20 WordPress Skills: How To Assess WordPress Expertise

WordPress is the world’s largest content management system that countless professionals use, whether they’re running their own site or a client’s site.

Gauging WordPress expertise is vital for thousands of businesses.

Assessing WordPress skills is almost impossible if you rely solely on resumes. Talent assessments are a great way to evaluate WordPress developer skills accurately, and TestGorilla offers hundreds of tests to help you. 

In this article, we discuss top WordPress skills, why they’re important, and how we can help you hire an expert in Wordpress.

What are WordPress skills?

WordPress skills refer to three different types of WordPress expertise: 

What skills do developers need for WordPress?

WordPress developer skills include HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and cybersecurity proficiency. Most developers should also understand version control tools, like GIT, to manage their code.

Other parts of the WordPress skill set include back-end development, Bootstrap, SQL, plugin development, jQuery, and MySQL.

An expert in WordPress should have a collection of soft skills, such as communication and critical thinking. These abilities make it easier to manage complex projects.

WordPress skills: 5 soft skills all devs need

When 810 million websites run on WordPress, it’s clear that expert WordPress skills are critical for many companies.

Apart from the technical and hard skills, like React, Wordpress plugins, and coding skills, developers also need the right soft skills to succeed in WordPress administration.

1. Communication

One of the top WordPress skills is communicating properly with team members to tackle issues and achieve business goals. 

Nearly 45% of leaders say that poor communication leads to a failure to complete projects, and 25% say it leads to missed performance goals. 

WordPress expertise also demands collaboration with other teams, such as marketing, to improve lead generation and increase conversions. 

2. Critical-thinking skills

Critical thinking is an essential skill to help a web page rise through the rankings. Errors and bugs are daily occurrences for WordPress developers. They must be able to:

• Approach problems with a critical mindset

• Evaluate complex situations

• Find the best solutions

WordPress developers regularly apply critical thinking and problem-solving to deliver technical solutions. 

3. Learning mindset

WordPress is dynamic and constantly changing, so an expert in WordPress needs to have a learning mindset.

Developers must keep up with:

• The latest trends

• WordPress updates

• Technological advancements

4. Empathy

WordPress programmers build websites that thousands of visitors use. Because their work impacts so many people, they must put themselves in the shoes of their users when developing websites to create a good customer experience.

Empathy also drives your marketing efforts because an expert in WordPress must know a visitor’s mindset to convert them into customers.

5. Attention to detail

WordPress website programming requires a keen eye and a high level of concentration to improve website development and understand tutorials and theme development.

Excellent attention to detail is one of the most important WordPress developer skills, so workers can identify code bugs and any discrepancies when analyzing data.

5 WordPress skills for beginners

Today, websites are a critical asset for most businesses, and running a successful WordPress site requires certain core abilities.

The following are basic WordPress skills beginner developers should have.

1. Basic hosting skills

Your developer’s hosting knowledge ensures your websites run efficiently on their server. Basic WordPress expertise includes:

• Checking site speed

• Making adjustments for optimization

• Troubleshooting small issues 

To keep your site running smoothly, beginners must troubleshoot if a feature fails or an update isn’t going through.

2. Knowing the WordPress user interface

Your developer must be familiar with the WordPress interface for proper administration to ensure they can properly and comfortably harness all the tool offers.

Being comfortable with the WordPress interface streamlines your developer’s work and increases performance and productivity.

3. Content creation

Content creation and marketing are two of the most effective ways to attract customers. 

Your developers create and launch your site. They should understand content creation to provide quality advice about blog posts, calls to action, and solid copywriting on landing pages. 

4. Optimizing images

Adding visuals to your website content encourages customers to look your way. Optimizing images ensures user-friendliness.

Managing and optimizing images so they load quickly are the responsibility of your developer as core WordPress skills.

5. Working with Gutenberg

Gutenberg is a block-based editor in WordPress that streamlines and simplifies content management.

Knowledge of the Gutenberg editor ensures your widget management and full site editing are more effective. Developers can incorporate various media and transform their approach to content creation. 

5 WordPress skills for intermediate developers

Intermediate WordPress expertise includes optimizing content for increased visibility, engagement, and customer experience.

1. Basic SEO

Expert WordPress skills include proficiency in search engine optimization (SEO). SEO best practices bolster visibility and drive traffic to your site, making it an invaluable way to attract customers and improve brand authority.

2. HTML and CSS

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) are the foundation of everything you see on the web. WordPress website programming is easier and more streamlined when developers know them.

These WordPress skills ensure candidates can improve your website, ecommerce, and blog quality.

3. Basic JavaScript and PHP

These programming languages power most of WordPress. Developers with basic JavaScript and PHP skills can include more functionality in your website and make programmatic changes.

For example, a WordPress developer with intermediate PHP skills can modify and improve generic themes and plugins to enhance the look, feel, and functionality of your site.

4. Google Analytics 

With Google Analytics 4, developers can study your website’s recurring visitor trends and patterns. This information provides insight into your customers’ needs and forms the basis for you to implement new strategies for a better user experience, driving traffic and conversions. 

5. Online marketing

WordPress developers take an active approach to promoting your website. The online marketing strategies they apply include everything from SEO to data analysis. 

WordPress developers must know more than how to do something – they must know why. Digital marketing know-how helps them understand the strategies behind content promotion and web design.

5 WordPress skills for experts

Finally, let’s look at our expert WordPress skills list. WordPress developers need these capabilities to perform detailed website edits and ensure tight security.

For a deep dive into the right skills, check out our blog post on writing a WordPress developer job description.

1. Advanced JavaScript and PHP

JavaScript is the client side of the scripting language, and it’s necessary when you want to make a theme or plugin interactive.

Most WordPress features have JavaScript in their technology stack, making it a must-have for the highest-level developers. 

