Hiring Guide • Direct Availability
Hiring a WordPress developer costs $2,000 to $15,000 for custom projects. Themes typically $4k-$8k, plugins $3k-$6k, full WooCommerce builds $8k-$15k. Timeline: 3-10 weeks depending on scope. Monthly retainers for ongoing development start at $2,000.
Fixed pricing. PSR-12 standards. No page builders. Direct communication with the developer building your site — not an account manager.
Making the right choice
What you actually get with each option — beyond the marketing.
| What matters |
Junior Freelance
$500-$2k
|
WordPress Agency
$10k-$50k
|
Recommended
Senior Freelance (Me)
$2k-$15k
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Who builds your site | Variable skill level | Junior dev + account manager | Senior developer directly |
| Code quality | Often page builders / messy | Standardized but impersonal | PSR-12, DI container, documented |
| Communication | Direct but inconsistent | Filtered through 2-3 people | Direct, technical, async-capable |
| Pricing transparency | Often hourly surprises | Hidden in scope creep | Fixed before start |
| Availability after launch | Unreliable / disappeared | Retainer required, handoff risk | Same developer, monthly option |
| Timeline predictability | Often delayed | Buffer padded, slow | Realistic, communicated weekly |
| High risk | 2-3x cost | Get quote |
Not sure which fits? Send a short written brief — I will tell you honestly if I am the right fit or if an agency makes more sense.
Deliverables
No hourly billing. No surprise invoices. Quote covers everything: discovery, development, QA, launch, and 30-day support. If scope changes, we discuss before any cost adjustment.
You talk to the person writing code — not a sales team or project manager. Technical questions answered directly. Architecture decisions explained clearly.
PHP 8.1+, PSR-12, dependency injection, typed properties. Code your next developer (or your team) can read, extend, and maintain without reverse-engineering.
Hand-coded templates, semantic HTML, minimal JavaScript. Faster load times, cleaner markup, and no lock-in to Elementor/Divi/WPBakery ecosystems.
Git repository, technical documentation, deployment guide, and video walkthrough. Your team can take over, or continue with my monthly maintenance retainer.
Bugs fixed at no cost. Minor tweaks included. Full support during critical first month. Then optional monthly retainer or as-needed support.
Investment
Fixed quotes based on scope, not hours. Every project includes discovery, development, QA, launch, and 30-day support.
Timeline: 4-6 weeks
Timeline: 6-10 weeks
Timeline: 2-4 weeks
Building a store? See WooCommerce development.
Monthly retainer for continuous improvements, new features, and maintenance. View retainer options →
Hiring Smart
Beautiful sites can hide messy code. Ask for GitHub or code snippets. Look for: clean file structure, comments, separation of concerns.
"How do you handle plugin conflicts?" "What is your approach to custom post types?" Vague answers = red flag. Specific technical responses = confidence.
Who fixes bugs? At what cost? How fast? Get this in writing. Many freelancers disappear after launch; agencies charge retainers you did not budget.
"I use Elementor/Divi for speed" often means "I cannot code custom templates." Hand-coded sites load faster and cost less long-term.
PHP 7.4 reached end-of-life. Ask about PHP 8.1+, PSR standards, dependency injection. Legacy practices = technical debt you will pay later.
Want me to review a quote you received? Send it over — I will tell you honestly if it is fair or what questions to ask.
Remote & Global
East Coast: Morning overlap possible. West Coast: Async-heavy with scheduled calls. 10+ years US client experience.
Strong timezone overlap. GMT/BST business hours mostly covered. UK data center recommendations available.
Minimal timezone gap. German, Dutch, French clients welcome. GDPR-aware development practices.
Tools: Slack, Notion, GitHub, Figma, your preferred PM
Hiring a WordPress developer costs $2,000 to $15,000 depending on scope. Custom themes typically $4,000-$8,000. Custom plugins $3,000-$6,000. Full builds with WooCommerce $8,000-$15,000. Monthly retainers for ongoing work start at $2,000.
Freelancers offer lower costs but limited availability and single-point-of-failure risk. Agencies provide teams but charge 2-3x more with account manager overhead. A senior freelance developer with agency experience offers the best balance: direct communication, technical depth, and scalable capacity through trusted partners when needed.
Look for: PHP 8.1+ and PSR-12 coding standards, experience with dependency injection and modern architecture, semantic HTML and accessibility knowledge, WordPress REST API and block editor familiarity, Git workflow, and proven WooCommerce experience if you run e-commerce. Avoid developers who rely primarily on page builders.
Custom WordPress themes take 3-6 weeks. Custom plugins take 2-4 weeks. Full site builds with multiple templates and WooCommerce take 6-10 weeks. Timeline depends on design readiness, content availability, revision rounds, and third-party integrations. Rush delivery available at 25% premium.
Fixed-scope projects include: discovery and scoping (written intake and async follow-up; optional call), technical architecture plan, staged development environment, weekly progress updates, QA testing, launch deployment, 30-day post-launch support, and full documentation with Git repository. No hourly surprises. Everything needed for handoff to your team or continued maintenance.
Yes. Based in Istanbul with European business hours overlap. US East Coast: 6-hour difference, manageable with scheduled calls. UK and EU: minimal timezone gap. All work async-capable with Slack, Notion, or your preferred tools. 10+ years remote collaboration experience.
Start with a written brief or contact form — no cold call required. No commitment. I reply with clarifying questions, realistic options, and a detailed fixed-price scope. Happy to do voice or video if you prefer, but async works great across time zones and languages.