What to Ask Before Hiring a WordPress Developer

A useful developer proposal explains what will be delivered, what you must supply and how the result will be checked. Comparing only the headline price makes it easy to miss content work, licenses or a non-functioning inquiry route. Use the same brief and questions with each candidate.

Can you explain the problem before prescribing the build?

Share the current website, target customers and the action visitors should take. Ask whether the site needs a new build, a redesign or a focused repair. A recommendation should connect the proposed work to the actual problem rather than defaulting to a complete rebuild.

Ask which existing URLs, content and integrations will be preserved. If those decisions are deferred until launch, useful search landing pages or working forms can disappear without an agreed replacement.

What exactly is included?

Request a list of pages, templates, functions and content responsibilities. Confirm whether copywriting, image preparation, article migration, redirects and form delivery are included. Separate new store development from product entry or ongoing order management.

Ask what counts as a revision and how additional requests are priced. A clear change process protects both parties when the project reveals new requirements. Do not treat a vague promise of unlimited changes as a substitute for defined scope.

Who owns the accounts and licenses?

Your business should know who controls its domain, hosting, website administrator access and paid tools. Ask about license renewals, agency-owned dependencies and handover if support ends. Access should be shared privately using the minimum permissions appropriate to the work.

Keep the initial inquiry free of credentials and sensitive customer records. A developer can usually assess the public website and discuss the problem before elevated access is needed.

How will you prove the site works?

Ask for preview and acceptance checks using real content. Include mobile navigation, service links, form validation, actual recipient delivery and important integrations. A thank-you page alone does not prove an inquiry reached the business.

For a migration or store, request the backup, cutover and recovery plan. Agree who approves the launch and which tests will be repeated on production. Avoid assuming that a preview behaves exactly like the live host.

What happens after handover?

Clarify the editing walkthrough, defect-review period, maintenance tasks and support availability. Ask how ongoing work is requested and whether hosting or license charges are separate. Verify project examples by discussing the developer's actual role; a screenshot alone does not establish responsibility for every feature or result.

StartMyWeb works remotely from Bengaluru, India. Send a website project brief to agree scope, review windows, commercial terms and the checks relevant to your business before work starts.