For those who are more traditional, a common question is whether WordPress is considered “web development”. The answer is a resounding yes, because WordPress is a platform, rather than a website. It is the foundation on which to build and develop websites, and it depends on what you're doing. If you're simply installing WordPress and using plugins to create a website, I don't even know what it's called, but it's nowhere near web development, or even web design.
There are many web developers who don't even know HTML or CSS, they just know how to install some plugins and a drag-and-drop editor and call themselves web developers. In my opinion, if you're not programming, you're not a developer. There is a stigma with WordPress and many people discredit it because of the myriad of horrible ways that are used to create websites. For example, some guy who buys a crappy theme out of the Theme Forest that requires 20 plugins to work.
This is the worst possible way to create websites. On the contrary, WordPress can be used to develop lightweight websites from scratch. You can program your own theme without any hassle. I agree that it's a little difficult to work with WordPress if you need more than just a simple brochure website with its meta post and post settings.
I use WordPress predominantly for small business websites; for anything custom I would use Laravel and Vue JS. In short, if you're not coding in the language you prefer, you're not a developer; if you don't understand how the system works and you can't extend or customize it without the help of plugins, you're not a web developer. If you can program a theme or create a plugin from scratch, then you are indeed a web developer, but it's probably a good idea to learn more than just WordPress as WordPress can make simpler custom development quite tedious. The downside of fully customized web development versus WordPress development is mainly cost and time.
If you need a site quickly or have a limited budget for professional web design, then you can opt for designing a WordPress site. WordPress is an esteemed software for which designers can create custom templates to give your site an appearance that suits your business and your budget. WordPress sites are great for less complex websites. To do this, WordPress developers must have an in-depth understanding of the core structure and functionalities of WordPress.
Although both titles work on both sides of the web development process, a WordPress developer typically performs a much smaller subset than what a full-stack web developer does. So if you're an experienced web developer but need to create a basic website such as a blog, then it might be faster to use WordPress. You can work with templates, plugins, customize CSS and know the ACP; in this case, you could certainly call yourself a WordPress developer if you don't feel comfortable calling yourself a web developer (like when applying for a job). Check out the most comprehensive collection of WordPress plugins out there, all coded by expert WordPress developers.
However, in the context of web development, there are many other job titles whose responsibilities have tasks similar to those that WordPress developers do. If you have enough time and capital to consider custom web development versus WordPress development, then you can opt for a site that is truly unique and fits all the exact specifications that you have in mind. Although WordPress is an open source platform, its source code is not designed to be modified by others. I have been creating websites from scratch using WordPress for two years now and right now I feel that I am not a real web developer and I feel like an impostor. A WordPress website developed by an experienced web designer offers some of the custom features of a fully customized site possibly in less time than usual.
As they focus on WordPress websites, WordPress developers should be able to understand the structure of the platform as well as its main functions and libraries. Although creating a website with WordPress is an easy task, it is always suggested to consider the help of an experienced WordPress development company to create highly personalized and professional websites. Definitely, WordPress developers are REAL developers whose functions involve both front-end and back-end development for a WordPress website using multiple languages and programming techniques. The WordPress developer is an adept PHP developer who possesses the necessary knowledge to understand the main architecture of WordPress; create a WordPress site as well as develop custom plugins and themes for WordPress. When designers develop the theme it won't look like many other WordPress sites out there. If you need a site quickly or have limited funds for professional web design then opting for designing with WordPress might be your best bet as it offers some of the custom features of fully customized sites possibly in less time than usual.<.