Advanced PHP skills are also essential if you’re looking for an expert in WordPress to build and maintain customized plugins and themes for your website.

2. Photoshop

Expert WordPress developers should have basic Photoshop know-how, such as:

• Making designs to supplement their front-end development skills

• Converting Photoshop document (PSD) files to a compatible WordPress format

• Creating mobile-friendly sites 

Photoshop skills help WordPress developers create responsive websites. 

3. Version control

Version control empowers you to inspect all code and file changes, including who made them. Your developer can use this skill to change your site, track its history, and roll it back if required – avoiding unpleasant surprises, such as functionality issues that derive from unsuccessful plugin updates.

4. Online security

Business sites are a common target of cybercriminals, and 96% of administrators and website owners believe that WordPress security is very important, with only 4% saying it’s somewhat important.

Your web developer should be aware of security problems in web apps and how to mitigate them. The knowledge of some cybersecurity techniques and their implementation is critical for an expert in WordPress.

5. WordPress command-line interface (WP-CLI)

With the WordPress command-line interface, developers can issue directives and manage files with simple code. In addition, WP-LI facilitates plugin updates and the configuration of installations on a server. 

How to assess WordPress skills and expertise

Evaluating WordPress skills is critical to hiring great developers, but it’s impossible when you rely on resumes.

Instead, use a WordPress skill assessment. Talent assessments give you accurate data about candidates’ expertise, ensuring you get an ideal employee for the role.

Candidates also agree that skills-based hiring is the future, with web developers preferring technical tests and coding questions above all other recruitment processes.

Let’s look at some WordPress developer tests and how to use them.

How to assess WordPress soft skills

Coding assessments may be the first thing you think of, but beyond a technical skill assessment, WordPress soft skills are also easy to gauge with talent assessments.

The top soft skills include:

• Critical thinking

• Attention to detail

• Learning agility

• Communication

For example, TestGorilla’s Communication test assesses skills in understanding written communication, listening and interpreting verbal communication, clarifying messages, and using professional etiquette.

Another WordPress skill assessment is our Problem Solving test, which evaluates an individual’s ability to identify an issue, break it down into manageable parts, and develop solutions.

These tests are available in our Free Forever Plan, so you can try them today!

How to assess beginner WordPress skills

A WordPress skill assessment helps you confidently hire beginning administrators and website managers.

Our WordPress Administration test covers:

• The basics of managing a WordPress site

• Creating content

• Installing and setting up themes, menus, plugins, and widgets 

Want a closer look? Take a look at more WordPress Administrator sample questions.

Performance on this test indicates a candidate well-versed in WordPress basics who may not have more advanced developer skills. 

How to assess intermediate WordPress expertise

The best way to hire a WordPress developer is by using talent assessments that evaluate WordPress core skills.

Many companies are reaping the benefits of technical assessments. For example, mDEVZ used TestGorilla coding assessments to increase the quality of hire and reduce cost-per-hire by 30%.

We have a large variety of tests available for assessing intermediate WP/entry-level developer skills, for instance:

• Our PHP (Coding): Entry-Level Algorithms test assesses a candidate’s PHP skills. It requires candidates to code a simple application based on the provided instructions. 

• Our JavaScript (Coding): Entry-Level Algorithms test looks at a candidate’s basic JavaScript knowledge.

How to assess expert WordPress skills

With a skill assessment, WordPress expertise is easy to find for even the most novice business owner – even when assessing complicated capabilities and frameworks.

SiddhiSai used TestGorilla to hire web developers for complex projects, including online shopping and membership platforms, which reduced its time-to-hire by several weeks.

Most of our entry-level coding assessments also have a more difficult version, which you can use to test for advanced development skills, for example:

• The PHP (Coding): Intermediate-Level Algorithms test enables you to assess WordPress PHP expertise

• The JavaScript (Coding): Data Structures & Data Types test evaluates a candidate’s ability to manipulate JavaScript data structures and types

• The JavaScript (Coding): Debugging test that checks a person’s ability to interpret JavaScript code and debug it according to a set of given requirements

Candidates complete these coding tasks within a 30- or 35-minute time limit. You can then analyze the results of this test to assess developers’ understanding of PHP and JavaScript languages and their potential to handle your website’s more difficult maintenance and development tasks.

Summary: The 20 WordPress developer skills and how to test for them

Assess and hire the best WordPress developers with TestGorilla

TestGorilla makes it easy to find WordPress skills, from soft skills to WordPress themes and other expertise.

Our WordPress skill assessments enable you to evaluate hundreds of skills, including WordPress development, technical SEO, programming, and communication. You can get started today with a Free Forever Plan.

Once you finish the talent assessment stage, use our WordPress interview questions to guide you during face-to-face interviews.

You also can take our product tour or book a demo to learn more about our skills tests and how to build a WordPress assessment with them.

WordPress skills FAQs

Let’s wrap things up by answering frequently asked questions about the WordPress community and the fundamentals of WordPress project management.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is the most common way to create a website. It is an open-source content-management system that powers at least 43% of all websites on the internet. The platform is flexible enough to meet the needs of individual users and enterprises, making WordPress skills a must-have for many companies.

What is a WordPress developer skills assessment? 

A WordPress developer skills assessment is a series of tests you use to gauge WordPress proficiency. It tests hard skills such as coding language proficiency, programming ability, database management skills, and soft skills such as communication, attention to detail, and critical thinking.

Learn more about WordPress assessments earlier in this blog post.

Why are WordPress development skills important?

WordPress development skills ensure your employees can quickly and efficiently identify and resolve problems and bugs, optimize your SEO, and update and maintain your site with minimal oversight. It saves you time and money and keeps your website secure from hackers and malware.

We discussed the importance of WordPress skills in-depth earlier in this article.