If you are a WordPress developer or want to become one, we have good news for you: your skills are in demand. With more than 400 million websites powered by WordPress, accounting for over a third of all active sites on the Internet, WordPress development is a lucrative industry that attracts both growing companies and independent freelancers. The field covers a wide range of work, from frontend and backend website development to specialized tasks such as migrating an existing website to the WordPress platform or creating sitemaps and wireframes. So, what is the average salary of a WordPress developer? And how can you increase your profits over time? In this post, we'll review what the average WordPress developer does, as well as what you can do to increase your salary and grow your career in this space.
Because work and industry vary, there is no standard for how much a WordPress developer earns. The term “WordPress developer” is often used as a general phrase for professionals working on WordPress websites, which includes everything from site construction to day-to-day administration. Because of this discrepancy, the salary of one position may be very different from that of another, even though the charges are similar. Another reason to compare salaries is that many people find it uncomfortable to talk about salaries.
According to a survey by compensation software management company Beqom, 41% of employees were uncomfortable talking about salary. However, knowing the salary range of WordPress developer jobs can help you maximize your earning potential. Being armed with knowledge of industry standard compensation can help you negotiate during interviews, so you are paid a competitive rate. The WordPress developer salaries indicated in the table above cover the base salary estimates for WordPress developers at various stages of their careers.
The average annual salaries at the top end of the list are for more experienced WordPress developers, while those at the bottom are for junior WordPress developers who have between zero and two years of experience. Many WordPress developers are freelancers, which means they are not full-time employees. Unlike salaries for full-time employees, the figures in this section vary because independent markets take global rates into account, as they have freelancers from all over the world. For this section, we analyzed data from several general freelance markets, such as Upwork, Fiverr, and People per Hour.
If you live in a country with a higher cost of living, such as the US, these rates may be lower than expected. However, they increase significantly when you look at the markets of specialized freelancers. Specialty freelance markets, such as Codementor or Codeable, require freelancers to take tests to demonstrate their skills before they can be hired for a job. Due to the selection process, you are guaranteed to hire freelancers with more experience.
Therefore, the rate is on par with the standard and average rates of independent WordPress developers. Now that you know market rates, how does your salary compare? Knowing how much other people are paid is only the first step, but knowledge is worthless if you don't use it. So how can you increase your WordPress developer salary? If you want to earn more as an independent developer, it's as easy as increasing your rates. The thing about rising rates is that it often sounds easier said than done.
The most common reasons that slow you down are not knowing how or when to raise rates or worry about losing your customers when you do. First things first, how do you know when to raise your rates? If you're feeling overworked constantly, have a close rate of almost 100%, or you feel your hourly rate is dropping, you may need to charge more. Secondly, if you are worried that charging higher rates will scare customers away, remember that there will always be people willing to pay for your service. Eligible customers are often willing to pay more and easier to work with.
There are different pricing models that independent WordPress developers can use - whether you choose to charge by the hour or by project - but remember to highlight the value you bring to a project. As a WordPress developer, you never have to worry about work because you can get into fields such as developing plugins or themes, designing the frontend of the website, managing the backend and much more. However, one way to earn more is to serve a smaller, more specialized market - it may seem counterintuitive to eliminate 90% of your leads but when you establish yourself as an expert in a specific field and limit your customer base, you may demand higher fees because you provide a unique service. For example, you can choose to only serve WooCommerce business owners.
WordPress developers have three options to specialize in core software: plugins or themes - you can work in all of these areas but you're likely to get more benefits if you become an expert in one. In addition to narrowing down niches and improving your skillset through certifications and courses - another way to increase your salary is by taking on additional responsibilities such as project management or client relations - these roles require different skillsets but they also come with higher pay.
