How to become a remote WordPress developer from Nigeria
To become a remote WordPress developer from Nigeria, go past page builders: learn PHP 8, the hooks system, custom post types, block themes with theme.json, Gutenberg block development in React, WooCommerce and WordPress security. Developers who can write and debug code get agency contracts and retainers; people who only install themes and drag Elementor sections compete on price with everyone else.
Be realistic about pay. On IT Jobs Watch, UK permanent jobs citing WordPress had a median of £37,500 in the six months to October 2026, about half the median for UK software engineer ads. The way up is specialising: WooCommerce, performance, custom blocks, headless WordPress, or enterprise sites.
Updated October 2026 by the WorkRemote careers team
- Core languages
- PHP 8.3+, JavaScript, React (for blocks), SQL
- WordPress's own requirement
- PHP 8.3 or greater; MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.11+
- UK pay reference
- £37,500 median for UK permanent jobs citing WordPress (Oct 2026)
- Typical clients
- Agencies, small businesses, publishers and WooCommerce shops
- Free official training
- Learn WordPress developer courses
On this page
What a remote wordpress developer does
A WordPress developer builds custom themes and plugins, turns designs into block themes, writes custom Gutenberg blocks, sets up and extends WooCommerce, connects sites to CRMs and payment gateways, speeds up slow sites and cleans up hacked ones.
Much of the remote work is maintenance for agencies abroad: updating plugins safely, fixing what a theme update broke, migrating sites between hosts, and adding features to sites someone else built. That work is less glamorous than new builds, but it is steady, and a good maintenance developer is hard for an agency to replace.
A day in the role
- Build a custom block with block.json and @wordpress/scripts for a client's landing pages
- Convert a Figma design into a block theme with theme.json settings and patterns
- Debug a WooCommerce checkout that broke after a plugin update, using Query Monitor and the error log
- Register a custom post type and taxonomy for an events listing with a filtered archive
- Migrate a site to a new host with WP-CLI, including search-replace for serialised data
- Speed up a slow site: caching, image optimisation, removing unused plugins and scripts
- Clean malware from a hacked site, patch the cause and harden the install
Skills you need
Core skills
- PHP 8
WordPress core, themes and plugins are PHP. Know arrays, classes, namespaces, Composer and modern PHP features. WordPress itself recommends PHP 8.3 or greater.
- The hooks system
Actions and filters are how you change WordPress without editing core or a theme's files. Every interview asks about them.
- Theme development
Block themes with theme.json, templates, template parts and patterns, plus classic themes and child themes for older sites.
- Block development
Custom Gutenberg blocks use JavaScript and React, with block.json and tooling like @wordpress/create-block and wp-scripts. This is where WordPress pay is better.
- Plugin development
Settings pages, custom post types, shortcodes, REST API endpoints, scheduled events and clean uninstall routines.
- WooCommerce
Product types, checkout customisation, payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Paystack), hooks and performance for large catalogues.
- Security
Sanitising input, escaping output, nonces, capability checks and prepared queries. Hacked WordPress sites very often trace back to a plugin or theme that skipped these.
- Performance
Page caching, object caching with Redis, transients, image optimisation and Core Web Vitals. Clients often hire you because their site is slow.
- WP-CLI and deployment
Updating, migrating and debugging sites from the command line, and deploying code with Git rather than editing files over FTP.
Soft skills
- Client communication
Many WordPress clients are not technical. Explaining what you did and why it took four hours keeps them happy and paying.
- Careful change management
Live sites take orders and leads. Taking backups, testing on staging and updating at quiet times protects your reputation.
- Scoping work
"Just a small change" on WordPress can mean editing a theme you have never seen. Writing scope and estimates down saves arguments later.
Tools you'll use
Local (LocalWP) or wp-env
Run WordPress sites on your laptop for development
WP-CLI
Command-line management: updates, migrations, users, search-replace
Query Monitor
Free plugin for debugging slow queries, hooks and PHP errors
@wordpress/create-block and wp-scripts
Official tooling for building blocks
Composer
PHP dependency management for plugins and site setups
Git with GitHub or Bitbucket
Version control and deployment instead of FTP edits
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)
Very common on agency sites for custom fields and blocks
WooCommerce
The main WordPress e-commerce plugin
Managed hosts and cPanel
You will meet everything from cPanel shared hosting to managed WordPress hosts
Wordfence or similar security plugins
Scanning and firewall for client sites
Where to learn
- Learn WordPress: Beginner WordPress Developer (opens in a new tab)
WordPress.org Free
About 9 hours and 59 lessons on how WordPress works and how to extend it. Follow with the Intermediate Theme Developer course.
