Wordpress Developer with jQuery Salary in 2025
How statistics are calculated
The graph column is the total number of offers. This is not the number of vacancies, but an indicator of the level of demand. The more offers there are, the more companies try to hire such a specialist. 5k+ includes candidates with salaries >= $5,000 and < $5,500.
Median Salary Expectation – the weighted average of the market offer in the selected specialization, that is, the most frequent job offers for the selected specialization received by candidates. We do not count accepted or rejected offers.
Trending Wordpress tech & tools in 2025
Wordpress
Why WordPress is So Popular?
WordPress, once just another blog publishing engine, is today highly extensible, scalable, secure and, in many ways, a lot more. EBay, Sony, GM, UPS, Forbes, CNN, Reuters, The NYT, Samsung, IBM, TechCrunch – these and hundreds of other recognisable heavy-hitters use it as their blogging engine or CMS too.
Part of what makes it such a powerful CMS today is that it evolved with that same target audience and focus in mind: people who blog for specific, digital communication niches that the platform aimed to efficiently address.
This commitment from the outset to placate people when it came to content has proven a tremendous advantage to the world’s No 1 CMS, since when it scaled it was always able to scale around these content-making and –management features.
Top Reasons to Use WordPress
Here is the list of the top reasons behind choosing WordPress over other solutions:
- WordPress.org is self-hosted and user-maintained. So all site information is under the user’s control.
- It is a full-fledged blogging or content creation platform, where you have all choices, powers of editing and publication.
- Anyone can install, set up, and start using WordPress without a manual.
- The platform is scalable and businesses have control over their own database.
- The CMS has a super intuitive and beautifully designed interface.
- It’s easy to manage and edit multimedia, such as photos, videos, and gifs.
- It’s easy to extend the site’s functionality by installing plugins, extensions, integrations, and themes.
- Super SEO friendly and ensures websites rank high in search engines.
- Responsive and mobile-friendly.
Now – here’s the good part – the actual list of the company websites of well-known WordPress sites:
| WordPress.com | IBM Jobs | Microsoft News |
| Facebook Newsroom | Mercedes-Benz | BBC America |
| Forbes Blogs | Time Magazine | CNN Press Room |
| Quartz | The White House | Usain Bolt |
| Katty Perry | Brian Smith | Boing Boing |
| The Bloggess | FiveThirtyEight | The Herald Sun |
| Flickr Blog | TechCrunch | Sony Music |
| Bata | Bloomberg Professional | Yelp Blog |
| The New York Observer | PlayStation Blog | Rolling Stones |
| Spotify Newsroom | Disney Books | Etsy Journal |
| TED Blog |
Which kinds of websites can you develop with WordPress?
WordPress’s broad appeal – millions of websites use it – means that the platform’s large community of ‘end users’ have built pretty much every type of site and can answer almost all of your questions online via tutorials, blogs and forums.
WordPress, though, is most definitely not optimal for this small class of apps. For everything else, WordPress is great. Take online shopping, for example. Running an online store requires a few API integrations for things such as payments. With the help of a plugin such as WooCommerce, a WordPress website can run online stores (20 per cent of all WordPress websites use WooCommerce; see that valuable community contribution from W3Techs above). You might use WordPress for the following applications:
Types of WordPress websites
- Business websites
- Landing pages
- Blogs
- News sites
- Online stores and eCommerce
- E-learning sites
- Membership sites
- Forums
- Portfolio sites
- Multilingual sites
Comprehensive Guide to Assessing WordPress Developer Skills
Your project could be a huge success, or it could fail horribly all because of who you hire as your WordPress developer. If you’re looking for a company to hire a dedicated WordPress developer, a freelance WordPress specialist, or even a WordPress theme developer, this article will help you figure out the right questions to ask. You will learn about the different levels of WordPress development skill and what is hot in the WordPress job market right now.
The Importance of Hiring the Right WordPress Developer
It is not an easy task to hire a good WordPress developer. Because hiring the right WordPress developer does not only help your site to work nicely, but also make your site have better uptimes, run faster and smoother, make more sales or generate more leads. Here are a cast of reasons why a good WordPress developer is essential:
- Professional standards: Reliable developers create the platform on which your business stands. It’s paramount that your WordPress site is built to professional standards, in order for your customers to trust you and rely on you to deliver.
