPress development and SEO. If you are considering such a company, ask what SEO services are included. A company’s SEO offer should include technical SEO, website speed optimization, image optimization, schema markup, and other optimization services.
7. Why should I choose a custom WordPress development option?
Custom WordPress development allows more flexibility and control over the website builder. It ensures that the website meets all your requirements and specifications. WordPress customization may be necessary if you need to use features that are not available with themes and plugins.
8. Should website maintenance be included in the development cost?
Website maintenance and support should be discussed and clarified before the development process. It is advisable to subscribe to a maintenance plan that includes theme and plugin updates, speed optimization, spam protection, and backups. Such plans are often affordable and offer excellent value for money.
9. How long does it take to develop a WordPress business website?
A simple business website can take a few weeks, whereas a complex website with multiple features can take several months.
10. What questions should I ask before hiring a WordPress development company?
You should ask the following questions:
Will you develop my WordPress website?
Can I see the company’s portfolio?
What is the company’s development process?
Do you offer custom WordPress development solutions?
What is your experience with WordPress performance optimization?
What do your SEO services include?
Can I customize themes and plugins?
Will you provide WordPress security services?
How much will the project cost? Can I get unlimited revisions?
How long will the project take?
What happens after the website launch?
