Things to consider when looking for custom wordpress development

1. Team Composition: Ensure the development team has the right mix of experts, including a project manager, business analyst, UI/UX designer, WordPress developer, QA tester, and DevOps engineer[1].

2. Custom vs. Template Development: Understand the difference between custom WordPress development and WordPress theme customization. Custom development allows for more flexibility and complex features, while theme customization is better suited for simpler websites[1][2][3].

3. Advantages of Custom Development: Custom WordPress development offers unique design, full control and customization, optimized performance, scalability, better SEO, enhanced security, and improved integration capabilities[2][3][4].

4. Development Process: Familiarize yourself with the typical custom WordPress development process, which includes design, development, quality assurance, and site launch[5].

5. Technical Expertise: Ensure the WordPress developers have the necessary skills, such as creating custom plugins and themes, working with WordPress functions and hooks, and proficiency in PHP, HTML, JavaScript, and CSS[3].

6. Costs and Timeline: Understand that custom WordPress development typically requires a higher investment of time and budget compared to using pre-made themes, but the benefits can outweigh the costs[2][3][4].

7. Challenges: Be aware of potential challenges, such as the learning curve for managing and updating a custom-built site, the need for ongoing maintenance, and the potential for overhead due to unnecessary code[4].

8. Partner Selection: Follow a structured process to find and vet the right WordPress development partner, including reviewing their portfolio, checking references, and signing necessary documents like a contract and NDA[3].

By considering these factors, you can make an informed decision when selecting a custom WordPress development provider that best fits your business needs and goals.