How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Developer for Your Php Project

226How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Developer for Your Php Project

Even amidst the raging wave of cutting edge drag and drop platforms to build websites, PHP still occupies a huge pie in the cake. It helps you create customized pages that are very high on aesthetics and very efficient in its functionalities. Currently, around 77% of the websites that we see are made on PHP making it the most used platform for web development in the world.

PHP stands for Hypertext Processor Programming. It is widely considered as one of the easiest programming languages. It is compatible with all major operating systems and supports all major database management systems but its biggest attraction is the fact that it is completely open source free for all. Being one of the very first few open-source platforms, it quickly gained loyal programmers who would prefer PHP over any other technology and because of that wide loyal user base it has a huge community that always goes out of its way to help people, large code libraries & so many plugins that make this platform very dynamic.

Because of being one of the most used platforms in the world, you won’t find it difficult to hire PHP developers for your projects. The popularity of PHP helps the developers as well & they always find enough work out there. But what exactly would a PHP developer cost? In this piece we take a closer look at the anatomy of a team that works on a project made on PHP and the costing side of it.

The Anatomy of the Team

Just like any other project team, you will essentially have 4 members handling a project. A business analyst is the one who would remain in touch with the client and would translate the business needs into the technical functionalities that they would need. The front end developer or a designer would be the one carrying out the user interface and the overall look and feel of your website. The back end developer would be the one carrying out the programming needed to execute the functions laid out on the front end & a tester would finally run the website through tests to ensure a bug free smooth experience before the launch. It is however recommended to opt for full stack web development instead of departmentalizing the development into front and back as communication and subsequent executions with someone knowing both the sides will be much better compared to doing the same with 2 different individuals. Depending on the profile of the company and the scale of the project, there can be multiple individuals for all the above 4 departments.

Things To Consider While Hiring

You do not need to be a top HR executive to gauge the quality of your PHP developers. All you need to do is prepare a checklist of things you would wish they had. This checklist could involve technical as well as non-technical attributes. A more generic version of this checklist can include the following attributes:

Strong Portfolio

Having a strong portfolio of clients acts as a testament to one’s abilities. This may eliminate the chances of any young skilled developer but if you want to narrow your risks, it is always recommended that you go with someone with a longer experience in the trade.

In-depth knowledge of HTML, CSS & JavaScript

Knowing these 3 languages in detail is pretty much all you need to create anything in the world of web. A developer knowing these 3 would be able to execute complex UX/UI functionalities and you would have a smooth engine running your website. 

Transparency in documentation

The competition out there is cut-throat and you will have developers nodding their heads and saying yes to all your demands. It is a common scenario that they will find themselves in a limbo after realizing that the functionalities they agreed to execute are tougher than they thought. A good developer at a custom web development company would not say yes to anything before absorbing all your needs and doing his/her due diligence over it. Industry standard practice is understanding the needs of the clients and preparing a document of deliverables and scope of the project before getting on board. This adds a lot of clarity and prevents any ambiguous scenario from popping up. 

Lifecycle management

It is always difficult to estimate the time needed to complete a project especially if the client wants dynamic functionalities but an experienced pro would project a safe timeline and would be able to deliver much before the deadline. This is one aspect that you need to gamble upon based on the coverage of the previous 3 as you can’t predict the uncertainties in the life cycle. 

What Will A PHP Developer Exactly Cost Me?

The salaries could really depend on the workload you have and the scale of your PHP development services. You could have a highly esteemed clientele and would not mind overpaying your developers to maintain the esteem and you could also be depending on small time generic projects just to make enough to have the freedom of doing what you want. There is daylight of difference in salaries you would want to pay for both the scenarios. However, there are some industry standards for hourly rates of PHP developers. 

A normal rookie PHP developer could cost you anywhere between $10 to $25 an hour. The hourly rates depend on the geographical locations of the developers as developers from some countries charge more than others. A mid-level and decently experienced PHP developer may cost you somewhere between $30 to $40 an hour and a highly experienced and skilled PHP developer may quote anything in excess of $50 an hour for your project. As elaborated earlier, due to the wide popularity of PHP, it is relatively easier to find a PHP developer but you need to do your homework right to ensure you get the ideal candidate. 

The Final Word

It is important to understand the scalability and scope of your project. Proper groundwork will make sure that you are neither under-resourced nor are over-resourced and that every penny you spend is worth it. You may opt for a young rookie if you have routine projects at hand but if you need more innovation and creativity, you might want to work with someone who has been in the business for a while and someone who knows his/her way around PHP. The basic fundamentals of gauging PHP developers are simple and if the practices are followed correctly, you will get your projects done with a smooth lifecycle and at a stellar cost.

Nandan Goda

My name is Nandan, the Owner at Gtech Web Infotech Pvt. Ltd.. I’m also a designer and developer. I’ve been working in the web development field for last 12+ years. Developing and implementing small to large-scale projects and everything in between. Currently working on a lot of CMS, dev-tooling projects. Furthermore focusing on combining Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning with emerging technologies.