Hire Dedicated PHP Developers: Everything You Need To Know
The all-roundedness and easy adaptability of PHP makes it a top favorite among novices and experts alike. PHP is one of the most flexible and practical web development languages. This makes it crucial for software companies to hire dedicated PHP developers to ensure the development of dynamic web applications.
As you already know, there is no dearth of PHP developers in the current market. It is, however, challenging to hire the best PHP developers out there. Here we have laid down a quick guide on the whys, the hows, and the whats of hiring the best PHP developers.
Why Hire PHP Developers?
It is not hard to question the importance of the PHP programming language. There are so many other options, and reasonably, doubt might plague your judgment.
Let’s see why you should hire PHP developers –
PHP is Fast
Software developed using PHP frameworks has rapid loading speeds. This is because PHP developed software products run through their own memory, which improves the loading speed of the product.
It is Feasible
Not only can you run PHP on any default server, but it can also be utilized for a number of other things. Whether you need server-side scripting or full software development, PHP makes it possible.
Take WordPress, for example. It is also developed using the PHP framework. When you make customizations to your WordPress site, you will find PHP at the backend.
Database Feasibility
The database connectivity of PHP frameworks is amazing. It has the capability of connecting to multiple database servers, and the most common one is MySQL, which can be used for free in PHP.
Cost-effective Execution
One of the valuable features of PHP is cost-effective execution. Many of the associated tools of PHP are open-sourced, so the cost automatically reduces when working with PHP frameworks.
High Supply
There are a large number of PHP and Laravel developers. This supply also contains highly qualified, experienced, and skilled PHP programmers. Therefore, it is often easier to find and hire PHP developers for your organization.
Object-Oriented Nature
The releases after 5.0 of PHP have introduced the object-oriented features in the language. This way, PHP can allow OOP concepts, making development extremely efficient.
If you're considering hiring PHP developers, it's also worth looking for those with expertise in product strategy. These professionals can help ensure that your PHP-based software aligns with your business goals and market needs and that your development efforts translate into tangible results.
4-Step Guide To Successfully Hiring PHP Developers
The beauty of PHP development lies in its flexibility and ease of working. You can scale the requirements of your project as your company grows. This means that you have the flexibility in terms of the project budget, coding methods, and requirements of development.
We have outlined some key markers below, which can help you hire skilled and proficient PHP developers. In the long-term, these key markers can support the strategic tech-stack decisions of your organization.
Before embarking on this journey of hiring a PHP developer, you should also consider consulting information technology outsourcing companies. They have a large pool of skilled PHP developers and experience in delivering enterprise-level PHP solutions. Partnering with an IT outsource consulting firm can result in cost savings, time efficiency, scalability and flexibility.
1. Categorize
Before you hire dedicated PHP developers, categorize your requirements. Based on the skills needed in a PHP project, there can be three possible categories of PHP developers. Let’s see what these are:
- Expert
When you require high industry experience, this is the category you should look into. With years of industry experience and skill development, expert PHP developers can strategically convert your innovative ideas into robust features. These PHP developers fall in the best category because they help you achieve a competitive edge in the market.
- Mid-Level
When you are working on an effective solution with a restricted budget, this category can deliver optimum results. The mid-level PHP developers have some industry experience, and they have worked on a few PHP solutions. This is why this category is able to offer quality at a considerably lower price.
- Beginner
As the name suggests, the beginner level PHP developer has just started PHP development. Therefore, they can’t offer industry recommended practices and experienced advice during development. This category is suitable when you are hiring a full in-house team for your business.
2. Create a List of Frameworks
Once you have decided on the category of the PHP developer that you need for your organization, make a list of PHP frameworks. There are multiple PHP frameworks, all of which are suitable for different types of development scenarios.
For instance, if you want to create a software product in a short time to receive user feedback at an early stage, then raw PHP is a suitable framework.
You will find an array of PHP developers who create software using raw PHP. However, the drawback is poor code readability. Even with the ease and feasibility of development, you won’t be able to scale your PHP software product. In fact, it is hard to find another programmer who can work on the same code. As a result, when you need to change the code or features, it is highly likely that you may have to discard the whole code and start again.
Regardless of the drawbacks, if you want a software quickly at cost-effective rates, raw PHP is not entirely a dreadful option.
When you are looking for something scalable, you can look for other frameworks such as Laravel. If you hire a Laravel developer, you may be able to utilize the innate qualities of Laravel. It supports quick app development on a number of PHP hosting services. Additionally, it provides a local development engine, templating engine, routing system, etc.
Similar to Laravel, there are other PHP frameworks such as Symfony, Yii 2, CodeIgniter, CakePHP, Phalcon, etc. Depending upon your requirements, select a PHP framework that is appropriate for your business requirements.
This is important because if you know the framework, it is easier to search for development rates, expertise, and skills that your software development team should have. With this knowledge, you can hire PHP developers for improved development value.
