Top 30 Interview Questions for WordPress Developers

by Brenda Barron Stokes connected Mar 07, 2023

Are you a prospective WordPress developer looking for your adjacent vocation opportunity? If so, you’ve travel to the close place. Understanding what benignant of questions employers volition inquire during an interrogation is cardinal to making definite you ace it and onshore that imagination job. In this article, we volition research immoderate of the apical interrogation questions for WordPress developers. We’ll sermon communal scenarios, challenges, and champion practices related to processing with WordPress arsenic good arsenic tips connected however to reply each benignant of question effectively.  We’ll besides supply factual examples of the sorts of things interviewers are looking for on with immoderate illustration answers. By equipping yourself with these insights beforehand, you tin beryllium assured and prepared erstwhile walking into your adjacent large interview. Let’s get started!

Basic WordPress Knowledge Questions

When it comes to WordPress development, cognition is power. Employers privation to marque definite you person a heavy knowing of however the level works and what features you tin use. To show your cognition successful this area, beryllium prepared for a scope of questions. We’ll get to much analyzable inquiries later, but first, marque definite you person the basics down. Here are immoderate basal WordPress questions you whitethorn beryllium asked followed by illustration answers.

1. What are the main components of a modular WordPress install?

This question is checking your basal cognition of WordPress and its halfway components. A modular WordPress instal includes the WordPress software, a database, themes, plugins, and content.

2. Explain the quality betwixt a station and a leafage successful WordPress?

Posts and pages are 2 of the astir commonly utilized types of contented connected WordPress platforms, truthful of people your interviewer volition privation to guarantee you cognize the quality betwixt the two. Posts are usually organized into categories, archives, and tags and are mostly utilized for blog-type content. Pages, connected the different hand, are usually static successful quality and incorporate accusation similar interaction information, astir us, privateness policy, etc.

3. How bash WordPress themes work?

Any interviewer asking this question apt wants to perceive that a WordPress taxable is simply a postulation of files that enactment unneurotic to make the plan and functionality of a website. Themes typically incorporate a style.css file, which houses the main benignant rules and a functions.php file, which includes codification to adhd features to the website. Themes besides see template files, which power however antithetic pieces of contented are displayed connected the site.

4. How bash WordPress plugins work?

Similar to the erstwhile question, interviewers privation to cognize that you recognize what’s going connected beneath the hood, truthful to speak. WordPress plugins are abstracted pieces of bundle that tin beryllium installed to widen the functionality of WordPress.You tin besides explicate however they are written successful PHP and interact with the WordPress database to store information related to their functionality.

5. What is simply a customized station type?

A customized station benignant is simply a user-defined contented benignant that tin beryllium utilized to adhd much circumstantial types of contented to a WordPress website. Examples see events, portfolios, testimonials, and products. Each customized station benignant has its ain acceptable of fields and settings, which tin beryllium utilized to make the desired functionality.

6. Describe the functions of a widget successful WordPress?

Widgets are pieces of codification that let users to adhd elements to their website’s sidebar oregon footer. They tin beryllium utilized to show a database of categories, caller posts, oregon different content. Widgets besides let users to customize the quality and behaviour of definite features without having to write immoderate code.

By brushing up connected the basics of WordPress, you’ll beryllium capable to amusement employers that you recognize the fundamentals of the level and person a coagulated instauration for processing much analyzable projects.

More Advanced WordPress Knowledge Questions

If you’ve made it to the 2nd circular of interviews — oregon you’re interviewing for a much precocious presumption — you should expect questions that are much method and circumstantial to WordPress development. These could see questions specified as:

7. How bash you make a customized station type?

This is the benignant of question that employers privation to perceive a elaborate reply for. To make a customized station type, you request to usage the register_post_type() relation successful the functions.php record of the taxable to registry the station benignant and past specify its labels, arguments, and capabilities.

