No matter how skilled or experienced you are in WordPress development, you will always encounter things that make your work challenging. And it’s not like building a WordPress website is a piece of cake in the first place.
Any seasoned developer knows you’ll have to constantly test, look for bugs, and sometimes start all over before finally turning the site over to the client. That can be frustrating, especially if you have a lot of pending projects. The last thing you want is clients complaining about delays caused by your lack of progress, right?
To avoid such occurrences or scenarios, you should find a way to optimize your productivity. Let’s explore how it can streamline your workflow, overcome development obstacles, and ensure timely project completion.
Top 3 Blockers that Make WordPress Developers Less Productive
Making a website means running into many problems or obstacles. However, these three are the most common:
#1 – Manual Workflows
Admit it: it’s very time-consuming setting up a WordPress site. Installing chosen themes and plugins already takes a lot of time, especially if you need to activate multiple plugins. Want to do things more than downloading files, uploading them to the server, and activating them through the WordPress admin panel?
The duration of this setup phase can vary significantly. You can find yourself working on it for at least two hours to potentially two weeks or even more, depending on the complexity and scope of the website being developed.
And even if you and your team have your go-to set of plugins and themes that you use repeatedly, you still have to go through the whole process for every new site. You can’t just let your clients peek at another client’s website and copy what’s installed, especially if they don’t know each other or are competitors, right? So, you’ll always go back to square one, which results in more lost time.
#2 – Accessibility for Clients and Team Members
Another thing that can lessen your productivity is waiting for client feedback. Aside from them being busy, they’d have to wait for you to walk them through each page of the website. After all, they wouldn’t want to ruin your work by changing a different line of code accidentally, right?
It’s not just your clients you have to worry about, though, if you’re working with team members. What if one of your assigned team members loses the WordPress login credentials and passwords? That means they won’t be able to work on their part until you get them the username and password.
And if you’re collaborating with a remote team, the time loss becomes even more frustrating. Instead of your team members diving right into the work, they’re left waiting for you to wake up or respond. It can become a very frustrating bottleneck if this happens.
#3 – Making A WordPress Sandbox
A WordPress sandbox is a test environment for testing design elements, code, plugin compatibility, and much more before you take the site live. And again, any WordPress developer knows that testing is important to ensure you don’t run into anything that can break the site as a result.
However, the process of making one can be quite tedious and hard to share. For example, you can make a duplicate site via a local installation of WordPress. You won’t need an Internet connection to make any changes.
This duplicate site would only be viewable on your computer. That will be a problem if you and your client are in different time zones. Collaborating with your team will also be hard since the only sandbox is on your computer.
You can also use a spare domain if you have one and create a duplicate of the site. The problem with this is that you might forget all about it once you’re done with the test and leave it open for many security issues. If you were to use the exact same website and settings on both your live site and your sandbox environment, it could potentially make it easier for hackers to breach your site’s security.
Top 5 Productivity Tools for WordPress Developers
1. InstaWP
Claiming the top spot is InstaWP, a revolutionary and swift WordPress sandbox spin-up tool. With a simple click, users can effortlessly create a temporary WordPress site, whether starting from scratch or utilizing one of the pre-designed templates. Eliminating the need for account sign-ups, InstaWP makes the process even more convenient . By just pressing the “Try For Free” button, users can instantaneously set up a demo site and embark on their WordPress journey without delay.
Users have the freedom to select their preferred WordPress version, PHP version, and even tailor the configuration to their specific needs. Whether they desire a site pre-installed with WooCommerce or Jetpack, the platform offers a seamless way to bring their vision to life. However, it is essential to note that each site created through InstaWP has a temporary lifespan of eight hours. As a practical recommendation, signing up for a free account proves advantageous, providing users with the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of three sites, 1 GB of disk space, and the extended duration of two days for temporary sites.
Certainly, for those seeking enhanced features and extended benefits, InstaWP offers the option to invest in either monthly or annual plans. These plans are tailored to meet the diverse needs of users, providing them with access to a host of advanced functionalities and exclusive perks. By opting for an investment plan, individuals can unlock a plethora of premium tools, increased storage capacities, priority customer support, and more. With the flexibility of choosing between monthly or annual billing, users can align their investment with their unique preferences and requirements.
While most of the tools in this list are often used by WordPress professionals, InstaWP is very new to the WP world, and is quite unique in many senses. For more information on pricing, you can check out InstaWP’s plans here!
2. WP-CLI
Taking the second spot on the list is WP-CLI, a powerful command-line interface designed specifically for WordPress professionals. When dealing with tasks like updating plugins on client sites, managing multisite installations, or uploading bulk media, WP-CLI proves to be an invaluable ally. This versatile tool is not only useful for developers but also streamlines various administrative tasks, such as moderating user permissions, site backups, and database restoration.
