Calling WordPress a popular CMS platform would be an understatement. The fact of the matter is that nearly 35% of all the websites on the internet are powered by WordPress. Many businesses all around the globe now require good WordPress development services. This is due to the sheer dominance of WordPress in the CMS market.
The rising need to become a WordPress developer can have many different motivations behind it. For example, business owners looking to gain more control over their business website run on WP, to individuals looking for a new career path.
Therefore, we present to you a complete beginner’s guide to WP website designing and development:
What Does A WordPress Developer Do?
Before we dive into how WordPress development works, we first need to understand what a WordPress developer does. WordPress developers are individuals who are experts in handling the code, system, & sub-systems of the WP CMS platform.
The following are some of the operations WP developers need to perform:
- Providing WordPress development services, that include website designing & development.
- Management and Maintenance of the created client websites.
- Solving issues related to the core software of the WordPress CMS platform.
- Crafting, modifying, managing plugins and themes on the platform.
4 Fundamental Steps To WordPress Development
Now that you are aware of the basic requirements and responsibilities of a good WordPress developer, let us begin the learning process. The process of learning anything new starts with introspection within. By knowing your strengths and weaknesses beforehand, you enhance your ability to learn and grasp new concepts.
Thus the following are the 4 fundamental steps to WP website designing and development.
These steps give you an overview of what it takes to become a WordPress development services provider.
#1 Foundational Elements
To become a good WordPress developer you need to have a robust understanding of the 4 core elements of WP. WordPress is a powerful Content Management System that runs on the following 4 core languages:
- HTML – Hypertext Markup Language or more popularly known as HTML, the quintessential language of the internet. Pretty much everything you see on the internet is written in HTML. This language acts as the building block of WP and the websites made on it. HTML power everything from, data tables, paragraph text, pages, titles, heading, etc.
- CSS – Also known as Cascading Style Sheets is the perfect partner for your basic HTML. If HTML acts as the bricks while building your website, CSS acts as the paint and decor. CSS dedicates aspects of your website like; ‘typography, text fonts, color scheme, etc.’
- PHP – Personal Home Page, is a rather misleading title for a such a multiple-propose language. Today PHP has come a long way since its inception and has turned into a powerful Hypertext Preprocessor. PHP is used to encrypting data, accessing databases, auto-generating data files, etc. Thus making PHP a language that applies to all areas of a website.
- MySQL – WordPress utilizes a PHP framework to fetch and store data from an open-source relational MySQL database. MySQL is used to power essential administrative features on WordPress.
#2 Local WordPress Development Environment
In case you’re concentrating on theme or plugin development, it’s ideal to do your work locally. This is to guarantee that the testing, bug detection, and troubleshooting are restricted to your local system.
When working with live client data, it is better to conduct the WordPress development services in a local development environment. This is because a live-work setup can cause some serious data-damage and loss if anything goes wrong.
#3 Areas Of Development
WordPress is an extremely flexible and ever-evolving Content Management System. To support such a complex platform’s functions, there are multiple systems and sub-systems in place. A good WordPress developer has a strong grasp one all these core areas of WordPress development.
- WordPress Backend
Backend development forms the backbone of WordPress functionality. Any WordPress development services provider needs to have a good understanding of the WP backend to create good products. The WP backend includes; translation, code bug detection & resolution, address of user inquiries, etc.
- Theme Development
Themes are one of the three most important tenets of WP website designing & development. Themes act as front-end graphical elements that add style, look and feel to a website’s appearance.
- Plugin Development
Plugins are software tools made to enhance the functionality of a WP site without tampering with the core code. One of the biggest reasons for WordPress’s meteoric rise is due to a plethora of easy-to-use plugins available on the platform.
#4 Uphill Learning Curve
The last step you need to take in your journey of becoming a WordPress developer is to learn to accept your mistakes. WordPress is not a hard platform to master, but that doesn’t mean it’s super easy as well.
To master WordPress website designing and development, you need to put work perfecting your understanding and approach. Therefore be prepared to accept your failures and fight an uphill learning-curve battle. Nonetheless, we can assure you that grass is indeed greener on the other side.
In Conclusion
WordPress is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to website development. Thus it is an apt tool for any business or individual looking to create a robust online identity through a website.
Businesses especially the ones that need continuous client accusations must pay close attention to WordPress websites. By partnering with an experienced WordPress development services agency, a modern business can propel themselves into the 21st century!
