45 Key WordPress Interview Questions

  • Duc Filan
When it comes to web development, there are a number of different paths one can take to excel in the tech industry. Whether you decide to pursue front end, back end, iOS, Android development and so on, there will always be some sort of interview process to get you started. Ad if you’re a WordPress developer — or looking to hire WordPress developers, we have gathered the essential WordPress interview questions you need to know. Some of the most valuable skills WordPress developers have is the ability to build custom plugins, modules in addition to being able to develop a complete theme around WordPress. Essentially a WordPress expert may also be considered a PHP developer, but this does not mean that every PHP developer is an expert in WordPress. Most WordPress developers will have a solid underlying knowledge of PHP programming which in turn, requires a deep understanding of WP core, library, along with other WP skills to create strong WP functional products. But what if you need a WordPress website and you’re not tech-savvy? You want to hire a WordPress expert, but how do you confidently hire the right (wo)man for the job? Or if you’re looking to prepare for a job interview? That’s where we come in. We’ve compiled a list of 45 key WordPress interview questions and answers to get you well on your way to hiring a top developer (or acing that interview). This includes WordPress basic interview questions as well as more advanced WordPress developer interview questions. Do you have an interview question on WordPress you’d like to submit? Scroll to the bottom to learn how.
So let’s start with the basics.

BASIC WORDPRESS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What is WordPress?
WordPress is a free online, open source tool used to create websites. It is built on PHP and MySQL and it is considered one of the simplest and most powerful blogging and content management system (CMS) out there.
2. What are a few ways to use WordPress?
  • blog
  • content management system (CMS)
  • gallery
  • portfolio
  • online store
  • videos
  • membership site
3. What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
WordPress.com is a fully hosted website with limitations when it comes to plugins, theme customisations, e-commerce, etc. WordPress.org is a self-hosted website that offers a lot more freedom regarding customisation, plugins, etc.
4. Why should you use WordPress?
Its ease of use and flexibility make it compatible with just about anything.
  • easy to use and learn
  • free (apart from hosting costs)
  • extendable using themes and plugins
  • SEO friendly
  • easy to manage
  • safe and secure
  • can handle different media types
5. What are alternative CMS of WordPress?
6. Can you list some features of WordPress?
  • easy theme integration
  • plugins
  • search engine optimisation
  • multilingual
  • importers
  • user management
  • media management
  • built-in comments
  • own your own data
  • publishing tools/publish with ease
  • simplicity/flexibility
  • full stands compliance
7. What are the developer features of WordPress?
  • plugin system
  • theme integration
  • application framework
  • custom content types
  • latest libraries
8. What is the current version WordPress?
Quote the current version of WordPress available and the release date.
9. What are the limitations to a WordPress website?
  • Although you can use as many plugins as you like, this can make the website slow to run.
  • The software and variety of plugins continuously require updates to remain current with your browsers and mobile devices. This can lead to the risk of losing data, so this requires users to have a backup copy of their website.
  • Some coding knowledge, more specifically PHP is required to make modifications.
  • Modifying and formatting graphic images and tables can be difficult.
10. Do deactivated plugins slow down a WordPress website?
No. Deactivated plugins do not slow down a WordPress website. WordPress will only load active plugins and ignore the deactivated one.
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11. How safe is a website on WordPress?
WordPress is safe to use. But it is recommended that users continuously update their site to prevent the risk of being hacked.
12. What types of gadgets are available in the WordPress Dashboard?
  • Welcome
  • Quick Draft
  • Activity
  • At a Glance
  • Screen Options
  • Dashboard Menu
  • WordPress News
13. Is WordPress useful when it comes to SEO? Will it show the website on Google?
WordPress has a built in SEO search engine. Users also have the option to add additional plugins to help with SEO and ranking.
14. How is a Custom theme different from a Normal theme?
A custom theme allows for SEO. A Normal theme requires an SEO plugin. One benefit of using a Custom theme is that it allows users to make changes without diving too deep into the coding part.
15. What is the best multilingual plugin for WordPress?
WPML is the best multilingual plugin for WordPress.
16. What are meta-tags?
They are keywords and descriptions used to display your website or page info.
17. Can you host WordPress while using Amazon web services such as EC2, RDS, EBS, etc?
Yes.
18. Why is it best not to hack a WordPress core file?
Because whatever changes you might make will have to be reworked as a patch.
19. Where should you add your Google Analytics code on WordPress?
To activate Google Analytics for WordPress, you should add your Google Analytics code to every page of your WordPress website so that each page receives proper tracking. Google recommends users to add the Google Analytics code just before the closing of “head” for optimal results.

