WordPress Technical Skill Levels (IMO)

WordPress Technical Skill Levels, in Order

Level 1. WordPress Content Editor

A WordPress Content Editor is able to:

• Add new and edit existing posts, pages or products to an existing website
• Use the Block Editor to create and edit pages and posts
• Use the Classic (TinyMCE) editor or Block Editor for products
• Make changes to the menu, if they are an Admin
• Add or delete Users, if they are an Admin

The first step is to learn how to add and edit WordPress posts, products and pages. Many WordPress users never go beyond this level because their interest is in writing content for a website. Most of my clients do their own content editing, with a bit of training and support.

Simply learning to edit in WordPress is a skill in itself. At the time of this writing, WordPress is a mix of the newer Block Editor and the older Classic editor. A WordPress writer has more options in the Block Editor than in the TinyMCE editor, but because the Classic editor was based on the ubiquitous TinyMCE editor it feels like an old friend.

In a corporate setting, the front-facing website will likely be managed by the Communications or Marketing department, rather than in IT. Communications professionals will add to and edit the WordPress website.

In an e-commerce company, staff add and modify products on the website, and perhaps set up sale prices and create coupon codes. They would also know how to manage the ordering process.

Level 2. WordPress SEO Copywriter

A WordPress SEO Copywriter is able to:

• Choose keywords for a web page
• Rewrite website content so that there is the appropriate emphasis on keywords
• Write the meta description in such as way as to entice clicks from the search engine results
• Modify the text to improve readability
• Use the Yoast or a similar tool to measure how well they have written for the keywords

One of the cheapest ways to market your products or services is through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) copywriting. Once you know how to add and edit WordPress posts, pages, and products, the next step will be to learn how to optimize your content so that it comes to the top of Google searches.

Most website owners use the Yoast plugin for SEO. Using the Yoast plugin is key for adding the right metadata to posts and prepare posts for media sharing.  (See my article on using Yoast for social media.)

In breaking up the levels, I created a separate level for SEO copywriting, because not everyone who edit WordPress knows how to optimize pages for SEO. Even so, most communications professionals who use WordPress need SEO, and SEO copywriting is something any trained writer can learn to do easily.

In a corporate setting, the marketing or communications department would probably handle the SEO copywriting.

Bloggers are professional SEO copywriters, as their advertising income depends on coming to the top of search results.

Level 3. WordPress Designer

A WordPress Designer is able to:

• Spin up an instance of WordPress
• Connect the domain name to the hosting in the DNS (domain nameservers)
• Install a theme
• Research and install plugins as needed for website functionality
• Use Customize to design the website
• Use the Block Editor for layout of a page; for example, with columns and a hero image
• Create a professionally designed WordPress website

The next level is to learn how to create a WordPress website, add a theme and plugins to WordPress, and then use Customize to design it. A WordPress Designer would also know how to use the block editor to create columns and full-width layouts. Alternatively, a WordPress Designer would know how to use one of the WordPress Page Builders, like Beaver Builder (my favorite) or Elementor.

WordPress Designers most likely work as freelancers or for agencies who sell WordPress websites.

Level 4. WordPress Developer

A WordPress Developer is able to:

• Add Additional CSS in the Customizer
• Insert HTML as needed for the design
• Insert PHP scripts into the functions.php file
• Add a child theme

At this level a developer is to be able write some code for a WordPress website, in HTML, CSS and a bit of PHP. Because of the WordPress Developer’s ability to code, they are able to make changes to a website beyond what is in the theme or plugin settings. At this level, the developer has a solid understanding of how WordPress works in the PHP scripts and MySQL tables.

To be proficient at WordPress development, a WordPress Developer is very comfortable with adding Additional CSS in the Customizer.  Most of the time I spend in WordPress is adding Additional CSS to improve my designs beyond what is available in the theme and plugin settings.  

A WordPress Developer is also able to make changes to the PHP scripts. When researching for solutions, you will frequently find that a PHP solution is required. To implement the solution, you need to have a child theme, and then you generally would place the PHP into the functions.php file in the child theme. Most of the time you can simply add a PHP script you find on the Internet to the functions.php file for the child theme.

Level 5. WordPress PHP Developer

A WordPress PHP Developer is able to:

• Add PHP in the functions.php file in a child theme
• Create custom template pages in PHP
• Add additional fields with a plugin such as the Advanced Custom Fields plugin
• Create custom post types

At this level, you can add some custom page layouts and custom post types. For example, the modules I have on Web Dev Students (HTML/CSS) are a custom post type using the Advanced Custom Fields plugin and Beaver Themer.  For the practice exercises, I created custom template pages in PHP and JavaScript.

WordPress.org has a lesson on how to create custom post types. With a custom post type, you can create a specialized layout for a certain type of post. For example, on this website, I have a custom post type for Modules that has a specialized layout for an educational page.

Many plugins also utilize a custom post type. For example, a Recipe plugin creates a special layout for recipes with a place for ingredients and steps in the cooking process. The WooCommerce plugin creates a custom post type for Products.

Level 6. Theme and Plugin Developer

A WordPress Theme and Plugin Developer is able to:

• Create custom plugins
• Create custom themes
• Work in both PHP and React

Because of the movement to the block editor, to achieve this level you need to be able to code in React as well as in PHP. React is a JavaScript framework. Plugins developed using the Block Editor use React, while PHP is used to access the mySQL database.

WordPress.org has a Plugin Developer Handbook that would be a great way to learn more about custom plugin development.

Better Skills = Higher Pay

The higher level you achieve the more money you are likely to make in the WordPress community.  Look for projects that give you new skills.  Consider not just the pay for a job, but also the opportunity it provides to add to your technical skills.

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Interested in learning more about WordPress? Check out the WebDevStudents.com WordPress Training.