Ok, so digitalpoint forum I need your help. Basically my issue is I am looking at hiring someone I've met to build my website, however he is using wordpress and so... i wanted to ask the experts here, as I have always thought that developers that use wordpress/joomla/drupal are less experienced and not as skilled than those who create from scratch... What the hell is wordpress to begin with versus a guy who is coding from scratch? (i'm a complete noob so help me out folks) That is my first question, secondly, if YOU were to place an ad on the internet looking to hire a web designer/coder what would you write in your "requirements" paragraph to separate the amateurs from the experts ??
I did not understand your first question. For 2nd, you can use adsense,infolinks etc. You have to apply there. They will provide javascript code which you have to place in your website. I don't think you need coder for this. If still want, ask in SERVICES section under PROGRAMMING using "buying". Use such title "Fixed my WP or Drupal or Joomla code" etc
You can build a completely custom website using wordpress. So I wouldn't be worried. Plus wordpress is awesome for YOU the client to use.
Personally i wouldn't touch turdpress with a barge pole, it's sort of ok as a straightforward blogging platform, but when so called developers try turning it into something it's not with crappy unsecure themes and plugins it becomes a hackers dream, 99% 100% of the time a simple php script will do the job much better, will be much more secure and won't bog your server down with needless bloat.
For 1st question: Even experts are using wordpress because it's the best solution for everyone (developers and clients). It has more advantages than coding from scratch. You save a lot of time, effort and money. For 2nd question: You may ask for their best works maybe 10 links. That will justify their skill.
Wordpress is the best and easiest CMS to create a blog and also 'static' websites. It is highly customizable and comes with a huge number of themes and plugins. It is better than custom coding in php IMO. Secondly, you could ask them to show their portfolio. You can also ask for links to websites for which they have done prior work.
It depends on what you need from the site. Like malky66 mentioned, WordPress is fine for a blog, but if you want to do more then it's less than ideal. Security is one issue, but also the ease of getting things done - for example, last night I set up some custom content for types in Drupal and that didn't take long - point, click, type a few names, done. I can't say the same for WordPress. If the site is on a big scale (tons of content and needs to be easily managed), then Drupal is what you want. I would avoid Joomla for similar reasons to WordPress. If you have a specialist need, it might be better served by a custom script that focuses on this one requirement. For example, I needed a script for geo-targeting Amazon products (links and prices) and wrote something using PHP and JavaScript. The script is tiny compared to the similar plugins for WordPress and Drupal (in fact, there aren't similar ones - you need several plugins to do one simple job and also custom code, that is just a load of bloat). If you can't figure out what is best for your needs, at least post what type of site you're making so that you can get some recommendations. IF I was to do that, I would want to see their portfolio and then would contact the sites to confirm who the site was made by and if they are happy with the end product.
Experts...ROFL....that is just an utter load of bullshit, it was never the best option for me or any of my clients, I created my own CMS for my clients that was 10 times better/faster/more secure than any crappy bloated useless turdpress installation.
Wordpress is a CMS (Content Management System). It's a PHP script that allows Themes (Essentially website skins) to change the appearance of a simple blogging template, and plugins to change the way it functions. Wordpress is incredibly easy to use and as such you are 100% correct in assuming that those who use it for most of their projects are usually not as good a developer (Or not someone who's got their head screwed on as straight as) a developer that works from scratch using a text editor. Wordpress isn't designed primarily for web developers. It's designed for people who want a quick and easy way to create their own content managed website. If you're looking to be doing serious web development, Wordpress is not your best option. You should design a lighter CMS if you know PHP and still want the easy customization for the client, and if the site requires little to no updates, just a straight HTML/CSS, maybe a bit of experimenting with PHP include(); will usually suffice. If you're designing a site for a small local business or a family member who wants the ability to customize their site, consider Wordpress or another CMS like Jooma etc. (Although to be honest, I'd rarely consider Wordpress as a good option, unless a family member wanted a "really" quick site for some endeavor or something.)
As my personal experience using WordPress you can SEO yourself using plugins and also too many plugins are available for rank better your website, also you can custome your wordpress framework that will also help you to ride on your own way, so totally depends on you what you have in mind or how much you're technical in this way to initiate your website (personal, portfolio, blog, ecommerc or photo website). hope you understand these few lines to step forward.
It all depends on what you want for your website. I use WordPress for clients who want to write their own content on a regular basis. This saves them a lot of money as opposed to having a web developer add new content every week/month and charge an hourly rate. If your site is going to be more static (the content won't change that often), it's better to go with custom code and build the site from scratch. It really all depends on your needs. A good web developer will ask a lot of questions about what you're looking for and choose the right platform for you. If I were to place an ad on a forum, looking for a developer, I would list what I needed for my site and ask for references, a resume and to see a portfolio. Then, I would carefully read the responses and email the top candidates. You want to make sure that the developer you choose is easy to reach and responds to emails quickly.