TECHNICAL WORDPRESS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

20. How do you write a series in WordPress?
One can use a series plugin in order to write a series in WordPress.
21. How do you disable a WordPress comment?
Navigate to the dashboard, select options-discussion and deselect “allow people to post comment”.
22. What is a custom field in WordPress?
A custom field is a meta-data that allows you to store arbitrary information to a post. Additional information can be added to a post when you use a custom field.
23. What is a WordPress loop?
In order to display posts, WordPress uses PHP code which is also known as a loop.
24. At what instance will you not see a plugin menu option?
Users do not have the ability to add in plugins when their blog/website is hosted on wordpress.com. In addition, if the user does not have an administrator level on the account, they will on be able to see the plugin option.
25. Why would you get locked out of your WordPress admin account and see your website as a blank screen?
This may happen when you paste the code from a website in the wrong format or in the wrong location. This can also happen if you IP is banned.
26. Why would you use a static front page in WordPress?
Some users want their WordPress installation to be more than a simple site for blogging. Many prefer to use a static front page to make their page look like more of a real website.
27. What are the template tags in WordPress?
WordPress template tags is a code that instructs WordPress to “do” or “get” something. The the_title() template tag is used to display the post title. wp_list_cats() is for display categories. get_header() for getting header. get_sidebar() for display the sidebar on page. get_footer() for get the footer content on page.
28. Does WordPress have cookies?
Yes. WordPress uses cookies to verify users while logged in.
29. Why does WordPress use MySQL?
MySQL is an open source, fast and widely available database server. It is supported by many low-cost Linux hosts which make it easy to use for hosting a website.
30. What is a plugin on WordPress?
Plugins are used to extend and increase functionality that is already in WordPress. Plugins offer custom functions and features so each user can tailor their site to how they want.
31. What is the prefix of WordPress tables by default?
By default, wp_ is the prefix for WordPress.
32. How many table are there in WordPress by default?
You will need to check phpMyAdmin to determine the number of tables in a vanilla version of the latest WordPress installation.
33. What are the two types of hooks in WordPress and what are their functions?
  • Action hooks: These allow you to insert additional code from an outside source.
  • Filter hooks: These allow you to add content or text at the end of a post.
34. Can you rename a WordPress folder?
You will need to check phpMyAdmin to determine the number of tables in a vanilla version of the latest WordPress installation. Yes, if WordPress is already installed you must log in to the weblog as the administrator and changed the settings: WordPress address (URI): Blog address (URI): Once the changes have been made, you can rename the folder or directory with the WordPress file in it.
35. How do you create a folder in WordPress if it doesn’t already exist?
$pathname = 'path/to/directory';
if (!file_exists($pathname)) {   
    mkdir($pathname, 0755, true);
}
*Please note that the permission configuration depends on what kind of directory you are creating.
36. What steps should you take if your WordPress site is hacked?
  • Check the server log.
  • Clean up the site (affected files, database).
  • Remove any vulnerabilities (mostly from installed plugins).
  • Install a strong security plugin.
  • Re-install the latest version of WordPress.
  • Change your password and user-id for all of your users.
  • Make sure your themes and plugins are up to date.
37. How do you modify the parent theme behavior within the child theme?
The child theme has the ability to override other template files such as author.php, category.php, style.cssetc. The WordPress framework search for a template file in the child theme directory and then will pick it up from the parent directory if not found.
38. How do you create a static page with WordPress?
In the page section, upload your php files to the server in the theme folder and select them as your template. This will allow you to add any page or look that you want for your blog and it will remain static.
39. How do you implement a multi-language site on WordPress?
WordPress does not have a bi/multi-language feature already built into its system. Plugins and themes offer multi-language features that are built-in.
40. What are the requirements for developing a WordPress plugin?
  • a memorable name
  • the plugin’s folder
  • a subfolder for PHP files, translations and assets
  • the main plugin file and fill in header info
  • activation and deactivation functions
  • an uninstall script
  • use proper constants and functions to detect paths to the plugin file
41. What are the uses of _() and _e() functions in WordPress?
These functions are used when your website is multilingual. 1st parameter: String which you want to convert from one language to another. 2nd parameter: Domain name. 
$translatedText = __('TEXT_FOR_TRANSLATION', 'textdomain'); //This will return the translated text
_e('TEXT_FOR_TRANSLATION', 'textdomain'); //This will print the translated text
42. How do you get the last inserted row id from WordPress’ database?
global test;
/** insert query here with test**/
$lastId = test->insert_id; //This is last insert id
43. How do you remove P and Br tags in WordPress posts?
Open functions.php in your currently active theme and add the following lines. 
remove_filter( 'the_content', 'wpautop' );
remove_filter( 'the_excerpt', 'wpautop' );
44. What is the difference between site_url() and home_url()?
The site_url() is always the location where you can reach the site by tacking on /wp-admin on the end. On the other hand, home_url() will not be in this same location. The home_url() is where you set your homepage by setting General>Settings “Site Address (URL)” field.
45. How do you retrieve an image attachment’s alt text?
The wp_get_attachment_image() function will return an HTML string with the following attributes: ‘Src’ ‘Class’ ‘Alt’ ‘title’
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