35+ Resources to Become a Kick Ass WordPress Developer
There is a low barrier to using and working with WordPress. In fact, anyone with knowledge of PHP or with design skills can start using WordPress immediately and see results.
But if you want to really succeed with WordPress, build a strong business and gain respect, you need to be an over-achiever. Why? Because there are plenty of other WordPress developers out there who are also vying for clients and trying to earn a buck.
Luckily, there is a plethora of information available so you can move beyond the basics of tweaking a site so you can start calling yourself a fully-fledged WordPress pro. It also helps to pay attention to what the actual pros – the WordPress core developers and contributors – are doing.
So if you’re ready to kick some serious ass, read on.
WordPress Codex
It goes without saying that every good developer who wants to be great references the Codex. The Codex is, essentially, the WordPress bible.
If you’ve never used the Codex before, even for the basics, like setting up a Multisite installation or for reading up on detailed information on a function, then you’ve probably been living under a rock or in a dark, dank cave, with only a generator to power your MacBook Pro.
Make WordPress Core
Make WordPress is the official blog of the core development team for WordPress.
The site features regular updates on new features for upcoming version of WordPress. If you want to stay on top of what’s happening in WordPress, this is the place to be.
WordPress TV
If you can’t get along to WordCamps, WordPress TV is the next best thing. WordPress TV features recorded videos from WordCamps held around the world.
It’s easy to search through the site for videos on any topic, plus watching someone give a presentation can be a lot more engaging them simply reading a blog post.
Tuts+ WordPress
Since Tom McFarlin recently took over the editing gig at Tuts+, the site has gone full throttle with advanced topics, such as object-oriented programming in WordPress and using WordPress for web application development.
Tom McFarlin
Speaking of Tom McFarlin, his personal blog is a thoughtful and informative extension of his work at Tuts+. The topics he writes about are heavily geared towards programmers, but these are interspersed with posts on discussions such as The Hate and Vitriol of WordPress and Developer Distractions: The Available Tools.
Smashing Magazine
Smashing Magazine is one of the first web development/design blogs I remember reading. The WordPress articles are posted almost monthly, but the site contains a large back catalog of articles by some recognisable WordPress personalities, such as Siobhan McKeown and Tom McFarlin.
The posts are usually in-depth and well-researched.
WP Mayor
WP Mayor regularly publishes how-tos. The posts are usually a mix of beginner and intermediate level stuff, with a few promotions thrown in for good measure.
ManageWP Blog
ManageWP is another regularly updated WordPress blog featuring, tips and tricks, how-tos and reviews.
The site has a lovely mix of intermediate level articles, as well as information on third-party plugins and themes.
Paulund
Blogger and web developer Paul Underwood maintains a fantastic collection of tutorials, snippets and other resources on his personal site.
His blog is a great place for intermediate and advanced level, including cool topics like Create A Clock In CSS and how to Programmatically Add Menu Item.
Pippins Plugins
If you haven’t heard of Pippins Plugins, you’ve probably just finished a stint serving time in solitary confinement. Pippin Williamson has coded so many plugins, his products alone could fill the WordPress Plugin Repository and Code Canyon. Well, almost.
Pippin’s blog is a great mix of thoughtful reviews, tutorials on advanced topics and how to use features such as the WordPress heartbeat API.
Konstantin Kovshenin
Konstantin Kovshenin is a developer for Automattic and in his spare time he is… a developer for WordPress core. There isn’t much about WordPress this guy doesn’t know.
He regularly updates his blog with posts on advanced topics like Understanding _n_noop() and more reflective stuff relevant to all plugin developers like Lessons Learned from Building and Supporting a (Fairly) Popular WordPress Theme.
Mark Jaquith
While Mark Jaquith doesn’t post all that much on his blog, his posts are an interesting take on WordPress development from a core developer. Hopefully we’ll see more posts from Mark soon.
Andrew Nacin
Core developer Andrew Nacin rarely posts on his blog, but when he does he’s got a lot to say. Take his latest post for example, The qualities of a great WordPress contributor, which comes in at a lazy 2869 words. It’s a great read if you’re thinking about contributing to WordPress.
Hongkiat
Hongkiat’s WordPress category features a regularly updated stream of how-to and list posts covering everything from how to install WordPress locally and 20 WordPress Shortcodes and Plugins You Might Want To Try.