8. How bash you enqueue a publication oregon benignant successful WordPress?

Enqueueing is the process of adding a record (like a plugin oregon taxable script) to WordPress’s enqueue system. To bash this, you request to usage the wp_enqueue_script() or wp_enqueue_style() functions. These functions volition cheque to spot if the publication oregon benignant is already enqueued, and if not, adhd it.

9. How bash you make a customized taxonomy successful WordPress?

This is different method question looking for a method answer. Creating a customized taxonomy successful WordPress requires the usage of the register_taxonomy() function. This relation allows you to specify the name, labels, and arguments for your taxonomy. You tin past usage the register_taxonomy_for_object_type() function to subordinate the taxonomy with a station type.

10. What is simply a hook successful WordPress?

Hooks are functions successful WordPress that let you to insert codification into antithetic parts of the WordPress core. There are 2 types of hooks: actions and filters. The enactment hook allows you to adhd codification astatine circumstantial points during the execution of WordPress, portion the filter hook allows you to modify existing data. Knowing however and erstwhile to usage hooks is an indispensable accomplishment for WordPress developers.

11. How bash you make a artifact signifier successful WordPress?

Block patterns are a caller diagnostic successful WordPress that let users to rapidly make predefined layouts utilizing blocks. To make a artifact pattern, you request to usage the register_block_pattern() function. This relation allows you to specify the name, description, category, content, and preview representation for the artifact pattern. Once registered, your artifact signifier volition beryllium disposable for users to prime erstwhile creating posts oregon pages.

These much development-focused questions are designed to find however good you recognize the interior workings of WordPress and its code. They tin besides beryllium a large mode to showcase your cognition and acquisition with the platform. 

Theme Development Questions 

If a presumption you’re applying for requires taxable development, you should beryllium acceptable to reply questions related to this topic. Some imaginable questions mightiness include:

12. What is the champion mode to operation a WordPress theme?

A WordPress taxable should ever person a accordant operation and travel the modular coding conventions. This includes having abstracted directories for stylesheets, JavaScript files, images, and templates. It’s besides important to usage the close template tags and functions for displaying contented connected the page.

13. How bash you make customized leafage templates successful WordPress?

Creating customized leafage templates successful WordPress requires the usage of template tags and functions. To make a customized leafage template, you request to make a new  and different features to this template utilizing functions and hooks.file successful the taxable and past usage template tags to delegate it to a circumstantial page. You tin besides adhd styling

14. How bash you optimize a WordPress taxable for performance?

Optimizing a WordPress taxable for show is simply a multi-step process. To start, you should minify immoderate scripts and stylesheets to trim their record size. Then, you should usage caching to trim server load. Finally, you should usage a contented transportation web (CDN) to service static contented rapidly and reliably. 

15.  How bash you usage the WordPress template tag system?

The WordPress template tag strategy allows you to easy show contented connected a page. To usage it, you request to recognize however template tags enactment and what the antithetic tag types are. For example, a basal template tag for displaying station contented is the_content(). Other tags see get_header() and get_sidebar() for loading header and sidebar templates. Understanding however these tags enactment tin assistance you marque the astir of the template tag strategy to make dynamic and stylish pages for your WordPress theme.

16. Describe the assorted steps of processing a taxable from scratch successful WordPress?

To reply an all-encompassing question similar this, you don’t needfully request to interruption down each small measurement of the process. Instead, you tin supply a little overview of however you would attack it. For instance, you mightiness privation to sermon steps similar mounting up the record structure, enqueuing scripts and stylesheets, registering menus and widgets, adding customized station types and taxonomies, and creating customized template files. These steps tin assistance you make a broad taxable that’s casual to usage and looks great.

Again, if you’re going aft a taxable improvement position, questions similar these mightiness beryllium asked of you during the interrogation process truthful marque definite you person a wide thought of however you’d reply beforehand.

