Dedicated PHP Developer: Tips, Trends and Success Stories

With the changes in business strategy worldwide, the web development industry is evolving at a dizzying pace. For decades, the PHP programming language has maintained its relevance at the top. As a result, most organizations opt to hire a dedicated PHP developer to build their software product from the ground up.

Developing a website is a top priority for any business in the 2020s. The processes of designing and development are crucial. And websites and web apps form a big market and coverage area when it comes to engagement, and outreach. When implemented appropriately, it can bring in a lot of money, customers, opportunities, and possibilities for your company – acting as an asset for a startup, enterprises, or SMB.

On that note, many programming languages, including JavaScript, PHP, Python,.Net, Laravel, and others, are used to power these web apps and websites.

PHP is the widely-used and much loved programming language for web development. It is among the top 10 most common programming languages globally, powering 79.1% of the world’s websites in 2021.

According to W3Techs, PHP is used with a known server-side programming language by 78.9% of all websites. As it turns out, PHP is used on around 8 out of 10 websites in some capacity. PHP, on the other hand, isn’t going away anytime soon.

Why is PHP the most popular language for developing web applications?

It’s easy to learn, secure, & fast. It can operate on practically any web server. It also has a significant number of frameworks and a strong community.

Furthermore, PHP has several open-source frameworks like Laravel that introduce better functionality and agility.

Thus, several developers, makers, founders, and tech leads laud the PHP development sphere and its utility, therefore making dedicated PHP developers an interesting concept. However, dedicated PHP developers in a remote-first environment is a different kick altogether. This blog covers all you need to know about PHP to make your business run smoothly.

Tips to Hire Dedicated PHP Developers

1. Look At Role & Responsibilities

To best assess a PHP developer, you need to ascertain their roles and goals

• Develop and deploy web-based PHP applications.
• Offer technical assistance/ Consultation for code structure.
• Features addition and update as needed.
• Growth and adoption of cutting-edge technology.
• Problem-solving ability combined with critical thinking.

2. PHP Developer’s Essential Skills

a) Beginner

PHP & HTML programming languages; MVC design pattern & PHP functions; dealing with Content management systems (CMS); knowledge of one of the major PHP frameworks are among the basic beginner’s skill set.

b) Mid-Level

Knowledge of multiple PHP frameworks, such as CodeIgniter, CakePHP, or Laravel; analysis of product requirements; implementation of various databases; back-end features for improved app performance; code troubleshooting; and following some development standards, such as Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY) for easy code refactoring and debugging are among the skills of a mid-level developer.

c) Experts

Experts’ skill sets include understanding PHP frameworks and advanced technical expertise in PHP for Blockchain, IoT, Machine Learning, and other solutions.

3. Hire PHP Developers from Various Sources

It’s time to start looking for PHP developers now that you’ve determined the type and number of developers you’ll need to develop a profitable product. While digging deep on the internet, businesses can find many places from where one can hire PHP developers. Check out the most common ones:

• PHP development communities include Github, Clutch, and PHP forums such as CodeProject and CodeGuru.
• The online portals include Freelancer, Upwork, Toptal, and other freelance sites.
• Various PHP development companies offer experienced PHP developers for a variety of fields.

Quick Plug: To develop an eCommerce website or any other web app or product – Netsmartz has a team of dedicated PHP developers to help you out, crafting effective and efficient applications. We can build you a team of pre-vetted, experienced, and elite PHP/Laravel developers to create feature-rich, agile, & secure web apps.

4. Know PHP Developer’s Capabilities

Here is the list of questions you must ask while hiring dedicated PHP developers like:

1. How many software development projects have you worked on till now, and what were they based on?
2. What technology did you use while working on those projects?
3. Name any one project that you enjoyed while developing it and why?

5. Key Elements Deciding the Cost

• Type of Collaboration- whether to engage a PHP developer on an hourly or project basis.
• Determine the PHP Developers’ proficiency levels (beginners, mid-level, or experienced) based on your needs and scale of requirements.
• Technological implementation for the final product.