- Customisation: A developer will provide you with a customised WordPress site that fits your business requirements, giving you an edge over the rest.
- Performance Optimisation: Performance (how fast your site loads, whether it gets hung up on certain browsers, etc) is a critical factor in user experience and SEO. Good developers know how to optimise your site for speed and performance.
- Security: You need a WordPress website that is not easily crackable, so professional developers use strong protection.
- Scalability: If your business grows, your website should grow, too. You don’t want visitors to be trapped on a page that’s loading indefinitely because the website has overflowed its limits as your company’s business increased and design features proliferated. An adequate developer designs a site that can keep growing.
Key Skills to Assess in a WordPress Developer
A WordPress Developer should have necessary technical skills and knowledge of best practices. The following is a complete list of skills to check:
Technical Skills
- Proficiency in WordPress Core: Deep understanding of WordPress core functionalities and structure.
- Theme & Plugin Development: For when you need a custom theme or plugin built.
- HTML, CSS and JavaScript: Ability to build the front end, or the user-facing face of an application, using these standards. It requires the creation of responsive designs that load correctly on a wide array of devices and operating systems, as well as ease of use for the person physically interfacing with it.
- PHP and MySQL: Proficient in server-side scripting and working with databases, which are crucial for WordPress development.
- REST API Integration: Ability to integrate third-party services and APIs to extend WordPress functionality.
- Security Best Practices: Knowledge of security best practices to protect your site from vulnerabilities and attacks.
- SEO Skills: Skills and ability to optimise a site for search engines:
- On-page SEO
- Technical SEO
- Performance Tuning: Ways of enhancing site speed and performance, such as caching, compression, minification, and image optimisation.
In-Demand Skills
- Gutenberg Block Development: Proficiency in creating custom Gutenberg blocks for the new WordPress editor.
- WooCommerce Development: Expertise in developing and optimizing WooCommerce stores for e-commerce.
- Page Builder Experience: Experience with popular page builders such as Elementor and Divi for layout customisation.
- Multilingual Site Development: Experience in creating and managing multilingual WordPress sites.
- Accessibility Standards: Understanding the accessibility standards of web pages to make sure the site is usable by all.
How to Assess WordPress Developer Skills
Checking whether a WordPress developer can handle your project involves several stages including: reviewing a portfolio, doing interviews, and giving technical tests. Here is how you can assess a WordPress developer’s skills:
Portfolio Review
What have they done before? What does their previous work tell you about their skills and knowledge? What projects do you see that are similar to what you want to do? How well designed are they? How well written? How well built? How well optimised?
Technical Interviews
Interview the developer to determine how well they know WordPress core, theme and plugin development, and other required skills. Ask how they keep up with WordPress news, how they troubleshoot problems, and what they’ve learned as a result. Ask to see some samples of their code, or even access and review their repositories. Does it adhere to best practices? Is it well-organised? How do they document their work?
Technical Tests
Have them take a technical test that gauges how well they can perform appropriate skills. For example, write a custom plugin, optimise a site for performance, or fix a particular issue.
References
Talk to past clients or employers to find out how the developer worked with them, how reliable he or she was, and whether they felt they were communicated with.
Soft Skills
Assess whether they can communicate clearly, fit in with the organisation’s culture, and their willingness to work with others. The successful completion of a project requires both effective communication and a good team spirit.
Types of WordPress Developers and Their Expertise
The type of WordPress developer you need depends on the specifics of your project. Here’s a rundown of the various specialisations and what distinguishes each one:
WordPress Theme Developer
A WordPress theme developer specialises in creating and customising themes to meet the clients’ specific requirements in terms of design and functionality. The core responsibilities would include:
- Custom Theme Development/From scratch: Designing and developing custom themes from scratch, making them responsive for mobile devices and user-friendly interfaces.
- Theme Customization: Modifying existing themes to better suit the client’s needs and preferences.
- Integration: Ensuring the theme integrates seamlessly with various plugins and tools.
WordPress Plugin Developer
The tasks of a WordPress plugin developer may include:
- Develop new plugins that supplement the performance of WordPress
- Maintain the functionality of the plugins
- Custom Plugin Development: The creation of custom plugins to insert a feature or function into a WordPress site.