Plugin Development Questions

There’s nary denying that plugins are a immense portion of immoderate customized WordPress improvement project, truthful it’s important to marque definite you’re prepared to reply questions related to plugins excessively — that goes doubly truthful if you’re moving successful plugin development. You whitethorn beryllium asked:

17. What coding standards should you travel erstwhile processing a WordPress plugin?

When processing a WordPress plugin, it’s important to adhere to coding standards. This includes pursuing the WordPress Coding Standards and utilizing PHP codification that’s written to beryllium compatible with WordPress. Using champion practices similar enqueuing scripts and stylesheets, utilizing nonces for security, and providing due documentation is captious too. Be definite to elaborate successful arsenic overmuch item arsenic the interviewer requests.

18. How bash you make a customized admin paper successful WordPress?

Creating a customized admin paper successful WordPress requires the usage of respective functions. To make a top-level menu, you request to call add_menu_page(). To adhd sub-menus, you request to telephone add_submenu_page() with the due genitor paper arsenic an argument. You mightiness besides privation to sermon wherefore customized admin menus are utile and assorted usage cases.

20. Describe the steps progressive successful creating and distributing a WordPress plugin?

Creating and distributing a WordPress plugin involves respective steps. First, you request to program the plugin by researching existing plugins and defining its features. Then, you should make a improvement situation and commencement coding the plugin. You mightiness privation to item what the coding process entails here. Once it’s finished, you request to trial it thoroughly earlier releasing it. Include mentions of investigating protocols and improvement environment(s) you personally use. 

Finally, you request to marque the plugin disposable for download. This tin beryllium done by submitting it to the WordPress Plugin Directory oregon distributing it done your ain website oregon a third-party marketplace. 

General Development Questions

No substance what benignant of improvement you’re doing with WordPress, immoderate generic questions related to coding & improvement volition ever beryllium asked. Be definite to brushwood up connected topics similar the following:

21. Describe the WordPress coding standards and however to adhere to them

The WordPress Coding Standards are a acceptable of guidelines to guarantee codification is written successful an efficient, accordant and maintainable way. They supply guidance connected however to decently usage HTML and CSS, however to operation your code, and more. Adhering to these standards helps guarantee that codification is accordant and casual to read, which tin assistance trim errors.

22. What are the main challenges erstwhile processing with WordPress?

The main challenges erstwhile processing with WordPress are security, scalability and maintainability. Security is of utmost value erstwhile dealing with a contented absorption strategy and preventing imaginable vulnerabilities is essential. 

WordPress sites indispensable besides beryllium built to standard arsenic usage increases and contented expands, truthful the codification indispensable beryllium optimized for performance. Finally, immoderate tract you physique should beryllium casual to support implicit clip arsenic caller versions are released and champion practices evolve. Making definite the codebase is adaptable and casual to update is key.

23. What tools oregon techniques bash you usage for debugging and testing?

Be arsenic circumstantial arsenic imaginable here. For instance, you mightiness accidental that you usage the Debug Bar and Query Monitor plugins for debugging, and PHPUnit for portion testing. You mightiness besides notation that you similar to acceptable up a staging situation and usage QA tools to guarantee your codification is up to standard. No substance which tools you use, connection your experienced insights successful your answer.

24. Explain your attack to information modeling, security, and scalability successful WordPress.

When answering this question, you mightiness accidental thing similar the following: 

“When it comes to information modeling successful WordPress, I similar to usage the MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture. This helps support my codification organized, maintainable and secure. I besides usage the WordPress database API to securely interact with information stored successful the database. As for scalability, I marque definite to make my codification with scalability considerations successful mind. This includes utilizing caching and optimizing queries arsenic good arsenic utilizing precocious techniques similar asynchronous programming and microservices.”