Accessible from both Windows shell and OS X, WP-CLI offers a significant advantage in terms of execution speed when compared to performing similar functions through the WordPress admin dashboard. This efficiency translates to increased productivity, making WP-CLI a go-to tool for WordPress professionals seeking to optimize their workflows. With its seamless integration and time-saving capabilities, WP-CLI becomes a compelling choice that professionals will undoubtedly appreciate and enjoy leveraging to enhance their WordPress management endeavors.
3. GenerateWP
Securing the third position on the list is GenerateWP, an incredibly valuable tool for WordPress professionals seeking a rapid and efficient approach to crafting website layouts. By providing users with a quick skeleton of their WordPress site, GenerateWP streamlines the process of generating the entire site’s layout with ease and convenience.
GenerateWP offers a diverse set of features, allowing users to leverage shortcodes, taxonomies, custom post types, and a wide array of essential WordPress elements. One of its standout advantages lies in the vast library of theme functions and snippets it presents, which can significantly reduce the reliance on custom coding. This not only enhances productivity but also ensures a seamless development experience for users of all skill levels.
By harnessing the reusable elements and exceptional capabilities of GenerateWP, users can save a substantial amount of time with each new project. The tool’s ability to expedite website development makes it an invaluable asset for busy professionals seeking to optimize their workflows.
Expert Tip! Users can maximize the utility of their GenerateWP creations by saving them as InstaWP templates, enabling easy deployment to multiple sites. This pro tip adds another layer of efficiency, empowering users to maintain consistency across their projects while streamlining their website creation process with GenerateWP.
4. PHP Code Sniffer
Ranking at number four is PHP Code Sniffer, an indispensable tool for developers working on complex WordPress projects that involve multiple programming and scripting languages. When dealing with intricate coding tasks, the likelihood of errors and issues rises significantly. To mitigate this, the implementation of a problem detection tool like PHP Code Sniffer becomes essential. This powerful tool excels in identifying mixed code scripts and promptly notifies users about potential code errors, enhancing code quality and streamlining the development process.
In a WordPress project, where precision and accuracy are paramount, PHP Code Sniffer proves to be a valuable asset. By proactively detecting and addressing code issues, developers can significantly reduce the occurrence of bugs, ensuring a smoother and more efficient development cycle. Moreover, the tool’s capability to enforce coding standards and best practices ensures a consistent and organized codebase, benefiting both individual developers and collaborative teams.
With PHP Code Sniffer as a part of their development toolkit, WordPress professionals can boost their confidence in code quality and deliver more robust, error-free solutions. By catching potential problems early on, developers can save time on troubleshooting and devote more energy to creative and strategic aspects of their projects. Embracing PHP Code Sniffer exemplifies the commitment to producing clean and reliable code, ultimately elevating the overall quality and success of WordPress projects.
5. Postman
And finally, making its mark as the last but certainly not the least on the list is Postman – a favorite among developers when it comes to projects involving APIs. For WordPress developers, this powerful tool serves as an invaluable asset for seamlessly sending and receiving data between WordPress sites. APIs, or Application Programming Interfaces, play a crucial role in facilitating communication and data exchange between different software applications. With Postman at their disposal, WordPress professionals can harness the full potential of APIs, unlocking a myriad of opportunities for themselves and their clients’ partner organizations.
Integrating APIs into a WordPress site can usher in a world of possibilities and benefits. By allowing seamless interactions between diverse systems, businesses can enhance their operational efficiency and deliver a more robust user experience. WordPress developers can leverage Postman to securely transmit data, such as user information, content, and other vital elements, ensuring a smooth and cohesive integration with external services and applications. This secure data exchange not only empowers organizations to collaborate effectively but also safeguards sensitive information, prioritizing data privacy and organizational security.
Embracing Postman as part of their toolkit empowers WordPress developers to craft versatile and feature-rich websites that interact seamlessly with external platforms, services, and applications. The tool’s user-friendly interface and comprehensive features make it accessible to developers of all levels, providing an excellent opportunity to explore the world of APIs and enrich the capabilities of WordPress sites.
The Final Word
A well-curated toolkit not only boosts the productivity of WordPress developers but also has the potential to maximize their income.
The tools mentioned above have the capacity to automate various aspects of the WordPress development journey, offering a range of benefits to users. By incorporating these tools into their workflow, developers can significantly improve efficiency, streamline tasks, and simplify their work life while also keeping their clients happy.
Embracing these resources provides an opportunity to explore new avenues of optimization and innovation within the realm of WordPress development. So, don’t hesitate to delve deeper into these tools and give them a try to unlock their full potential and elevate your WordPress development experience. Happy exploring!
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