If you are to randomly ask a group of web developers about their favorite Content Management System, chances are high that WordPress would top the list. This open-source platform is widely used by companies to improve their productivity. It is also a host of many intuitive features that help developers easily navigate through murky development work.
Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs looking to establish an online presence face difficulties in fully benefiting from WordPress because of the limited knowledge in web development. So, at the end of the day, they end up partially or completely outsourcing.
When correctly done, WordPress outsourcing can be a great and cost-effective way to improve productivity and provide the desired outcome. The only problem with this is that there isn't a clear cut out method when it comes to WordPress tasks outsourcing.
In this article, we are going to look at the best WordPress outsourcing services practices. And, more importantly, how they can help improve your business's bottom line.
But first, what is WordPress outsourcing?
Outsourcing is contracting a third party entity to execute particular business functions. One of the main reasons for outsourcing is to cut expenses and even avoid certain costs. However, some other companies choose to outsource for purposes of gaining competitive advantage through transforming their operations. Thus, making them efficient, effective, and more agile.
Generally, there are different categories of WordPress outsourcing companies. For example, there are those that specialize in WordPress support services only and those that offer business and technical administrative services on top.
According to a recent survey by Deloitte, 78% of company executives indicated that they occasionally outsource their WordPress projects. Revenue-wise, the IT industry is one of the biggest revenue contributors in the outsourcing ecosystem. In 2018, the industry generated 23.6 billion and expected to hit 67 B by the year 2020.
Apple, IBM and Cisco Systems are some of the giant tech companies that outsource customer support and hire remote developers.
Click here to learn more about how you can hire remote developers for app and WordPress projects.
Here are 10 Tips for WordPress Projects Outsourcing
These effective tips can help you outsource the projects in the most effortless way possible.
Set a Clear Budget
Normally, functionality, design difficulty, and the number of pages are the major factors that influence the cost of building a website. So, your costs depend on whether you are looking for full-service WordPress outsourcing or simply contracting the development part only. The cost may vary depending on the company and the task at hand.
Share Your Mission with The Team
Before you embark on WordPress development outsourcing, it's important to clearly communicate with the development team about your businesses mission. It is your responsibility to explain in detail and encourage the team to ask any questions. This is important in avoiding any ideological differences once the project kicks off.
Succinctly Describe your Job
One of the biggest reasons why most companies fail in their outsourcing ventures is because they fail to clearly describe their jobs. As a result, the development team ends up with blurred instructions and eventually delivering a bad job.
To draw in the best development team, you need to have a reasonable brief with team members. Make sure to precisely explain your requirements alongside the project’s deadlines. Moreover, job descriptions are the best way to sieve out unqualified individuals who save you time.
Start Small
When looking to outsource from a WordPress development company, its important to outsource some parts of your project as you locate your bearings. As time goes by and you familiarize with the territory, only then can you go full throttle.
Basically, you can start by outsourcing easy tasks like speed improvement or landing page creation to establish whether you have the right match.
Break the Project into Small Manageable Task
Website development can be an overwhelming venture. Especially so if you are looking for a complicated design and better functionality. With the use of project management tools such as Wrike, you can break the entire project into smaller sub-tasks. It will allow the team to look at the project as small units than needs to be created rather than one big puzzle.
By creating a checklist, you are also able to get a clear idea of the project’s progress and a fallback plan where you can countercheck with the finished product.
Set Clear Deadlines
If employees control is one of your priorities, then you should think twice before outsourcing. This working arrangement is founded on the fact that the team members get to control their schedules and make them work with the project timeline. This sense of independence has been highlighted as one of the contributing factors to increased employee retention and productivity.
This independence also translates into giving up control of the development team. There is no micromanagement. You mostly have to rely on the commitment of the team rather than conventional managerial supervision.
Before you commit to working with an outsourced team, always set a clear deadline. Don't forget to and ask whether they are able to deliver the project within the set timeline. This helps in avoiding delayed projects and the additional costs that may arise from such unforeseen circumstances.
Communicate Effectively
Whether working with an in-house or outsourced team, effective communication (or lack of the same) can make or break your project. Unfortunately, when outsourcing, you don't have the luxury of walking up to team members for clarification. As such, once you have delegated the tasks, ensure that there are no compromises when it comes to communication.
Needless to say, the same rule should apply to everyone you included as communication is a two-way street. Once you’ve clearly given instructions and delegated the tasks, be prompt in providing guidance and queries. For instance, if your development team wants to change a certain aspect of the website and need your input, respond as quickly as possible to avoid inconveniencing everyone.
Think Long-term
Regardless of whether you are working on a casual WordPress errand or creating a new website from scratch, you need to think long-term. This is because website development is a perpetual process that keeps constantly evolving.
The need for feature enhancement or some unnoticed bug fixing will inevitably arise. Simply put, you will not only need an A-team that will deliver a great website upfront but also oversee maintenance.
During the recruitment stage, ensure you thoroughly evaluate vetted software developers as a whole and individually on matters maintenance. Seek clarification on the level of maintenance and the cost if any. Additionally, check the company’s references and ask about their maintenance reliability, the cost, and most importantly quality of service. Otherwise, getting an ideal website upfront is trivial if it will develop issues in the future with no one to diagnose them.
Factor in Hosting
Another great consideration when looking to outsource WordPress work is what happens once the website is ready. Who will be hosting it? What will be the cost? If you are planning to host it yourself, is the development team willing to furnish you with all the development details?
Familiarizing with “after delivery” nitty-gritty and working relationship is particularly important in avoiding future issues.
Solicit for a Different Opinion
Just like with any other work set-up, the input of your outsourced team is important. This is because they have the skills, experience, and technical know-how to not only deliver your project but also improve it. Having a rough idea of what you want as the end product is vital. Still, their input in light of the latest strategies and technologies could be the differentiating factor between you and your competitors.
You may not always agree with them, but continuously engaging with them could help click the magic buttons.
Conclusion
WordPress outsourcing is one of the best hiring models for companies or individuals who would rather focus on their core business instead of focusing on creating a mediocre website. It helps reduce overhead costs, gives you access to skilled expertise, and increase efficiency. With that said, it is important that you get everything right from the onset to avoid disappointments midway. And with the above tips, you should be able to have compound knowledge on how to outsource WordPress.