The site is well worth reading for tips and tricks or theme inspiration.
WPLift
Much like WP Mayor and ManageWP, WPLift offers a varied collection of tutorials, guides and WordPress round-ups.
WPLift posts a great weekly round-up of new, tutorials and resources published on third-party sites.
Matt Report
Matt Medeiros’s site focuses on the business of WordPress, with a mix of interviews, tips and reflections on working in the WordPress ecosystem.
Matt is also well-known for his Matt Report podcast and in-depth interviews with WordPress personalities.
Chris Lema
Chris Lema’s site completely veers away from the development site of WordPress, instead focusing on the entrepreneurial aspects of using the CMS.
FREE EBOOK
Your step-by-step roadmap to a profitable web dev business. From landing more clients to scaling like crazy.
FREE EBOOK
Plan, build, and launch your next WP site without a hitch. Our checklist makes the process easy and repeatable.
WP Kube
WP Kube is in the same vein as WP Lift and WP Mayor with its mix of list posts and how-tos.
This site is more targeted at intermediate level developers who are looking for curated information on plugins and themes.
WP Explorer
WP Explorer is another how-to site, with interesting content on topics such as creating a WordPress theme and customising the admin user interface.
Carrie Dils
Genesis developer Carrie Dils blogs about all things WordPress, such as How to Run a Successful Affiliate Campaign Without Being a Douche to How To: Add a Logo to a Genesis Theme.
Carrie’s blog is a great mix of development and reflective articles with an emphasis on Genesis.
WPMU DEV
I would be remiss to dismiss this very site, WPMU DEV Blog! We post daily on everything from the best free themes available to reviews on plugins and WordPress services.
On Saturdays and Sundays we publish Weekend WordPress Projects, an ongoing series of quick projects you can complete in under an hour to improve your WordPress site.
WordPress Development Stack Exchange
Stack Overflow is a fantastic question and answer site for programmers who are stuck and need a hand with frustrating code. The site’s dedicated WordPress area, WordPress Development Stack Exchange allows you to search through questions and tags and post your own question for other developers to answer.
Reddit
Reddit features two dedicated subreddits – WordPress and ProWordPress. The ProWordPress forum is targeted at advanced users and offers a community for developers to exchange ideas. Brad Williams from WebDevStudios creates ProWordPress, which he moderates along with Travis Northcutt and Michael Beckwith.
ProWordPress isn’t a place for beginners, so much as it is a place for developers to ask questions, seek advice and talk code.
Advanced WordPress
With almost 5000 members, the Advanced WordPress group on Facebook is a popular place for WordPress developers to meet, share ideas and knowledge about advanced features and functionality. This is definitely not the place for beginners.
WP Tavern
WordPress Co-founder Matt Mullenweg’s news site is updated daily with articles on new WordPress plugins, themes, services and events.
wpMail.me
You’re not a member of the WordPress community if you’re not subscribed to wpMailme. This weekly newsletters it published weekly and includes a curated round-up of WordPress news and articles, themes news and releases, plugin news and tutorials.
Post Status
Post Status is another dedicated WordPress news site. It featured curated links to announcements and articles, and sometimes posts on community topics.
CSS-Tricks
CSS-Tricks provides a comprehensive collection of snippets, tips and tricks to help developers tweak WordPress. The site contains a dedicated WordPress category, as well as sections for PHP, Javascript and CSS.
Torque
Web host WP Engine launched its news site, Torque, last year at WordCamp San Francisco to much fanfare. The site publishes a mix of articles on WordPress and non-WordPress topics by contributing writers.
Codeacademy
Codeacademy offers free coding classes in languages such as PHP and JavaScript. It’s a great site if you’re learning how to code or just need to brush up on your skills.
Tree House
Like Codeacademy, Treehouse offers online classes. The site has been gradually adding to its collection of courses and in January announced a new beginner’s course in the WordPress track. The site has since added six other WordPress courses, including How to Build a WordPress Theme and Local WordPress Development.
WPRecipes
WPRecipes features quick code snippets to help developers make the most of WordPress, such as How to change the title attribute of WordPress login logo and Easily delete WordPress post revisions using your functions.php file.
WPSNIPP
WPSNIPP is another great code snippet site, featuring 622 snippets and counting. The great thing about this site is the accompanying comments where developers often discuss ways to alter a piece of code or add extra functionality.