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Finding the right professional to help you build or modify a WordPress website can be challenging. There are thousands of freelancers you can hire, but the question is – should you hire a WordPress developer or designer? This answer is not clear-cut, so it pays to know the difference between both types of WordPress experts.
Web designers and developers focus on very different areas of creating a website. Generally speaking, designers focus on visual changes, and developers focus on functionality. That largely holds true for WordPress professionals. However, they also specialize in tasks that regular developers and designers might not have experience with, such as customizing themes and plugins.
In this article, we’ll start by explaining what WordPress web designers and developers do. Then, we’ll dig into the differences between the two. Finally, we’ll discuss when to opt for an agency instead. Let’s get to work!
What does a WordPress web designer do?
A traditional web designer works on making visual changes to websites and creating graphics for them. For example, a web designer can come up with layouts, implement custom typography, and more.
In theory, a WordPress web designer can do anything a regular web designer can. However, they should also understand how WordPress works and how to incorporate their designs into a site that uses the content management system (CMS).
To be more specific, let’s go over some of the typical tasks a WordPress web designer can do:
- Come up with new website designs
- Overhaul existing designs
- Understand how to use cascading style sheets (CSS)
- Use built-in WordPress tools, such as the Block Editor and Site Editor
- Modify theme templates using WordPress tools
WordPress web designers are somewhat unique in that clients typically expect them to implement their designs. With other types of web design, you often need developers to be able to implement what the designers come up with.
WordPress circumvents that problem by giving you access to no-code editors with visual tools that make it relatively simple to design pages. It’s also worth noting that WordPress design relies heavily on themes.
A WordPress web designer should be able to work with most themes and customize them to create a final product that looks good. Having said that, not all themes are easily customized. So, you may want to consider a web designers advice when choosing one.
Depending on who which WordPress designer you hire, they might also be proficient with CSS. Although it’s not expected for designers to code, CSS is a fairly straightforward programming language. CSS also produces results that are wholly visual, so it tends to fall more under the umbrella of web designers rather than developers.
What does a WordPress web developer do?
There are several types of web developers and their skill sets can vary a lot depending on their focus. Some developers work mainly on building fully custom sites, others offer turnkey solutions for specific types of businesses, and some concentrate on using a specific CMS.
WordPress developers are capable of changing how your website works, either with the CMS’ built-in tools or using code. To be more specific, if you hire a WordPress developer, you can expect them to be proficient in all or some of the following tasks:
- Make code-based changes to the website
- Implement new features without relying on third-party plugins
- Build custom plugins and themes (though the latter needs to involve collaboration with a designer)
- Integrate third-party services with WordPress
- Troubleshoot WordPress issues
All of these tasks should be carried out in secure environments. That means WordPress developers also need to know how to use staging sites and push them to production when the changes are ready to go live.
Since WordPress development encompasses so many types of tasks, it’s common to find professionals with unique specialities. For instance, you can hire developers who specialize in plugin development, integrating third-party services, and more.
This means you need to be very specific when you’re looking for a WordPress developer. If you’re working with freelancers, you’ll want to check the quality of their work, past reviews, and what type of development projects they focus on.
Finally, if you’re interested in hiring a developer to create a custom theme, you’ll likely want them to work alongside a designer. WordPress developers might not make the best style decisions for a theme, so you’ll want them to focus on the coding side of the project.
The differences between WordPress designers and developers
As we have seen, web designers and developers have very different skill sets. Designers focus on the visual aspects of creating a website, while developers focus on all things related to functionality.
When it comes to WordPress, designers will spend most of their time interacting with the CMS through the editor. For example, designers can use the Block Editor and the Full Site Editor to customize pages and templates:
Designers proficient in CSS can also make cosmetic changes to your website outside of the editor. However, since CSS is a coding language, we wouldn’t consider it a requirement for designers.
WordPress developers focus on making changes to your website and its features. For example, they can help change how aspects of your site work, such as contact forms, a checkout experience, the navigation menu, and more.
Typically, developers will do this using WordPress’ built-in tools or code. WordPress enables you to solve many issues without needing to use code, so it’s not uncommon for WordPress developers to also act as troubleshooters.
As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t expect developers to do design work. Similarly, you shouldn’t expect WordPress designers to be able to troubleshoot errors within the CMS or know how to use code. Depending on the project, you’ll want to hire either one type of expert or both.
Why hire a WordPress agency instead
If your project requires both WordPress designers and developers, using an agency can be the best option. Similarly, when your project is larger scope, agencies are likely your best bet. With an agency, you can get access to teams of designers and developers who are accustomed to working together, which is a huge plus.
What’s more, there are agencies that specialize in WordPress projects only. These WordPress agencies will have demonstrable experience using the CMS. Therefore, they might be able to complete projects faster and more effectively. Other benefits of using a WordPress agency include:
- You don’t need to coordinate with the team directly, as there’ll be a project manager who handles that for you.
- The agency can help you break down projects and tackle them in a way that makes sense.
- An agency can provide better follow-up services and technical support over individual freelancers.
In most cases, an agency is the way to go for complex projects. This can be more expensive than hiring freelancers. However, this typically translates to better overall work since you’re comparing a full team of experts working together versus one or two.
Freshy is a WordPress agency that offers development and design services. We can help you build professional-looking sites with the features you need. With Freshy, you get access to a team of WordPress experts and a dedicated manager who will help you coordinate your project:
Freshy also offers maintenance services for existing sites if you need to fix WordPress errors or optimize your website. We can also help you with search engine optimization (SEO) if you’re struggling to get organic traffic.
Conclusion
WordPress developers and designers tend to have very different skill sets. You might be able to find individuals who excel in both areas, but it’s typically a better idea to hire either an expert WordPress developer or designer. Which type of WordPress professional you hire will depend on the changes you want to make to your website or the project you have in mind.
If your project is ambitious in scope, or you want to coordinate with multiple workers, it can be better to hire a WordPress agency instead. With an agency, you get access to WordPress experts in different fields, as well as a project manager who can help you coordinate with them.
Freshy offers comprehensive design and development services for WordPress. And, once your project is finished, you can get ongoing support or maintenance from trusted WordPress experts. Reach out at any time to discuss your project and get a free quote!
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