Finding a WooExpert

[notice]We’ve just published an even more comprehensive guide to Experts on our YoGrow sister blog.
Check out How to hire an Expert without getting screwed[/notice]

So, you’ve decided you want a WooCommerce site, or perhaps you need some assistance with your existing site. If you want to go DIY, you can look at our WooCommerce Help guide but on many items you’ll need to find a WooCommerce professional.

WooMattic knows this too and have recently launched their WooExperts scheme. But before we get to that, let’s look at the current state of affairs when looking for a WooCommerce developer or agency.

Where to find a WooCommerce Expert

• Maintenance retainers
• Google
• Freelance Marketplaces
• Recommendations

Maintenance Retainers

Recently I’ve seen a lot of sites offering ongoing WooCommerce or WordPress maintenance. Normally the offering is unlimited small WooCommerce tweaks and additional charges for anything more.

I’m skeptical about how effective these solutions are. I also see a few frustrations from the community. Job’s not completed as expected. Deadlines missed.

I’ve talked before about how WooCommerce is not simple and I think this is another symptom of this misunderstanding. This time from the developers side as well as the clients.

It’s re-packaging the ongoing maintenance retainer most freelancers and agencies provide their clients after a site build. But at a much lower rate that anticipates an initial flurry of tickets that wanes off.

I would suggest finding a freelancer and paying the standard rate. When it comes to e-commerce, you want to be confident that you are investing in long-term solutions. I worry that with an incentive to fit in tasks under 30minutes and at a marked down rate you will find there is a significant fall-off in quality.

Have you had any experience with these services? It would be great to get some feedback in the comments. Especially if I am off on this matter.

Marketplaces

There are also a few marketplaces out there that provide a touch point between the work and the developer. We’ve found Codeable to be the most reliable option for clients because they are much more involved in vetting the developers.

There are also options like Elance and PeoplePerHour but sometimes profiles can be exaggerated, and the quality of the work suffers.

Whether you find a freelancer from one of these marketplaces or from searching Google, I always suggest a few basic checks:

Check the freelancer

• Can you see the actual freelancer you are hiring
• Do they have a visible record in the community
• Do they specialise in WooCommerce or are they a jack-of-all-trades? Do they have a landing page for it and every other module / CMS out there
• Do they bill sensibly? Pay cheap, get cheap – as I’ve talked about before when we raised our rates at the start of the year.
• Getting a site build? Do they discuss their process? Are they modifying or building from scratch? Take a look at our WooCommerce Costs Guide to get a comparison of the difference.
• Do they have an after-sales support package

WooThemes official WooExperts

Finally, a fantastic place to find trusted WooCommerce Experts is on the official WooThemes website.

The Affiliated WooWorker scheme is now called WooExperts. It’s more than just a name change. From now on agencies and freelancers pay for the recognition of being an expert.

In return, Woo will pass them referrals. It also means that there is a filter. Only companies attracting paying clients and successfully working with them will be investing in the expert status.

Clients can have confidence that they are working with professionals. I think the WooExperts change is a good one for the community.

How did you find your agency or freelancer? Please let us know what has worked and what has not worked in the comments.