How to Hire PHP developers for Your SaaS Business

The first thing that you will need to develop a SaaS product is the right programming language. Your selection of the programming language will determine the cost, scope, scalability, and other crucial things. If you look around, there are many programming languages available to choose from. However, if you are looking for a developer-friendly language, PHP is the ideal choice for you. Why hire PHP developers for your SaaS project? Why choose PHP for your next SaaS project? All your questions are answered in this post. 

First of all, let’s check out some statistics about PHP, one of the most preferred and loved programming languages. 

• PHP is one of the top 10 most developer-loved programming languages as per StackOverview. 
• As per w3techs.com, 78.9% of all websites are made using PHP. 
• WordPress.org suggests that 64.0% of WordPress sites are using PHP 7.1 or lower. 

What do these statistics reveal? 

It simply shows why PHP is still relevant and why developers love it when it comes to software development. 

What is PHP? 

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is an open-source software and web application development programming language. 

Earlier, it was used to develop personal web pages with HTML code. However, today, it has evolved beyond that. 

It has a wide range of features and functionalities that can be tailored as per the custom business requirements of the organization. 

One of the best things about PHP is that it can be combined with other programming languages to develop super-fast, comprehensive, and highly functional web and software applications. 

All you need to do is to hire dedicated PHP developers and that is all. 

PHP runs on almost all major operating systems and makes software development a child’s play for developers.

Why PHP?

 Now, let’s check out some of the benefits of PHP. 

Easy Learning Curve 

PHP is relatively easy to learn and implement compared to other languages. It is the main reason why it is so popular today. 

Even beginners with a pinch of technical knowledge can write programs with ease. 

Developing simple web and software applications with simple features is easy with PHP. 

Plentiful Documentation

When you decide to go for PHP, you have endless resources available to help you in software development. 

From online tutorials to user manuals to online forums, developers have a treasure waiting for them. 

At any step of the development process, developers can get instant help from these resources. 

Even novice programmers can use these resources to develop error-free software applications. 

You can hire PHP developers India with some basic experience in the domain to develop PHP software applications. 

Wide Selection of Databases 

With PHP, you can easily connect to any type of database of your choice. However, developers mostly choose MySQL as it is free and highly effective. 

But, this is not the only one. Developers can also choose other databases such as mSQL, MS-SQL, SQLite, and others. 

Not just that, along with these basic and popular Databases, PHP can also be used with other non-relational databases such as MongoDB, ElasticSearch, and Redis. 

PHP gives endless options when it comes to databases, which is a good and welcome thing. 

Open-source and Free 

If you are a startup or a small business, PHP can be your ideal choice as it is free to use. 

It can reduce your budget to a great extent. In addition to that, all other development tools used with PHP are also free. 

You can also use multiple frameworks and CMS such as Laravel, Codeigniter, WordPress, and Drupal to add more features and functionalities to your application. 

It Gels Well with HTML

One of the greatest things about PHP is that it has excellent combinability with HTML. 

Developers love it because PHP does not interfere with a web page’s HTML code but completes it. 

It is Highly Flexible 

As we mentioned earlier, PHP can be combined with other programming languages to add more features to the application. 

Being a cross-platform language, it allows developers to use any primary operating system for coding. 

This flexibility allows developers to create robust, feature-rich, and highly affordable web applications in just no time. 

Essential Skill Set of a PHP Developer 

Now that we know the benefits of PHP, the next thing is to hire a PHP developer with the right skills. 

Here is a list of skills you need to look for in a PHP developer while hiring. 

The developer must be good at other programming languages 

Apart from PHP, an ideal developer is one who also possesses proficiency in other programming languages. 

For example, he should be good at front-end programming languages such as JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. 

These skills will help him to identify and address possible issues in web design. 

Also, he would be able to create web applications that offer a seamless experience to users. Hire PHP developer who is well-versed with primary databases such as MySQL and others. 

He should know the best PHP practices and PHP design patterns 

Design patterns make the whole software development process efficient and fast. 

Also, it helps in improving code quality and readability. 

Some of the PHP design patterns are Factory, Strategy, and Singleton. Take the help of available resources to grasp the details. 

He should be good at using some PHP tools 

You should hire PHP programmer who is good at using PHP tools such as Composer, PSR, and PHPUnit. 

