How to Earn Money from WordPress – 3 Side Hustle Methods
WordPress powers over 40% of the internet, making it one of the most popular – open source – content management systems (CMS) in the world. Whether you’re a developer, designer, or someone looking for a lucrative side hustle, WordPress offers a variety of opportunities to earn money.
In this blog, we’ll explore three high-paying and flexible ways to make money using WordPress – With coding, without coding, without investment or with investment, you may pick and choose.
1. Earning as a WordPress Developer: A High-Paying Career Path
One of the most lucrative ways to earn money from WordPress is by becoming a WordPress developer. As businesses continue to move online, demand for skilled WordPress developers is on the rise. Developers are responsible for building themes, plugins, and features for WordPress sites, making their expertise highly valuable. In my opinion, WordPress is one of the best career choices for 2025.
If you have basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, & PHP you could take the time to learn more about WordPress and start coding themes or plugins. This will give you added leverage, since WordPress is a niche, but it is a massive niche! With around 500 million websites (40% of the entire internet) dependent on it, earning money as a WordPress developer is a great opportunity.
Why It’s High Paying:
Take it from me, someone who is active in the WordPress industry, it is so hard finding GOOD WordPress developers. We offer high salaries to developers who are able to develop for WordPress. There is a good demand for WordPress developers.
The simplest reason why it is high paying is that it is a niche within a niche. Suppose in the world of coding, PHP is a niche, there is a massive sub niche for PHP and that is WordPress. It is the like comparing a general surgeon vs a doctor who specializes in heart surgeries. The latter one will always be rarer and valuable.
Custom website development often commands a premium rate, particularly when you work with high-profile clients or specialize in high-demand niches such as eCommerce or membership sites.
Developing custom themes and plugins or offering maintenance services can create consistent streams of revenue. The good news is that you don’t need to be a full-time developer to start – many WordPress developers work part-time or freelance on the side, building up a portfolio and a steady flow of clients.
2. Using WordPress (Without Coding) to Create Websites for Clients
Not everyone is a coder, and that’s okay! You don’t need to be a developer to earn money with WordPress. If you have a good eye for design and a basic understanding of how WordPress works, you can build websites for businesses, individuals, or even personal brands using pre-built themes and drag-and-drop page builders.
How It Works:
By using themes and plugins with prebuilt templates, you can quickly create beautiful, functional websites without writing a single line of code. These skills are especially valuable to small businesses, startups, and individuals who need an online presence but can’t afford to hire expensive developers.
You can set up a website using WordPress, customize it to suit the client’s brand, and charge a flat fee or hourly rate for your time. It’s a great way to get started with WordPress, even if you don’t have technical expertise. And since WordPress is open source, you can build websites for clients at an affordable price while still generating a profit.
To get clients to work with, you have 2 major options. One being, outreach via emails, calls or even reaching out to businesses and store in your areas. The other one being, freelancing on platforms like upwork, fiverr and more.
For those looking to use WordPress and start their side hustle journey, there’s an online course created by me, called The WordPress Side Hustle that offers a step-by-step guide to mastering WordPress website creation without needing any coding knowledge.
The course teaches you:
- Complete WordPress basics
- Design a complete website, start to finish.
- Client acquisition (How to get clients?)
- How to price your services? (How much should you charge?)
- How to work on a client’s project?
- Scaling opportunities (Turn this side hustle into a main hustle)
- Mindset shift, group access for a year & much more.
Currently, there is a sale going on, where you can get this course, which would otherwise be in the 3-digit-zone, for just 9$! Isn’t that crazy? Grab it right now. Click here.
3. Creating and Selling WordPress Themes and Plugins
For those with a bit of technical expertise, wanting to not do a 9-5 but rather start a business of their own…. Creating and selling WordPress themes or plugins can be a fantastic opportunity.
Even if you don’t know coding, you can hire a single developer as you begin, give them a direction to work on and you can sell themes/ plugins for WordPress. Create custom themes or plugins that solve specific problems for WordPress users & you will start earning soon!
If you have an understanding of PHP, HTML, and CSS, you can start out yourself too while keeping the costs low.
Why It’s a Profitable Venture:
There’s a huge market for high-quality WordPress themes and plugins. Whether it’s a new plugin that enhances website speed, adds special functionality, or a theme that fits a specific niche, many WordPress users are willing to pay for tools that make their websites better.
You can create a theme or plugin tailored to a specific industry, such as blogging, real estate, or eCommerce, and then sell it on platforms like ThemeForest, CodeCanyon, or even your own website. This will require good market research.
The initial effort required to develop a theme or plugin can pay off in the long run as these digital products can be sold repeatedly with minimal ongoing effort, especially if you offer regular updates and support.
When I say repeatedly, I mean your products could be subscription-based products where people will pay you each month to get access to your service.
No coding Development approach
If you really don’t want to dabble into coding, developers and all that mumbo jumbo, you can even start a WordPress site creation agency, starting off with just you, then slowly scaling it as you go by hiring people who can create WordPress sites, not coding, but rather people who can just create beautiful sites.
All you have to do is find individuals or businesses wanting to create beautiful websites for themselves, then you can eventually scale the amount of clients and the people in your team. We touch on this topic on our WordPress side hustle course as well.
Conclusion: WordPress as a Gateway to Financial Freedom
WordPress is not just for bloggers and hobbyists; it’s a powerful platform that can serve as a lucrative side hustle for anyone willing to put in the time and effort. Whether you’re a developer, a non-technical user, or someone looking to create digital products, WordPress has a range of opportunities to earn money.
- As a WordPress developer, you can command high rates for custom websites, and expand your income with add-on services.
- Without coding, you can build websites for clients and charge for your expertise in design and user experience.
- By creating and selling themes or plugins, you can generate passive income with a product that appeals to a wide range of WordPress users.
With its vast ecosystem and strong demand for quality services and products, WordPress offers many ways to turn your skills or interests into a profitable side hustle. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to scale, now’s the time to dive into the world of WordPress and start earning.
For those who are serious about building a WordPress side hustle, The WordPress Side Hustle course offers invaluable guidance too. You can check it out if you have no clue about how to even get started. Remember it’s on a sale right now for just $9!
Happy hustling!