WordPress Specialist

WordPress Website Security, Maintenance & Optimization Specialist Project Overview We are seeking an experienced WordPress developer to perform a comprehensive audit, cleanup, security review, and optimization of our existing WordPress website. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in WordPress administration, website security, performance optimization, SEO best practices, and ongoing website maintenance. The objective of this project is to ensure our website is secure, fully updated, optimized for performance, and prepared for future growth while maintaining website stability. Scope of Work 1. User Account & Administrator Security Review all WordPress user accounts and improve administrator security by completing the following: Remove accounts belonging to former employees, contractors, or anyone who no longer requires access. Eliminate duplicate administrator accounts and consolidate access where appropriate. Disable or remove inactive user accounts that have not been used for an extended period unless there is a documented business reason to retain them. Verify that each active user has the appropriate permission level based on their job responsibilities. Ensure there are no generic or shared administrator accounts. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for all administrator accounts. Recommend additional security improvements to strengthen user access and account protection. 2. WordPress Core, Theme & Plugin Updates Perform a complete review of the website software by: Updating WordPress to the latest stable version. Updating all installed plugins. Updating the active theme and any child themes. Testing the website after all updates to ensure full compatibility and functionality. Resolving any issues caused by updates. 3. Plugin Audit Review every installed plugin and: Remove inactive or unnecessary plugins. Eliminate duplicate plugins that perform similar functions. Replace outdated or unsupported plugins with secure, modern alternatives. Verify plugin licenses are current where applicable. Identify plugins with known security vulnerabilities. Recommend better plugin alternatives where appropriate. 4. Website Security Audit Perform a complete security review including: Malware scanning. Review for suspicious files or unauthorized code. Verification of WordPress file permissions. Login security assessment. Enable brute-force login protection. Verify SSL certificate installation and configuration. Review backup procedures. Confirm automatic backups are functioning correctly and stored securely off-site. Recommend additional security enhancements and best practices. 5. Website Performance Optimization Review website performance and optimize where appropriate by evaluating: Overall page loading speed. Image optimization. Database optimization. Website caching configuration. CSS and JavaScript optimization. Mobile responsiveness and performance. Core Web Vitals. Broken links. 404 errors. General website efficiency. Provide recommendations for any additional improvements that would increase speed and user experience. 6. SEO Audit Conduct an SEO review that includes: Missing page titles. Meta descriptions. Image ALT tags. XML Sitemap. Robots.txt configuration. Structured data (Schema Markup). Internal linking. Duplicate content. Redirect issues. General on-page SEO recommendations. 7. Accessibility Review Evaluate the website for accessibility and identify improvements related to: Color contrast. Keyboard navigation. Screen reader compatibility. Alternative text for images. Proper heading hierarchy. Accessible forms. General ADA/WCAG best practices. 8. Website Improvement Recommendations Provide professional recommendations to improve the website in the following areas: Security Strengthen administrator security. Improve password policies. Enhance login protection. Schedule regular security scans. Develop an ongoing maintenance strategy. Performance Improve loading speed. Optimize images. Remove unnecessary plugins. Configure caching. Optimize the database. User Experience Improve website navigation. Enhance mobile usability. Review contact forms. Simplify customer journeys. Improve branding consistency throughout the website. SEO Improve search engine visibility. Optimize pages for target keywords. Correct SEO issues. Improve local SEO where applicable. Maintenance Recommend a monthly website maintenance plan. Schedule WordPress Core updates. Schedule plugin updates. Review backups monthly. Perform quarterly security audits. Deliverables Upon completion, provide a detailed report including: Executive summary of all work completed. List of user accounts removed, disabled, or modified. List of plugins updated, removed, replaced, or added. Security vulnerabilities identified and how they were resolved. Website performance metrics before and after optimization. SEO audit findings and recommendations. Accessibility findings and recommendations. Prioritized list of future improvements categorized as High, Medium, and Low Priority. Estimated costs and effort for any recommended enhancements outside the scope of this project. Qualifications The ideal candidate should have: Extensive experience with WordPress administration and development. Strong knowledge of WordPress security best practices. Experience optimizing website performance and Core Web Vitals. Knowledge of SEO and accessibility standards. Experience with website backups and disaster recovery. Excellent troubleshooting and communication skills. Ability to document all work performed and provide clear recommendations. Please include examples of similar WordPress projects you have completed, along with your estimated timeline and total project cost.