- Plugin Maintenance: Regularly updating and maintaining plugins to ensure compatibility and security.
- Integration: Ensuring plugins work seamlessly with the WordPress core and other plugins.
WooCommerce Developer
A WooCommerce developer is someone who creates and enhances sites built using the WordPress plugin WooCommerce. The responsibilities of a WooCommerce developer include:
- WooCommerce Setup: Setting up and configuring WooCommerce stores, including payment gateways and shipping options.
- Customization: Customizing WooCommerce templates and functionalities to match the client’s e-commerce needs.
- Optimization: Optimizing WooCommerce sites for performance, SEO, and user experience.
Key Considerations for Hiring a WordPress Developer
There are key considerations when hiring a WordPress developer:
Ease of Communication
This is the most important area to get right in finding the right WordPress developer for your project. Establishing the communication lines early will make it easier to handle project-related logistics from day one. You can determine a vendor’s ease of communication before hiring them by assessing their level of professionalism. Some things to look out for include on-site accessibility, website monitoring time, and accessibility to employees when needed. A real, preferably local address should be provided, as written communication is the most convenient form. If the address falls outside your area, clean phone lines should be available to avoid additional call charges.
Scalability
When hiring a WordPress developer, it is vital to have a clear understanding of whether the job is a one-off occurrence or part of an ongoing engagement. To plan and effectively utilize your allocated resources, you need to have clarified this aspect before hiring anyone.
Support
The WordPress developer that you hire should be able to work with you to address compatibility issues, security concerns, and other complications that may arise during the course of your website. When assessing your future WordPress developer for this attribute, their resource availability and response attentiveness should be a prime consideration.
Timing
The timeframe aspect of hiring a WordPress developer involves determining how long you will be working together on a project.
Figure out exactly what you want: before you set out to find a developer (or any other kind of professional, for that matter), nail down the project scope. Specify exact functions, mention the design you most prefer, and be specific in your requirements. Knowing exactly what you want to build will not only help you find the right developer but also avoid many headaches down the line.
Technical Competence
This is the general ‘technical competence’ score. Here, I evaluate a developer’s ability to implement WordPress core, theme and plugin development, front-end technologies, back-end technologies, and related methods using generally accepted techniques.
Portfolio and Case Studies
Examine a developer’s portfolio and case studies to learn about past experience and skills. Focus on projects similar to your site and evaluate the quality of the work.
Reviews and Testimonials
Read and evaluate client reviews and testimonials to see whether the developer delivered on previous projects, communicated effectively, and complied with deadlines.
Soft Skills
Is the developer someone you think you can work well with? Is their communication skill good? Do they seem a good cultural fit in your office? Good communication and teamwork mean the project will be delivered.
Is the developer available during the time you need them? Are they reachable and responsive? Do they offer support and maintenance for your project after it’s complete?
Tools and Technologies in WordPress Development
The successful WordPress developer must be a master of a set of tools and technologies that increase development efficiency and website performance.
WordPress Development Tools
- WordPress Command Line Interface (WP-CLI): It provides a command line interface that allows you to manage your WordPress installations, automate tasks, and minimize repetition.
- Version Control Systems (Git): GitHub, Bitbucket, etc., for version control, enhancing collaboration and code management.
- Local Development Environments: Local by Flywheel, XAMPP, MAMP for setting up local dev environments to test and develop.
- Debugging Tools: Query Monitor and Debug Bar – useful plugins and tools for spotting and resolving WordPress issues.
Performance and Optimization Tools
- Google PageSpeed Insights: A tool to analyze site performance and provide recommendations for optimization.
- Plugins that improve site speed:
- W3 Total Cache: A super caching plugin that accelerates your server for almost any number of hits.
- WP Super Cache and Zen Cache: Equivalent plugins that improve site speed.
- WP DB Manager: A tool that will clean up your databases.
- Smush: A plugin for optimising images, and it needs to be installed before creating any content.
- EWWW Image Optimizer: Another plugin that reduces the sizes of images without compromising quality.
Security Tools
- WPScan: A security scanner for WordPress that helps identify vulnerabilities and suggests fixes.