3. Define Specific Goals
Once you have determined your PHP framework, define clear and concise goals of the project. This will help you shortlist the functionalities, which are necessary for the project development.
For example, if you are planning to share information with the users from the start, your Laravel developer should know all of these requirements from the start. Having specific project goals not only attracts the right developer but also allows the development team to specifically define project scope and budget.
The purpose and goal of development:
- Custom software solutions in PHP
- PHP upgrade and integration
- CMS development and management
- MVP design and development
- PHP-related cloud integration
- API integration
Further, defining a roadmap for the product offers an optimal understanding of the project scope. Take add-ons and maintenance tasks, which you may need once the development concludes. Mentioning these markers in the roadmap creates a structured development approach and reduces confusion and glitches.
4. Ensure Quality
Finally, focus on quality. If you have followed the above steps, then by now, you may have already shortlisted a few PHP or Laravel developers for your project.
The final leg of this journey is to ensure the quality of development. It is necessary to understand that software development involves multiple cross-functional teams. If the foundation of the PHP code is weak, the trailing cross-functional execution will also be flawed.
Hence, your PHP developer should ensure the following:
- Timely code delivery
- Reduced time-to-market
- Fewer bugs to deal with
Of course, you may have a separate quality assurance team to check the product through and through. However, you need to decide the acceptable level of code errors. This simply justifies the expertise and quality of delivery.
However, it may be hard to confirm code quality with certainty before working with the Laravel developer. This means that you may have to assess the skills of the PHP developer in the first few months of development.
If you require skilled PHP developers for your web application project, our web apps development services can provide custom solutions tailored to your business needs.
What Should You Know Before Hiring a PHP Developer?
According to W3Techs, PHP is used by 78.8% of all websites with known server-side programming languages. It is evident that PHP is still one of the most preferred software programming languages in the software development domain.
Here’s what you should know before hiring a PHP programmer for your software development needs:
Developer’s Role is Critical
If you are planning to digitize your presence or conduct online business, a PHP developer is your door to success. A skilled PHP programmer is imperative for converting your concept to reality.
The expertise of your PHP developer is based on the type of software project you are developing. However, your PHP developer should have a collective knowledge of HTML, PHP concepts, and other related frameworks, which help in agile development.
One of the crucial aspects, which you should check under the expertise of the PHP developer is past projects. Even when you are hiring a dedicated PHP development company, previous projects can tell you a lot about their expertise.
Fortunately, you can easily find these portfolio items online and review them for advanced assessment. If the created web platforms are not matching your requirements or quality benchmarks, then it might be right to consider other options for hiring this PHP developer.
Hiring Model Should be Pre-decided
There are two ways to hire a dedicated PHP developer: dedicated and fixed cost.
The dedicated model is based on an hourly basis. This means the cost is decided as per the hours spent on development.
The fixed cost model is based on a fixed quote. Here the requirements of the software development project are crystal clear and well-documented.
Communication is the Key
Understand the compatibility of your team and the hired/freelance PHP programmer to ensure proper collaboration. A software development project contains multiple aspects, which can be solved and correctly executed only with smooth collaboration and communication between cross-functional departments and teams.
Hence, ensure the following:
- You are able to easily communicate with the PHP developer.
- You are able to create a seamless feedback cycle.
- You are able to brainstorm together with the PHP developer on new ideas.
Simply put, you should check the ease of doing business with this developer, even when the project requirements are complex and overwhelming.
Adaptability = Improved Outcomes
Any PHP developer should have an open mind and proper reasoning capabilities according to your project. If at some point during the project, you need to change technologies or implement additional features, your Laravel developer should be able to understand the exact requirements. They should understand end-user needs, target markets, and technical specifications of the project.
Your PHP developer should have the ability to handle pressures of tight schedules, overflowing deadlines, and overwhelming project conditions. Of course, you may utilize agile processes to manage software development, but it is not possible to completely eliminate these situations.
Finally, the PHP developer should be able to exhibit creative, innovative thinking to manage changes in the development environment.
Where Can You Find Freelance PHP Developers?
If you are definite about your decision to hire PHP developers, here’s how you can find and hire a dedicated PHP developer.
- Reach out to agencies or talent solutions companies to hire experienced PHP developers full-time. A dedicated person will work on your project, and the agency will handle the resource.
- You can search for PHP development companies on LinkedIn to receive great and suitable leads.
- PHP has a huge community. Generally, you would use these communities when in doubt. However, you can also find and hire a dedicated PHP developer through these communities.
- You can also hire PHP programmers through a software development company.
Conclusion
Ask the right questions related to PHP development. These questions should be able to comprehensively ensure the design utilized by the PHP programmer, experience in a certain domain, and prerequisite knowledge of a framework.
Maruti Techlabs offers you a dedicated team of skilled and experienced PHP developers. Well-versed in different frameworks, our PHP developers help you achieve your business goals by successful completion of your projects. Hire dedicated PHP developers following engagement models that suit your business needs.
Hire experts to execute your ideas. Get in touch today.
