Warning Signs of the Wanna Be WordPress Expert

Everywhere you look, WordPress “experts” are popping up. Try googling it if you dare. There are even sites that will tell you how to become a WordPress expert in hours. Amazing, huh?

Well, I just don’t buy it. Like so many professions, people toss around the word “expert” effortlessly.

So, let’s look at the definition of “expert”.
expert: a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of, or skill in, a particular area

Hmm, sounds like some gray areas there. The question is, what do you expect of the expert you contact?

The saying goes, calling yourself an expert means nothing, someone else calling you an expert, well, that’s justification. Right?

I would like to propose 10 red flags to look for when searching out your WordPress “expert”.

1. You find out your WordPress expert was only a month ago picking up their first copy of WordPress for Dummies.
2. They use “WordPress Expert” prominently— and everywhere— on their own site. Sounds like someone is trying to pick up some serious google juice, wouldn’t you say?
3. They list themselves as an expert in 2, 3 or 4 different areas, eg. WordPress expert, Social Media expert, SEO expert, on and on… wow, that really is an expert.
4. They leave open comments on every static page of their own website. Like, yes, I would really like to comment on your services.
5. Only 2 weeks ago they were a landscaper.
6. They use cliches like “killer”, “rockstar” and “suck”. Really watch out for the the Rockstar WordPress designer who creates “killer” websites that don’t “suck”.
7. They tell you WordPress is simple and you can have a “killer” (okay, there’s that word again) website yourself in only a couple of hours. Not!
8. Their prices are too good to be true. Often they use the old “bait and switch” approach here. And in the end, you still need help.
9. Their tagline is “We Make a WordPress Expert and Blogger”. Say what? (Seriously, I found this one the web).
10. And last, but not least, they do not follow protocol, and ignore using uppercase W & P when spelling WordPress.

In closing, all I can say is, “BE CAREFUL OUT THERE.”