Problem-Solving Questions

To guarantee you’re the close acceptable for the job, employers volition privation to cognize however good you tin grip challenging scenarios arsenic well. Problem-solving questions whitethorn include:

25. How would you troubleshoot a plugin that is causing issues connected a website?

When describing however you’d troubleshoot a plugin, you mightiness accidental thing like: 

“The archetypal measurement I would instrumentality is to probe the contented and find if others person experienced the aforesaid problem. If so, I would look for immoderate imaginable fixes oregon solutions projected by users. If not, past I would statesman by disabling each different plugins to find if a struggle is the root of the issue. I would past trial each plugin one-by-one to find which plugin is causing the issue, and past look for imaginable solutions. Finally, I would trial the solution to guarantee it works and each functionality remains intact.”

26. How would you optimize a dilatory WordPress website?

As with different questions that look for a step-by-step process, bash your champion to see real-world examples and circumstantial tools and techniques you’d usage to remedy this problem. Your archetypal bid of concern would beryllium to execute a show audit, which mightiness impact moving a instrumentality similar GTmetrix oregon WebPageTest to analyse the website’s existent velocity and place imaginable areas of improvement. 

From there, you could look into optimizing the codification and images, caching content, and mounting up a CDN to further velocity things up. Looking into optimizing the database and server settings is different must. Finally, you could usage a caching plugin specified arsenic W3 Total Cache oregon WP Super Cache to assistance cache and minify content.

27. How would you hole a WordPress website that is hacked?

Offering a solution for erstwhile a tract gets hacked volition alteration from case-to-case, of course. But successful general, immoderate reply you springiness should sermon the value of creating a unafraid backup, changing each passwords, and utilizing a malware scanner to place immoderate malicious code. You mightiness besides notation that you would usage a website firewall to forestall aboriginal hacks, and tighten up information protocols crossed the board. You could besides notation that restoring the tract from a unafraid backup would beryllium 1 of the last steps, erstwhile the malicious codification has been removed.

Communication and Collaboration Questions

The quality to collaborate with different squad members and pass efficaciously with clients is an important accomplishment for immoderate developer and extends beyond immoderate azygous presumption you mightiness use for. Interviewers whitethorn inquire you questions such

28. How bash you collaborate with designers and different developers erstwhile gathering a WordPress website?

Your reply should person you imagining what it would beryllium similar moving with your imaginable team. You mightiness accidental thing like: 

“I similar to commencement by getting with the squad and discussing our expectations for the project. From there, I similar to interruption down the task into smaller tasks and delegate each task to a squad member. We each enactment successful changeless connection done telephone calls, emails and video conferencing to guarantee we’re each connected the aforesaid page, and I’m disposable to assistance with immoderate coding issues that arise. We besides usage task absorption tools similar Trello and GitHub for keeping way of tasks and progress, and Slack for communicating connected the go.”

29. How bash you explicate method issues to non-technical clients?

Communicating method issues to non-technical clients tin beryllium tricky, but it’s an important accomplishment for immoderate developer. Your reply should see immoderate methods oregon techniques you usage to explicate method concepts successful a wide and concise way. 

For instance, you’d privation to notation that you usage elemental connection and visuals to explicate the issue, and connection a step-by-step breakdown of however you’ll hole it. You should besides speech astir immoderate acquisition you person with providing method enactment to clients, and however you spell retired of your mode to guarantee they recognize the process.

30. How bash you support yourself updated connected the latest WordPress developments and champion practices?

Your reply should see immoderate sources you usage to enactment up-to-date connected WordPress developments and champion practices. Generally, this means talking astir sites similar the WordPress Codex, WPBeginner and WPTavern, arsenic good arsenic immoderate different blogs oregon forums you usage to support successful the loop. If you be meet-ups and conferences, beryllium definite to notation that arsenic well. 

Approach Your WordPress Development Interview with Confidence

We anticipation this nonfiction has fixed you immoderate penetration into the benignant of questions employers mightiness inquire erstwhile interviewing for a WordPress developer position. Being prepared is cardinal to ensuring that you marque a large content during your adjacent interview. And you tin ever usage a resume builder to get your resume and exertion successful tip-top signifier earlier throwing your chapeau successful the ring. Good luck!