- Block Editor Handbook (opens in a new tab)
WordPress.org Free
Official guide to building blocks, with the development environment, quick start and tutorial.
- Theme Handbook: global settings and styles (opens in a new tab)
WordPress.org Free
How theme.json controls colours, typography and styles in block themes.
- WordPress security for developers (opens in a new tab)
WordPress.org Free
The official principles, with linked pages on escaping, sanitising and validation.
- Getting Started with Laravel and PHP Fundamentals (opens in a new tab)
Laravel Free video courses
Short courses on modern PHP. Useful if your PHP comes only from WordPress tutorials.
Career path
How remote wordpress developers usually move up, with the years it tends to take, and where people move sideways.
- Entry
Junior WordPress developer
0-2 years
Often at a Nigerian agency or freelancing for local businesses.
- Mid-level
WordPress developer
2-4 years
Builds custom themes and plugins; agency contracts abroad become realistic.
- Senior
Senior WordPress engineer
5+ years
Custom blocks, complex WooCommerce, performance and enterprise sites.
- Lead
Technical lead at an agency
7+ years
Sets standards, reviews code and handles the hardest client projects.
Sideways moves
Full stack or PHP developer · 3+ years
Laravel or React skills move you into general web development, which usually pays more.
Shopify developer · 2+ years
A common move for WooCommerce developers.
Getting hired from Nigeria
Build proof, not just themes. Put two things on GitHub: a custom plugin (for example, an events plugin with a custom post type, a block and a REST endpoint) and a block theme built from a real design. Add a case study or two of client sites you improved, with before-and-after speed scores and what you changed.
Where remote WordPress work comes from. Most of it comes from agencies in the UK, US, Europe and Australia that need extra developers, often on monthly retainers. Upwork and referrals from past clients are common starting points. Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com and WooCommerce, is fully remote with staff in 82 countries; its process often starts with a text interview on Slack, then a code test or a trial of up to 20 hours of real work.
One door that is closed. Codeable, a well-known WordPress freelance marketplace, says its application process is currently closed, so do not plan around it.
Charge for outcomes. Agencies pay more for developers who can be trusted on live sites: staging first, backups, Git, clear notes on what changed. Offer maintenance plans (updates, monitoring, small fixes each month) rather than only one-off builds.
Getting paid and staying online. Clients usually pay through Payoneer, Grey, Deel or Upwork. A site that breaks during a client's working day needs fixing then, so keep backup power and a second internet connection.
Pitfalls to avoid
- Only knowing Elementor or Divi; you will compete on price with thousands of others
- Editing a parent theme's files directly, so the next update wipes your changes
- Skipping sanitising, escaping and nonces in custom code, then being blamed when the site is hacked
- Updating plugins on a live WooCommerce site without a backup or staging copy
- Using a nulled (pirated) premium theme or plugin, which often contains malware
- Quoting fixed prices without a written scope, then doing unpaid revisions for weeks
Questions people ask
Is WordPress development still worth learning in 2026?
Yes, for steady remote work, especially with agencies and small businesses. It usually pays less than general software engineering, so pair it with React, WooCommerce, performance or Laravel skills to earn more.
Do I need to know PHP to be a WordPress developer?
Yes. Page builders let you make sites without PHP, but developer work means themes, plugins and fixing problems, all of which need PHP. Block development also needs JavaScript and React.
Can I get WordPress clients abroad from Nigeria?
Yes. Many Nigerian WordPress developers work for agencies in the UK, US and elsewhere, often on monthly retainers. Your portfolio, communication and reliability matter more than your location.
Is Elementor enough to get remote WordPress jobs?
Rarely for developer roles. Agencies hiring developers expect custom code, debugging and security knowledge. Elementor skills are useful for site builds but not enough on their own.
How do WordPress developers in Nigeria get paid by foreign clients?
Usually through Payoneer, Grey, Deel or freelance platforms like Upwork, then withdrawal to a naira or domiciliary account. Agree the method and payment schedule before starting.
Sources
- WordPress.org: Requirements (accessed October 2026)
- IT Jobs Watch: WordPress salaries and jobs (UK) (accessed October 2026)
- IT Jobs Watch: Software Engineer salaries (UK) (accessed October 2026)
- Automattic: Work with us (accessed October 2026)
- Codeable: Apply (accessed October 2026)
- Learn WordPress (accessed October 2026)
Updated October 2026 by the WorkRemote careers team
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