The online world is competitive. If you are working online to make money, the only way you can be successful is to become an expert in the relevant field. WordPress is the most used and popular platform to build websites. Over 40% of the websites on the internet are powered by WordPress. If there are so many websites on the Internet, it means there are so many WordPress Developers that are building those websites. Now the question arises, If there are so many WordPress Developers, how can you become successful in this field? The answer is to become an Expert WordPress Developer. In this article, we will discuss the complete roadmap to become an expert WordPress Developer also known as WordPress Expert.
Familiarize yourself with WordPress
There are two types of WordPress, WordPress.com and WordPress.org. In this article, we will talk about WordPress.org. Download WordPress from WordPress.org. Install and log in to WordPress, After logging in, you will see the dashboard, navigate the dashboard, understand how the WordPress admin panel works, what are the features available in WordPress, and where to click to activate that feature.
Practice WordPress
The second step is to learn to build websites using WordPress. Explore the theme directory of WordPress to choose the appearance of your website. Download and activate the theme that you like. Adjust the settings of the theme according to your preferences. Learn which plugin to install to achieve a specific functionality. Download the plugin from the WordPress Plugin repository and activate it. Experiment with a plugin to understand how it works.
Learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP
Although you can build websites without learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP our goal is to become a WordPress expert. That is why, the next step is to learn HTML, CSS and JavaScript. HTML helps in building the structure of the website, CSS is needed to design the website and to create interactivity in the website you can use JavaScript. WordPress is built on PHP, therefore to understand and modify its core functionality, you need to learn PHP. By understanding these languages, you can customize WordPress themes or plugins or create new ones.
Understand how WordPress themes and plugins work
Learn how WordPress themes work, what is template hierarchy and how different template files are linked to one another. Learn how to extend the functionalities of your website by developing plugins. Go to WordPress Developer Resources and learn how to build themes and plugins. If you understand how WordPress operates and you have learned HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you are in a position to develop WordPress themes and plugins.
Choose your focus area
You can become a WordPress developer covering all aspects i.e. core development, theme development and plugin development. etc. or you can focus on one specific area such as plugin development. By focusing on a specific area, you can become an expert in that area. You should install WordPress on a local server and create or edit code to focus on your preferred area.
Secure WordPress
Security is crucial in the online world. You must build trust and credibility in clients that the website is secure. The next step is to learn how to keep your WordPress Installations secure. Learn how to choose secure themes and plugins and learn the best coding practices for the development of WordPress themes and plugins. Security plugins for WordPress are also available that can provide an additional layer of protection.
WordPress Optimization
In the online world, the attention span of the audience is very short, therefore, you should learn how to optimize WordPress for fast-loading websites. If your website takes a lot of time to load, the visitor will leave your website and visit some other fast-loading website. Learn how to optimize images, enable browser caching, minify CSS and JavaScript, enable GZIP compression and optimize Database Tables.
Learn SEO Basics
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a separate field from WordPress, but you need to learn SEO basics because SEO is done to rank your website higher in search engine results. In this step, you should learn SEO basics like keyword research, on-page optimization, and link building.
Stay Updated
You should follow WordPress blogs to stay updated about the latest developments in WordPress. You should attend WordCamps and join online communities related to WordPress to discuss, share knowledge, ask questions, network and collaborate on all things related to WordPress. You should continue learning about WordPress by taking online courses and reading books.
Market your services
Gain experience by working on online freelancing platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, etc or applying for a job at a company related to website development with WordPress. By working online or at a company, you will gain experience that will help you in building a portfolio.
Build Portfolio
Build a website where you can showcase your WordPress website projects. By showcasing your projects, potential customers or employers will see that you have expertise and skills related to WordPress when they visit your website.
Conclusion
By following this roadmap, you can become an expert in WordPress Development. Just remember, it will take some time but if you keep learning and continue practicing regularly, you will become a successful WordPress Developer.
