WordPress is a phenomenon. It’s by far the most used content management system on the web, with many millions of sites taking advantage of the WordPress application and the ecosystem that has grown around it over more than decade. The sheer size and diversity of the WordPress world opens up opportunities for experienced WordPress users and developers. Tens of thousands of people make a living servicing WordPress users.
In this article, I’d like to take a look at a few of the ways people have built a career on WordPress. Of course, many business and individual WordPress users make money from their sites, but I’d like to look at career opportunities for people who want to provide services to those users.
Web Hosting
You’re reading this post on the blog of a company that offers WordPress services. Nexcess is a hosting company that, among other things, specializes in providing high-performance WordPress hosting. It’s entirely possible to become a WordPress host, but providing the level of service, performance, and security that we do requires a substantial investment.
Many WordPress professionals, however, leverage the benefits of our platform to provide reseller hosting. If you offer WordPress professional services, it’s a good idea to choose a hosting company like Nexcess that will handle many of the technical details of hosting for you.
Support
There are WordPress users of all levels of ability, from the expert to the beginner. Most of these users require support in some form. At the non-expert end of the spectrum, users need WordPress installing, configuring, and securing — and will probably need help throughout the life of their site. Even those who are technically capable of managing a WordPress site often prefer to outsource the work to an expert.
There are many opportunities to support WordPress users both on a small scale and a large scale, and, contrary to what many WordPress professionals will tell you, you don’t have to be a developer with a deep understanding of PHP. Lots of people just want a WordPress site installed on decent hosting, configured with the right plugins and theme, and maintained regularly.
That said, if you want to flourish as a WordPress professional, I’d advise you to invest time into learning how WordPress works, the language it’s written in, and the technical foundation that will allow you to provide higher-value services.
Development
Learning the technology that underlies WordPress increases the scope of your career opportunities. WordPress developers are in demand, and a skilled and experienced WordPress developer can expect to earn a good living.
Premium Plugins And Themes
Many WordPress developers choose to make a living creating premium plugins and themes, which they sell through marketplaces or directly. The barrier to entry for theme development in particular is quite low, and there’s a huge amount of competition, but many developers flourish in this space.
Some of the most successful WordPress developers who have taken this route include Pippin Williamson of Pippin’s Plugins and Joost de Valk of Yoast.
Bespoke Plugins And Themes
Perhaps a more stable opportunity is theme development (and occasionally plugin development) for specific organizations. Once a developer, designer, or agency has established a reputation, the returns on this type of work can be quite rewarding.
Custom Client Work
WordPress development goes beyond plugins and themes. Many organizations require modifications to WordPress itself (although that’s almost never a good idea) or the development of custom front/backends to support the specific needs of their business.
The WordPress ecosystem offer many opportunities for WordPress professionals of all types.