- Security Plugins: Wordfence and Sucuri are excellent plugins for adding a much-needed layer of protection to your site.
SEO Tools
- Yoast SEO: A popular plugin for optimizing on-page SEO and managing site meta data.
- Rank Math: Another powerful SEO plugin that provides advanced features and optimization tips.
Page Builders and Customization Tools
- Elementor: A drag-and-drop page builder that permits developers to create unique designs and layouts without writing any lines of code.
- Gutenberg: The block editor that powers WordPress, allowing developers to create content using blocks to achieve a higher degree of flexibility and customisability.
- Advanced Custom Fields (ACF): Adds custom fields to the WordPress admin area for developers who want to enrich the content-management and customisation tools they create for themselves and others.
Conclusion
Finding the right WordPress developer makes or breaks the project. How to hire WordPress developer: Knowing what kind of WordPress developer you need, assessing their skillset, and making the right move will save you money and improve the chances of your project being built the way it’s supposed to be built. Follow this guide to navigate your hiring journey and hire a developer who is not only proficient in technical skills, but also compatible with your team and project goals. Through the hands of an exceptional developer, your WordPress site will be a full-fledged tool driving your business forward.
Where is jQuery used?
Slide and Glide with Animations
- Think Powerpoint is cool? jQuery sprinkles fairy dust on websites, making them slide, fade, and bounce without breaking a sweat.
DOM's Personal Stylist
- jQuery is like the fashionista of DOM elements, giving your tags a makeover with a snap of its functions!
Ajax's Speedy Deliveries
- Want your data fast, like pizza delivery? jQuery's Ajax methods serve up content so fresh, it feels like it's straight from the oven!
Event Whisperer
- jQuery listens to events better than a therapist, responding to clicks and hovers with more empathy than your best friend!
jQuery Alternatives
Vanilla JavaScript
JavaScript is the core language of the web used to create and control web content. It's supported by all modern browsers without the need for external libraries.
// jQuery example: $('#element').addClass('new-class');
document.getElementById('element').classList.add('new-class');
- Lightweight, no library overhead
- Direct browser support, no dependencies
- Modern browsers have closed most of the functionality gap
- May require more verbose code for complex tasks
- Higher learning curve compared to jQuery's simplicity
- Browser inconsistencies might still exist in less common situations
React
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, most commonly known for its efficient update and render of components.
// jQuery example: $('#app').html('Hello, world!');
ReactDOM.render(
<h1>Hello, world!</h1>,
document.getElementById('app')
);
- Creates large-scale, interactive web apps
- Component-based architecture facilitates code reuse
- Virtual DOM optimizes rendering performance
- Requires bundling and transpilation for browser support
- Larger overhead compared to vanilla JS and jQuery
- Focus on web applications rather than small DOM tasks
Vue.js
Vue.js is a progressive framework for building user interfaces, favoring an approachable, versatile, and performant frontend ecosystem.
// jQuery example: $('#app').text('Welcome to Vue.js!');
new Vue({
el: '#app',
data: {
message: 'Welcome to Vue.js!'
}
});
- Easy to integrate with other projects and libraries
- Detailed documentation makes learning curve gentle
- Lightweight and approachable compared to larger frameworks
- May be overkill for simple, static pages
- Community is smaller than React or Angular
- Tooling and state management can be complex
Quick Facts about jQuery
The Humble Beginnings of jQuery
Picture it: 2006, a time when JavaScript was as wild as the Wild West. Along trots John Resig, a coding cowboy with a dream to tame the chaos. Behold the birth of jQuery, the trusty steed that helped devs wrangle Document Object Models without breaking a sweat. This was no ordinary horse; it was a unicorn that spread rainbows in the form of simplified syntax!
jQuery: The Version Saga
With the wisdom that only version numbers can impart, jQuery matured faster than a teen idol. From its inception, its versioning had more drama than a soap opera. Who could forget the leap from 1.x to 2.x, waving goodbye to IE 6/7/8 holdouts as it sailed towards modern browsers? And when version 3.x galloped in, it brought promises of less bloat and more speed – like a diet that actually worked!
Groundbreaking? More Like Earth-Shattering!
