Developer, consultant or operations partner?
A developer builds or changes the site: a new design, a custom feature, an integration. The work has a start and an end.
A consultant advises: which platform, which architecture, what's wrong with the site you have. You're paying for judgment, not hours of production.
An operations partner runs the site after it exists: updates, security, monitoring, hosting, and answering the phone when something breaks. The work doesn't end.
Treating these as one role is where most of the trouble starts. A developer who built your site is rarely the right person to watch it at 2 a.m., and usually doesn't want that job.
What to ask before you hire
- Can I see WordPress sites you've built that are similar to mine, and are they still running well?
- Do you build with a page builder, a custom theme, or blocks, and who can edit it afterward?
- Who owns the code, the hosting account and the plugin licenses at the end?
- What happens after launch? Who updates the site and who do I call if it breaks?
- How is your work tested before it goes live?
- How do you handle changes after the project closes?
The gap after launch
This is the failure we see most. A site is built, the invoice is paid, and nobody is assigned to it. Plugins age, a form stops sending, and the first anyone hears about it is a customer. If you're hiring an agency or freelancer, agree on the handoff up front. Our post-launch handoff checklist lists what should be settled before the project closes.
Finding a developer through CriticalWP
We aren't a design agency, but we do build sites for our managed clients on Astra Pro and Elementor, with hosting, security and updates in place from day one. For developers, our Freelancer Directory lists active CriticalWP subscribers, WordPress professionals who build on our managed platform. Each listing is reviewed before it goes live.
Cost
Developer rates and project prices vary too much by scope and experience for a single number to be useful. For a plain-English look at what different kinds of sites and providers tend to cost, see how much a small business website really costs. Whatever you're quoted, keep ongoing operations as a separate line so you can see both.
