WordPress is no longer the leading content management system (CMS) but the core of a growing industry. Many entrepreneurs and investors make money from investing in WordPress related startups. Even though more and more people have joined this industry, there is still a lot of money left on the table.
Are you a proficient WordPress user? If so, it’s time to make money from your WordPress skills. I have featured here a few tried-and-tested opportunities. Check them all out and decide on which ones are suitable for your skills.
1. WordPress Developer
It’s the most obvious job for anyone with a solid grasp on WordPress. You can work as a freelancer from the comfort of your home or as an agency employee (remote or not).
Being a freelancer comes with lots of advantages—no boss and a flexible work schedule, for example. But it also has its disadvantages, as inconstant revenue and doing lots of work not related to development (accounting, generating leads, talking with clients, etc.). Consider joining a WordPress agency if you don’t like freelancing.
Nowadays, working remotely has become the norm. Whether you work as a freelancer or in an agency, don’t look for local clients only. There’s nothing wrong with searching for clients all over the world!
Tips
- Your Stack Overflow and GitHub accounts are worth more than a fancy resume.
- Many people are looking for WordPress developers. All you have to do is to connect with them. There are countless job offers on Toptal, Codeable, WP Hired, Smashing Magazine, WordPress.net, and Hubstaff.
- Take the job proposals on Upwork and similar sites with a grain of salt. You may earn serious money on these sites, but many clients pay peanuts.
2. WordPress Maintainer
WordPress maintenance is a real necessity for anyone who cares about his/her business. Updating the WordPress core, themes, and plugins, improving the security, and making the site load faster are just a few activities of a maintenance team.
Some people do the maintenance by themselves while others hire experts. You could create a business site, generate some buzz around it, and people will ask for your maintenance services. These steps form a basic business plan, but it’s not simple at all to grow such a startup.
You could also get a job as a team member at a WordPress maintenance agency if you aren’t prepared to venture into running a business.
Tips
- Look for an agency job if you want to do WordPress maintenance only. Running a business implies doing many other things (management, marketing, client meetings, accounting, etc.).
- Running a WordPress maintenance agency isn’t easy. Create a clear plan for your business and allocate resources for each step. Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Successful entrepreneurs couldn’t agree more.
3. Sell Themes and Plugins
Creating themes and plugins as a solopreneur is pretty complicated, but it’s not impossible. Take a look at the growing complexity of WordPress themes and plugins, and you will understand that the age of a one-man-show is over. The better approach is to be part of a design agency.
The market for themes and plugins may seem overcrowded, but a good product will always attract customers. However, a good product is only half the battle; a smart marketing and selling strategy is equally important.
Are you still skeptical about these suggestions? Visit ThemeForest sellers’ profiles and check out their sales and income. Some developers make literally millions of dollars.
Tips
- Some theme and plugins sellers share their experiences, and it’s precious food for thought for every seller. Check out Transparency Reports on CodeinWP for an example.
- Making money from selling themes and plugins is a serious business, so treat it as such.
4. Sell Fiverr Gigs
Are you scared that Fiverr pays peanuts? Visit Fiverr and check out the prices of the gigs. You will certainly be amazed! Only a very few gigs are $5–10 while most of them are above $20. Some SEO services start at $595, technical audits at $500, and video editing at $100.
A plethora of WordPress experts offer gigs on Fiverr—full website customization, security hardening, bug fixing, and consulting, just to name a few. The prices might be not attractive for developers based in developed countries, but it could be a source of extra income. Of course, you can increase your rates once you get an excellent rating and a loyal base of customers.
Tips
- Create an account and carefully check all the gigs under the WordPress category. Study the profile of the bestsellers and try to identify their strong points. Next, write a compelling description of your gigs by taking into account what worked for others.
- A good gig description doesn’t guarantee a huge stream of clients. The competition is fierce, and you have to promote your gigs to attract clients.
5. Create Courses and e-Books
Some WordPress experts make considerable amounts of money by selling courses and e-books. You need to have serious answers to the questions below before starting to produce a course or a book:
- Do you know the ins and outs of the topics to be discussed?
- Are you able to distinguish your voice from other authors?
- Do you have the auxiliary tools for video editing, or do you have outstanding writing skills?
Think twice before working on your first course or e-book. It takes time and money to create a top-quality course or e-book. A decent creation won’t generate too many sales and probably won’t pay off your investment. However, there are many bestselling WordPress courses and e-books.
6. Run a Blog
Running a blog requires way more than good WordPress skills. It depends on the blog size, but you might end up doing the work of a content creator, marketer, SEO practitioner, security expert, and sales manager. Administrating a blog and maintaining a constant flow of visitors is a big job. Cultivating loyal readers and convincing them to buy from you is even harder.
Despite all these difficulties, many WordPress users have launched heavily visited blogs that generate impressive income. Some people make their full income from blogging and share their tips with readers. Jean Galea, Tom McFarlin, and Peter Nilsson are just a few WordPress ninjas who run blogs, and you have a lot to learn from them.
Consider launching and running a blog if you are passionate about writing or if you have enough cash to hire someone skilled. Monetizing a blog is tricky, and you need a decent number of readers to start making money from it. I recommend starting a blog as a side project, then determine the opportunities, and finally, invest serious money and resources to grow it. Expect no income from your blog in the first six to twelve months.
7. Offer Consulting Services
Choosing the proper hosting provider, plugin, or theme for your site isn’t always a simple decision. While experienced WordPress users need just a few minutes to set up a working site, less trained users get stuck at each step. In these situations, they need help, and an expert like you can provide consulting services.
WordPress experts make money from offering consulting services, so you can give it a try too. It’s a simple and effective method of earning money.
WordPress continues to evolve, and it’s market share is growing. As a result, there is a constant need for experts. If you know a thing or two about WordPress, don’t waste your time; you can earn good money from your skills. Read the suggestions above again and select the ones that are in line with your potential.
Don’t limit yourself to just a single method of earning money—it’s totally inadvisable to depend on a single stream of income. For instance, you can offer consulting services, run a blog, and work as a theme developer for an agency. Fortunately, there are many ways to make money with WordPress.