Back in the olden days (we're talking '07), jQuery introduced chaining, and it blew developers' minds like a popped balloon at a silent retreat. A symphony of actions could be strung together in one line of code. Behold the magic:
$('#element').addClass('party').fadeIn('slow').html('Whoa, Nelly!');Suddenly, scripts were as sleek as a greased dolphin, sliding through tasks with an elegance that was nothing short of revolutionary!
What is the difference between Junior, Middle, Senior and Expert jQuery developer?
| Seniority Name | Years of Experience | Average Salary (USD/year) | Responsibilities & Activities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | 0-2 | 40,000-60,000 |
|
| Middle | 2-5 | 60,000-85,000 |
|
| Senior | 5+ | 85,000-120,000 |
|
| Expert/Team Lead | 7+ | 120,000+ |
|
Top 10 jQuery Related Tech
JavaScript
Kicking it old school, yet utterly indispensable, is JavaScript – the granddaddy of web development. This is the Gandalf of languages for anyone wishing to conjure magic with jQuery, as it's the bedrock that jQuery is built on. One does not simply walk into jQuery without a solid understanding of JavaScript. It's like showing up to a wizard duel with a rubber chicken. You need to know your loops from your closures, and your variables from your hoisting.
HTML/CSS
HTML and CSS are like the bread and butter of web development. Ignore them, and you’re going on a digital diet nobody asked for. These two are your canvas and paint; without them, you’re not painting the Sistine Chapel; you’re doodling in the dirt. Dive deep into the DOM (Document Object Model) and get cozy with CSS selectors, because with jQuery, you'll be manipulating these like a puppet master.
jQuery UI
This is like jQuery's more flamboyant cousin who shows up at the party with extra widgets, effects, and a whole suite of interactions. Want to make your elements draggable or resizable? That’s a piece of cake with jQuery UI. Want to show off with some fancy-shmancy animations that don’t require you selling your soul to complex JavaScript? jQuery UI is your go-to.
<script>
$( "#draggable" ).draggable();
</script>jQuery Mobile
It's the 21st century and if your website walks like a dinosaur on mobile devices, it's time for an intervention. jQuery Mobile will transform your mobile web applications into Usain Bolt. It’s all about touch-optimized web apps that play nice with different screen sizes and orientations. Your websites will be swiping right into everyone's heart.
AJAX
Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) – here’s your ticket to a seamless, no-refresh-needed, your-coffee-won’t-have-time-to-cool kind of web experience. With AJAX in your tool belt, you can make your web pages communicate with the server in the background, just like ninjas carrying out secret missions while you’re none the wiser.
<script>
$.ajax({
url: 'YourEndpointHere',
success: function(data) {
// Celebrate your success in stealth mode
}
});
</script>JSON
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is like the Esperanto for data exchange among APIs. It's simple, it's text-based, and every language speaks it. When it comes to feeding data to your jQuery functions, JSON is as delicious as it gets. Nom nom, eat up that structured data.
<script>
$.getJSON('YourAPIEndpointHere', function(data) {
// Relish the structured data as if it was your grandma’s secret recipe.
});
</script>REST APIs
Representational State Transfer (REST) APIs are basically the wizards of the web world, allowing data to teleport between client and server. Your jQuery magic wand can conjure up GET requests to summon information or POST ones to send out data, all in the realm of HTTP methods. Abra-REST-cadabra!
SASS/LESS
SASS and LESS are like steroids for your CSS, giving it superpowers that regular CSS could only dream of in its wildest dreams. Variables, nesting, mixins, oh my! They compile down to standard CSS but not before letting you write your styles with elegance and grace. It's like having a CSS butler do your laundry and fold your clothes too.
Git
No one wants to end up being the developer who overwrote their teammate's week-worth of code. Enter Git, the time-traveling sheriff of version control. With its branches, commits, and merges, Git helps you manage your codebase like a pro. Make a mistake? No worries. Rollback like you're in a time machine. Just don’t get lost in the branches; we're coding, not making an episode of ‘Lost’.
Webpack/Babel
In the high-stakes potluck of web development, Webpack is your utensil, combining all your different flavors of code into one delicious dish. And Babel? It's the universal translator that ensures your fancy modern JavaScript doesn't end up looking like gibberish to older browsers. It transpiles your ES6 and beyond into something every browser can digest. Tres magnifique, no?