Interview Questions

I’ve worked with WordPress for over 10 years, starting with customizing pre-built templates and progressing to advanced development. Over the years, I’ve gained hands-on experience in: Customizing WordPress themes for both functionality and design Creating custom themes from scratch, following WordPress coding standards Developing custom plugins to add unique features or extend site capabilities This range of experience has given me a solid understanding of both the front-end and back-end aspects of WordPress development, including performance optimization, security, and maintainability.

• Customizing WordPress themes for both functionality and design
• Creating custom themes from scratch, following WordPress coding standards
• Developing custom plugins to add unique features or extend site capabilities
• This range of experience has given me a solid understanding of both the front-end and back-end aspects of WordPress development, including performance optimization, security, and maintainability.

It really depends on the client’s budget, timeline, and specific project requirements. For projects with limited time or budget, using a prebuilt theme can be a practical choice, as it speeds up development and reduces costs. However, I personally prefer creating themes from scratch whenever possible. A custom theme allows me to tailor the design and functionality exactly to the client’s needs without unnecessary features or bloated code. This results in a cleaner, more optimized, and maintainable website that performs better and is easier to scale in the long run.

Yes, I can create a fully custom WordPress theme from scratch. I start by setting up a clean theme structure with all the necessary files such as style.css, functions.php, index.php, header.php, footer.php, and template parts. I then integrate custom design elements based on the client’s requirements using HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript. I also make sure the theme is responsive, lightweight, SEO-friendly, and compatible with the latest WordPress standards. Additionally, I include theme options or customizer settings if needed, so the client can easily manage the site content and appearance. This approach gives complete control over the design and functionality while avoiding unnecessary code from prebuilt themes.

Yes, I have developed a custom plugin called AR Form Builder. It is a lightweight and user-friendly plugin designed to help users easily create and manage forms on their WordPress websites without relying on heavy third-party plugins. I built this plugin because many existing form plugins are bloated with features that aren't always necessary, which can slow down the site. AR Form Builder focuses on performance, ease of use, and essential form functionalities. It’s also fully customizable, making it a great solution for clients who need specific form behavior or styling beyond what standard plugins allow.

Key features of AR Form Builder include:

• Drag-and-drop form builder: Allows users to create forms visually with different input types such as text, email, number, radio, checkbox, dropdown, etc.
• Custom styling options: Offers control over the design, including form layout, colors, button styles, and spacing, to match the site's branding.
• Validation and error handling: Includes client-side validation and custom error messages for required fields and input formats.
• Form submission handling: Stores entries in the WordPress database and sends email notifications to the admin and/or user.
• Shortcode support: Users can insert forms anywhere using a simple shortcode.
• Spam protection: Includes basic anti-spam features like honeypot fields to prevent bot submissions.

There are a couple of essential plugins I almost always install on every WordPress project because they cover two of the most important aspects: search engine visibility and website performance. For SEO, I use a plugin that helps manage meta tags, sitemaps, and content optimization to ensure the site ranks well on search engines. For performance, I use a caching plugin that significantly improves loading speed and overall site efficiency, which leads to a better user experience and improved SEO results.

Essential Plugins:

• Yoast SEO – For search engine optimization, including meta titles, descriptions, XML sitemaps, and content readability.
• WP Rocket – For performance optimization through caching, file minification, lazy loading, and speed enhancements.