Composer is a dependency manager that offers immense help to developers while developing a PHP web application. 

It will help developers to take care of different libraries, classes, and functions. Also, it will check and update new library versions. 

Similarly, the PHP Standard Recommendation (PSR) is a PHP specification tool that makes the development process easy and efficient. 

He should have problem-solving skills 

An ideal PHP developer is good at not just hard technical skills, but also good at soft skills such as problem-solving. 

As a developer, he will come across many technical or functional issues and he should know how to tackle them in the most meaningful manner. 

It will show how valuable the developer is to the team. 

He should have good communication skills

A developer must be good at communicating with others. 

Being a team player, he should be able to share ideas and suggestions, and solutions in the most effective manner. 

He will be the sole contact person with clients. Hence, some basic communication skills are mandatory for a PHP developer. 

How to Hire a PHP Developer?

Now comes the main part. You need to have a clear understanding of your project, business objectives, and goals. 

Once you are clear on this front, you will be able to hire PHP developers India easily. Furthermore, you also need to determine the budget for the project.  

Here is a step-wise guide to hiring a PHP developer. 

Choose the Country 

Are you planning to hire a developer who hails from Ukraine or India? Or you want to hire a local American developer for the job. 

If you want to reduce your project costs, hiring a PHP developer from India or Ukraine can be a good thing. 

For example, India has turned out to be a global IT hub with the right pool of talent and expertise. 

Indian developers are the most innovative, and cooperative, and are known to be technically proficient. Moreover, they are known to be delivering projects on time. 

Hire dedicated PHP developers in India and reduce your overall project cost to a great extent. That too, without compromising on the quality of work. 

Decide Proficiency and Skills 

Are you looking for an experienced PHP programmer or a fresher? What kind of expertise does your project demand? 

The expertise level will also determine the cost. 

If you hire a fresher PHP developer, you can get someone with basic programming skills on a low budget. However, you must not expect him to develop complex web solutions. 

On the other hand, when your project demands an experienced programmer, you should consider hiring someone with a proven track record and a promising portfolio. 

You can hire a PHP developer who can understand your business requirements and develop a tailor-made solution that serves your business goals. 

Ensure that you take a practical test before hiring him to know his expertise level. 

Check Out Online Resources 

Where to find the right PHP programmers? Well, there are many online platforms and forums available where freelancer PHP programmers post their availability. 

Such platforms like Freelancer have a list of programmers with their track records, experience, profiles, and other details. 

You can go through potential candidates and choose one that fits your criteria. 

Check Out Outsourcing Agencies 

The best way to hire a PHP developer is through outsourcing agencies. These agencies can allow you to hire dedicated PHP developers who will solely work on your project. 

Furthermore, these agencies have state-of-the-art infrastructure, tools, and technologies at their disposal. 

All you need to do is to discuss your project details with them and they will allocate the best candidate that suits your requirements. 

You just have to pay for the developer you hire and all other things will be taken care of by the agency. 

Take a Practical Test Before Hiring 

Once you have shortlisted candidates for the job, ask them to submit a practical test to check their expertise and proficiency with the language. 

All candidates look good on paper, but the test will move your doubts away. 

You can make the test competitive to check whether they have the right technical and logical skills to solve it or not. 

Most candidates will welcome the test and will happily oblige. The test results will help you in scrutiny. 

Take a Personal Interview 

Once a candidate has passed the test and looks impressive and efficient, take a personal interview. 

Ask questions related to his experience, his overall understanding of the language, and other technical aspects. 

Also, it is the right opportunity to discuss the project with him. Discuss the working conditions, terms, expectations, and other things in detail. 

Try to create a bond with the candidate as it will help you to understand him better. 

Final Closure 

Once everything is discussed and settled, take a final call with the candidate and discuss the remaining things. 

Here, you need to discuss payment terms, NDA signing, the engagement model of your convenience and other details.

Conclusion

This is all. 

Getting the right developer for the project is a vital thing. Hire PHP developer who understands your business requirements, nature, and goals. 

Hire someone who can be a good and valuable team member and takes the ownership of the project.  

Indian PHP programmers can help you develop feature-rich, comprehensive, and unmatched PHP applications within your budget. 

All you need to do is to find one that suits your criteria and has a promising portfolio and track record.