Trying to figure out how much a freelance WordPress developer makes is a surprisingly hard question to answer. How will you know what you should charge if you’re a new developer? How much can you expect when your client grows and starts getting more traffic?
What should you focus on to become comfortable in this pricing world where there are hundreds of thousands of WordPress solutions providers but only a few actual professional developers?
Freelance WordPress developers are in high demand because this is what almost everyone needs. The only problem is that you cannot know how much they cost if they do not have a site where you can see the price upfront. That’s why I’m writing this article to show my experience and tell you how much a freelance developer can make on average.
The Average Range Of WordPress Developer Rates Is $55–$70 An Hour
Let’s take a look at average freelance WordPress developer rates.
For a mid-level WordPress developer, you can expect to pay $55–$70 an hour. These freelancers are experienced enough to handle your project without a hitch, but without the overhead of running their own business.
Highly skilled developers (the top 10%) typically charge around $100 an hour for their services. These experts have years of experience under their belt and are well worth the investment for major projects that require meticulous attention to detail and quick turnaround times.
Of course, in exchange for this higher level of service, you will be billed at a higher rate than if you hire a generalist freelancer or agency who offers all kinds of web development services including WordPress development as one of many services they offer on their menu. A specialist who specializes in WordPress development does the same thing all day every day and therefore has more expertise than someone who is only doing some WordPress projects among other types of services.
A Mid-Level WordPress Developer Can Charge Anywhere From $60 To $80 Per Hour
Once you’ve built up a good reputation and have delivered work that your clients are happy with, you can consider increasing your rates. Let’s say you decide to charge $80 per hour. You can also make sure your proposals reflect this higher rate so that clients know what they are going to have to pay if they hire you for the job.
Of course, it is entirely up to you how much you want to charge for your services as a WordPress developer. As long as you set out clear expectations from the beginning then there should be no problems when it comes time for payment. It is impossible to provide an exact figure for what a mid-level WordPress developer can earn because there will always be a large variation in location, experience, skills, and other factors.
If Your Looking For A Strong And Stable Site, Expect To Pay A More Talented Web Developer More Money.
In some cases, the total cost of hiring a web developer is not that much more than using a cheaper developer. The difference can be as little as $1k per project. In other cases, the difference can be up to $10k+, depending on the complexity of your site and how much you value quality.
It’s important to remember that you are paying for the expertise and skill level of your chosen web developer. For example, we have been building WordPress sites since 2008, so we’ve been through the most common scenarios multiple times over. We know how to help you choose which plugins work best for your site and avoid any pitfalls before they happen. This saves both time and money in overages from unforeseen issues or errors in code that may show up later on down the road.
Consider That When You Hire A Specialized Website Developer, You Are Potentially Going To Have A Better Finished Product.
Before we get into the average ranges of freelance WordPress developers, it’s important to understand why hiring a specialized developer is worth your time and money. There are plenty of people who claim that anyone can make a website, but I think it’s better to consider that when you hire a specialized website developer, you are potentially going to have a better-finished product.
A dedicated web developer will likely be more efficient and give you greater functionality, value, customizability, improved security, and performance and this is without even mentioning the support they’ll offer throughout the process.
Hiring someone with experience in building WordPress websites is often the most efficient choice.
If You Want To Get The Most Out Of WordPress, It Is Often Best To Hire A Professional Developer
While there are some great templates and themes for WordPress websites, designing a fully-featured website or blog takes time and effort. If you don’t have the time to design your site from scratch or don’t feel confident in your skills, hiring someone with experience in building WordPress websites is often the most efficient choice.
Hiring a professional web developer may seem daunting at first, but it can save you significant amounts of time and effort in the long run.
You will ultimately save money by hiring the best person for the job of creating your website or adding specific functionality to it.
You may be tempted to hire a cheaper but less experienced developer to save money. In the short term, this may seem like a good idea. However, in the long run, you will likely be unhappy with your decision. Instead of saving money upfront, you will spend more time and money looking for a replacement developer to fix any problems that you encounter down the road.
In addition, consider that hiring local developers may lead to additional costs in terms of fees for clients within certain areas or states — which can add up quickly! For example: if someone is charging $50/hour versus another person that charges $150/hour with tax included (due to their location) – it could cost you over $1,000 just on labor alone!
