HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire a WordPress developer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to WordPress developers. Here is how to keep admin access and licences in your name, and who updates the site after launch.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a WordPress developer in five steps

  1. Check sites they builtLoad them on a phone, see how fast they are, and ask the owners how the project went.
  2. Own the hosting, domain and adminAll in your business's name, with the WordPress developer as a separate user.
  3. List the plugins and licencesEvery paid theme and plugin, whose name the licence is in, and its renewal cost.
  4. Agree who updates WordPressCore, theme and plugin updates and backups after launch: who does them, how often and for what monthly fee.
  5. Check cookie consent and formsAnalytics and ads only after consent; forms collecting only what you need.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or qualification is required to build WordPress sites in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Rely on live sites, references and a contract that covers access, licences and support.

Ask for three live WordPress sites and a client you can speak to.

Copyright and licences

Custom theme code and design are protected by copyright and, under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, belong to the freelance developer until assigned in a signed document. Paid themes and plugins are licensed by their makers, and a licence held in the developer's name may lapse when you part ways.

Get the custom work assigned to you and paid licences registered to your business email. legislation.gov.uk →

Cookie consent (PECR)

Many WordPress plugins set cookies. The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations require visitors to be told and to consent, except for cookies strictly needed for the service requested.

Refuse cookies on the finished site and check analytics and advertising plugins do not run. ico.org.uk →

Forms, data and the ICO fee

Contact and booking forms collect personal data, which must be kept secure and explained to the people who give it. Most businesses processing personal data must pay the ICO data protection fee.

Ask where form entries are stored, who can see them, and how long they are kept. gov.uk →

VAT

WordPress development is standard-rated, so a registered WordPress developer adds 20% to the build, migration and monthly upkeep; plugin licences are billed by their vendors. Registration becomes compulsory once a WordPress developer has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the WordPress developer for the VAT number at contract and for VAT shown on the build fee and on each monthly upkeep invoice. gov.uk →

“Will I have full administrator access to my WordPress site?”

A good answer: Yes, from day one, with the WordPress developer on a separate account.

“Which paid plugins and themes will you use, and in whose name are the licences?”

A good answer: A list with renewal costs, licensed to your business, not to the developer's agency account.

“Who will update WordPress, the theme and plugins after launch?”

A good answer: A named person and schedule, and the monthly cost, or a handover so you can do it yourself.

“How are backups done, and can I restore one?”

A good answer: Automatic backups stored away from the server, and a tested restore.

“How will the WordPress site handle cookies and form data?”

A good answer: Consent before non-essential cookies, a privacy notice, and form entries stored securely and deleted when no longer needed.

“Is this a custom theme or a premium theme set up for us?”

A good answer: A clear answer, because it changes the price, the speed and who can work on it later.

“How fast will the site load, and how do you test it?”

A good answer: Speed measured on mobile before launch, with images sized and unnecessary plugins left out.

Getting the quote right

  • Pages, templates and features, with the theme approach (custom or premium)
  • Who actually attends to the site: the WordPress developer named, an employee, or a subcontracted developer
  • Each paid plugin and theme with its licence holder and renewal cost
  • Security, backups and updates: at launch, and monthly afterwards
  • Content migration from an old site: included or extra
  • Custom code and design assigned to you
  • Training, the launch date
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on the build and the monthly upkeep

Walk away if

  • Licences for paid plugins kept in the developer's own account
  • No administrator login for you
  • Dozens of plugins for a simple brochure site
  • No plan for updates after launch
  • No cookie consent on sites they have built
  • Hosting that only they can access
LOW
£700
TYPICAL
£3,700
HIGH
£12,000

What a WordPress developer costs: £700–£12,000 per project

WordPress developers quote a fixed price per project, with hosting, paid plugins and monthly maintenance as separate running costs. WordPress Developer price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

WordPress developers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. PlanningPages, features, plugins and the look agreed.
  2. Theme and buildThe theme set up or built, and pages created in WordPress.
  3. Plugins and securityEssential plugins added, licensed to you, with backups and basic hardening.
  4. TestingForms, speed, mobile layout and cookie consent checked.
  5. Launch and trainingThe site goes live and you are shown how to edit pages and posts.

WordPress core
The main software, which needs regular updates for security.
Plugin
An add-on that adds a feature; free or paid, each with its own licence.
Child theme
A safe way to customise a theme so updates do not wipe the changes.
Staging
A private copy of the site used to test updates and changes.
Hardening
Security settings that make a WordPress site harder to break into.
Page builder
A drag-and-drop editor plugin for laying out pages.

AFTER

When the job is done

File the logins and licencesHosting, domain, WordPress admin and each plugin licence, stored by the business with the assignment.
Check updates are happeningLook at the plugin page each month; out-of-date plugins are a common way in for attackers.
Test a backup restoreAsk the WordPress developer to show you a restore working, once.
Review the jobYour review of the WordPress developer can only follow a booking on Locufy. Below four stars, you can send the problem to them first and we follow it up before the review appears.

STEP 1Set it out for the WordPress developerSay what was agreed, what went wrong and the fix you want. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats a trader's service as including reasonable care and skill; where the WordPress developer fell short of that, you can ask for the work to be redone free or for money off.
STEP 2Locufy's make-it-right stepWhen you rate the WordPress developer under four stars, you decide whether the problem goes to them first. We follow it through, then the review is posted.
STEP 3Trading StandardsIf the WordPress developer ignores you, ring Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060 or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 (Northern Ireland). Each can pass a complaint to Trading Standards.
STEP 4A small claim for the moneyUnresolved money disputes with the WordPress developer fit the small claims routes: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a WordPress developer: questions people ask

No. No licence, register or qualification applies to WordPress developers in any UK nation.

WordPress itself is open-source software. The custom theme and code are yours only if assigned in a signed document, and paid plugins are licensed, ideally in your business's name.

Yes, if it sets cookies that are not strictly necessary. Under PECR visitors must be told and must agree first.

£700–£12,000 per project, typically around £3,700. A premium theme set up for you sits at the bottom; a custom theme with shop or membership features at the top. The WordPress developer price guide has the full breakdown; enter your town above to compare WordPress developers near you.

Usually core, theme and plugin updates, backups, security monitoring and small fixes, for a monthly fee.

Theme-based sites take a few weeks; custom WordPress builds one to three months.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in marketing, design & tech

How to hire: Web DesignerHow to hire: Web DeveloperHow to hire: E-commerce DeveloperHow to hire: Shopify ExpertHow to hire: SEO SpecialistHow to hire: UX / UI DesignerHow to hire: CopywriterHow to hire: IT SupportAll 701 hiring guides →

WordPress developers near you

WordPress developers in LondonWordPress developers in ManchesterWordPress developers in BirminghamWordPress developers in GlasgowWordPress developers in BelfastAll wordpress developers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 — assignment in writing
  2. ICO — cookies and similar technologies (PECR)
  3. gov.uk — data protection and your business
  4. gov.uk — pay the data protection fee
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register