PHP Development Trends You Need to Know

1. IoT + PHP Frameworks

The Internet of Things (IoT) creates a well-connected suite of gadgets when it is integrated with PHP development.

Laravel, CodeIgniter, Symphony, and other PHP web development frameworks are well-suited for IoT implementation. If you choose the right PHP development platform, you may create reliable IoT solutions that meet your company’s needs.

2. Integration with the Cloud

According to a Canalys analysis, the worldwide cloud infrastructure industry will grow by 37% in the next few years. It mainly consists of cloud integration technologies.

Cloud services are becoming increasingly popular among enterprises. Combining PHP and cloud services enables businesses to create scalable, cost-effective, & reliable online solutions that provide several benefits for web development while maximizing the capabilities of both platforms.

3. User Interfaces (UI)

With HTML and CSS for creating responsive websites, businesses can strengthen their web development. It helps businesses create a website that looks good on every platform (iOS, Android).

Various PHP web development tools and frameworks are available to help you create feature-rich, user-friendly online apps with smooth navigation. Many web frameworks provide built-in templating engines for creating appealing user interfaces.

4. Voice Search Optimization

Another popular PHP web development trend is Voice Search Optimization. Digital voice assistants like Alexa & Siri have become ingrained in our daily lives, causing a growing number of web developers to include speech capabilities in their designs.

The recent PwC survey says that more than half of Americans aged 18 to 50 use speech devices at least once a day. Why? Because voice searches are 3.7 times faster than typing, it is more popular.

5. Headless Product Development

The most important PHP web development trend to watch in 2022 is headless development. A Serverless approach is another name for it. It refers to a software program design that does not rely on front-end technologies to perform.

It enables developers to employ customized development to improve their underperforming apps.

Success Stories Of Big Brands that Went Right With PHP Development

• Facebook

“Facebook is visited around 22 billion times per month” – Similarweb

Since its advent in 2004, Facebook has taken advantage of PHP’s ability to generate dynamic content in seconds. In 2010, Facebook released HipHop for PHP (HPHPc), a transpiler or compiler that converts source code into another language’s source code.

In 2013, HipHop for PHP was phased out, favoring the HipHop Virtual Machine (HHVM). Facebook was able to keep up with its rapid growth by using the HipHop Virtual Machine compiler to scale PHP.

• WordPress

Over 455 million WordPress-hosted websites rely on the platform’s dependability, speed, and security.

One of the most popular PHP examples is WordPress, and it is presently the largest CMS. PHP underpins the entire WordPress system.

To use WordPress services, there’s no complex knowledge required. The whole architecture was designed in PHP and subsequently combined with MySQL and MariaDB. WordPress uses PHP to create a secure connection between the user’s web pages and the WP database. On the WordPress server, client-side HTML output can be requested rapidly and securely in this way.

• Drupal

Over a million websites utilize Drupal, accounting for 2% of all websites on the Internet. It’s a content management system (CMS) and a content management platform that’s used to host numerous government websites with the highest level of security.

Drupal’s most recent version, version 8, was built entirely on the Symfony PHP framework. It made a significant contribution to the CMS’s improvement. Everything has been supported by Drupal, Symfony components, current PHP principles, the Twig template engine, OOP, etc.

To Wrap Up

PHP is, without a doubt, the most precise and powerful open-source scripting language available around the internet. It gives developers a lot of freedom and is cross-platform, making a wide range of projects on several platforms. To hire a dedicated PHP programmer, you must conduct thorough screening to ensure that they possess basic and advanced abilities.

This article covers everything a business needs to know about hiring top PHP web developers—tips, trends, and success stories. As a result, developing web apps with PHP is the best and most cost-effective option for many firms.

We would love to hear about your experience developing a PHP-built software product. Feel free to share in the comment section below.