Another factor when considering freelancer rates is their availability and workload: it may take longer than expected for them to complete your project due to other commitments they have at hand (this could also mean potentially having someone else work under them).
If Practiced Correctly, Hiring A Freelancer Will Save You Money On The Final Cost Of Your Project, As Well As On Resources.
Interviewing more people: The hiring process is a tedious, time-consuming, and relatively expensive task. If you use recruiters or online job boards to advertise positions, you are paying for each applicant that comes across your desk. With freelancers, you can interview as many people as it takes to find the right match without spending money on every application that someone sends in.
Hiring for short-term projects: Before you commit to hiring a full-time employee, there may be a need for someone to work on your project for one day or two weeks. A freelancer can give you the extra help and get out of the way once the short-term project ends.
No taxes: Freelancers don’t come with tax paperwork. Even if they do business under their own LLCs (which is recommended), the only thing you will have to do is ask for their W9 form before making any payments. Freelance developers will then pay quarterly taxes on their income from their clients’ businesses. You won’t have paperwork or HR expenses associated with this task..
Lower insurance costs: If you hire an employee, then they’re covered by workers’ compensation in case of an accident while they’re working but this may not apply if they’re performing services off your premises..
No need for office space or equipment: When freelancers aren’t working on client projects, they work at home using their own computers and phones. This allows them more flexibility in terms of working hours and even where the work gets done.
Without knowing how much experience and expertise your next hire brings to the table, you can’t be certain if you’re getting a good deal or not.
Without knowing how much experience and expertise your next hire brings to the table, you can’t be certain if you’re getting a good deal or not.
There Are Many Factors That Affect Freelance WordPress Developer Salaries:
The more experience you have, the higher your rate will be. A junior developer’s salary maybe $20-25 per hour, while a senior developer could command up to $90-$150 per hour.
The more complex the job, the higher your rate will be. For example, building an e-commerce site with payment processing will require more time and skill (and thus cost) than building a simple brochure website without any bells and whistles.
The more specialized the job is, the higher your rate will be. For instance, developers with expertise in designing for accessibility or SEO optimization can charge premium fees for these specific skillsets.
And of course, the better you know what it is that your client needs to be done (and whether they’re willing to pay for it), the easier it is to negotiate this portion of their overall project budget.
Final Thought
From the above-mentioned analysis, we can see freelance WordPress developer’s salary depends on many factors including experience, education, technical knowledge, and location. If you are preparing to make your career as a freelance WordPress developer, you must conform to all of the rules above to get increased pay.
However, even if you do not match all of the rules, you can also still get more money if you provide some outstanding services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Choose WordPress?
WordPress is a popular choice for building websites because it’s easy to use, has plenty of themes and plugins, and provides great support.
In this article, we’ll take a look at how much a freelance WordPress developer makes and how you can establish your freelance career with our WordPress Freelance Developer Course.
What Is A WordPress Developer?
A WordPress developer is someone who builds websites and apps with WordPress. They are able to customize themes and use plugins as well as make their own. Many developers also have experience in other areas of web development such as PHP, HTML, CSS, or JavaScript.
How much does a freelance WordPress Developer earn?
The average annual salary for freelance WordPress developers is $63,500 according to PayScale.com. The average hourly rate varies depending on experience level and location (e.g., New York City).
A junior developer might make anywhere from $35-50/hr while an experienced developer could command up to $100/hr or more in some cases. Freelancers may also be paid by the project rather than by the hour with pay rates ranging from $5K-$150K+ depending on the scope of work involved (e.g., building a new site vs maintaining an existing one).
What Does A Freelance WordPress Developer Do?
A freelance WordPress developer might do any of the following:
- Create a new theme for your existing website
- Develop and customize plugins to extend the functionality of your website
- Customize an existing theme to suit your needs better
- Establish and maintain your website’s presence on social media sites
- Integrate an email marketing system (like MailChimp or ConvertKit) onto your site
- Migrate your site from one web host to another or from one CMS to another
- Set up an eCommerce platform on your site (like Shopify)
