We love WordPress here at WPMU DEV, so, of course, we\u2019re going to encourage you to make money with it! Now, if you\u2019re worried that a lack of coding skills will keep you from turning a profit with WordPress, don\u2019t be. There is so much more you can do with WordPress to make a living.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re as much a fan of this CMS as we are and seriously want to make money doing what you love (i.e. living the dream), then this post is definitely for you. We\u2019re going to cover the pros and cons of choosing to center your business around WordPress as well as XX the ways you can do so.<\/p>\n
Editor’s note: This post was first published in 2012 but it was so popular we’ve updated the content to make it up-to-date for 2017. Enjoy!<\/em><\/p>\n Regardless of why you want to build a business around WordPress, you\u2019ve got to admit that it\u2019s an incredible platform. It\u2019d be crazy to not even consider the possibility of using it to generate a new revenue stream. That being said, for some of you, WordPress won\u2019t necessarily be the ideal money-making platform that it will be for others.<\/p>\n Here are some things to consider:<\/p>\n The Pros<\/b><\/p>\n The Cons<\/b><\/p>\n Obviously, none of this is meant to deter you from or even convince you to pursue any of these money-making opportunities with WordPress. We just want you to be aware of some of the benefits as well as drawbacks before making a decision.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t matter what your particular WordPress-related strength is. Be it development, writing, teaching, marketing, or something else entirely, there is a need for it and the following 21 money-making opportunities are all up for grabs.<\/p>\n It\u2019s probably safe to assume that many of the readers of the WPMU DEV Blog are already doing this one. Nevertheless, it\u2019s important to include it here in case you\u2019re brand new to WordPress and looking to explore your options<\/a>. So, for those of you who like the idea of building WordPress sites from-scratch<\/a>\u2014regardless of how good of a coder<\/a> you are\u2014website development is one path you can consider taking.<\/p>\n Perhaps you like the idea of building new sites for clients, but you want to focus solely on the aesthetics part of it. There are plenty of agencies and implementers who are looking for design specialists they can offload that work to. You\u2019d just need a good understanding of design programs like Illustrator or Photoshop, responsive design, as well as a solid know-how of what makes for a well-designed UI.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve had enough insight into what it takes to build a website using WordPress, then you know that the platform itself is pretty simple. You can create pages and posts. You can attach media files. And you can use widgets to add new functionality to the homepage, footer, and sidebars.<\/p>\n But WordPress can be a truly powerful marketing tool for websites<\/a> when you start making smart choices with plugins and themes. As a marketer who specializes in WordPress, having knowledge of and quick access to these tools would make you a valuable asset to clients.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no doubt that SEO is an essential part of every business\u2019s marketing strategy. Similar to how marketers can establish a niche by knowing the right plugins and themes, so too can SEO experts. Additionally, because SEO is just one piece of the marketing puzzle, WordPress SEO would be a great service to add on to the other work you already do, like in the example of Jill Anderson<\/a>, a web designer and developer who used her knowledge of SEO to her advantage.<\/p>\n If all of the above options seem appealing to you, but they aren\u2019t comprehensive enough for what you want to achieve, then why not open your own WordPress agency<\/a>? If you\u2019re keen on entrepreneurship and want to lead a team of WordPress experts in building websites, this is a great option.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say you\u2019re quite knowledgeable when it comes to WordPress. You know what the most reliable WordPress themes<\/a> are. You know that an image optimization plugin<\/a> is a must. You know that a CDN<\/a> would be helpful for a global ecommerce site.<\/p>\n But you don\u2019t want (or maybe don\u2019t know how) to implement any of those things. You can put your expert know-how to work then as a consultant for businesses that want guidance without having to worry about an agency or developer trying to drive up their profit by adding unnecessary stuff to their website.<\/p>\n For developers who really enjoy coding and<\/em> truly appreciate the awesomeness of the WordPress plugin, this is something you should look into. Sure, developing a plugin<\/a> takes a lot of time and, if you don\u2019t work out the kinks before pushing it to an audience, you might end up spending more time in updates and customer support requests than it\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n However, if you have an idea for a plugin that you know users need and you want to invest time in building it, then check out this success story from Bruno Carre\u00e7o<\/a>. While he hasn\u2019t been able to make a full-time living off of the plugins he\u2019s built yet, he\u2019s slowly working his way there.<\/p>\n Do you enjoy designing websites, but want to be more involved in the coding aspect of it? Then designing WordPress themes may be what you want to do. Muhammad Haris, one of ThemeForest\u2019s Power Elite users, talks about how he got started in theme development and how he eventually became one of the most successful creators on the platform.<\/p>\nMaking Money with WordPress: What You Need to Know<\/h2>\n
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21 Ways to Make Money with WordPress<\/h2>\n
#1. Develop WordPress Sites<\/h3>\n
#2. Design WordPress Sites<\/h3>\n
#3. Specialize in WordPress Marketing<\/h3>\n
#4. Work as a WordPress SEO<\/h3>\n
#5. Start a WordPress Agency<\/h3>\n
#6. Provide WordPress Consultation Services<\/h3>\n
#7. Build a Plugin<\/h3>\n
#8. Design a Theme<\/h3>\n