Deciding to work with a WordPress developer to create a professional website is like getting married. Hopefully the two of you will be together for a long, long time. The relationship can either flourish (“til death do you part”) or come back to haunt you on a monthly basis, like a crazy ex. A poorly built site requires you to constantly pay for repairs, functionality you “forgot” and minor changes. It will not only suck money from your wallet but also drive you crazy, stealing time that you should be using to run your business. Trust is a key component in this relationship to ensure that good decisions are made on your behalf.

But before you say “I do”, ensure the quality of your WordPress developer. A good one knows when to use premium plugins and themes and how to fit your unique website puzzle together. Every website starts with a  wireframe . Both parties must work together to come up with a wireframe that:

• Meets goals
• Makes the site easy to navigate
• Is reasonable considering timelines and budget

The wireframes are key in knowing how to properly structure your site and what plugins to use. When these tools aren’t used properly, your next web developer might be happy to hear from you, but you, on the other hand, will be unhappy and bringing dirty laundry from a bad relationship. Not a great start!

When you invest in a relationship, you take care of it, maintain it and work out the problems. The same goes for a website. The Internet is always evolving—technologies advance, user expectations transform, and best practices change—and your site needs to evolve with it.

In addition, you just have to find a developer with a personality that fits yours. If a developer makes you feel stupid, run! You are hiring a developer for their knowledge and they should be able to guide you in the right direction and build a site that you can control. If you lack the trust that your site is being handled well, it’s a dysfunctional relationship and you know what happens then! Divorce.