The web has a WordPress problem – not the platform itself, but the people who build on it. As of March 2026, in fact, WordPress powers 42.6% of all websites around the world – the undisputed backbone of the internet.
WordPress is nine times as popular as its nearest competitor, Shopify, which holds a 5.1% share. Yet, for all the dominance, the industry has never had a rigorous and standardized way of verifying that a developer truly has the skills to operate at enterprise scale.
The gap is finally closing.
Phoenix-based firm Kryterion – which has over 25 years’ experience in secure test development and delivery – and Automattic, the distributed technology company behind WordPress, WooCommerce, Tumblr, and Jetpack, among others, announced a strategic partnership to launch the Advanced Professional WordPress Developer certification program on March 18, 2026.
While the exam went live in mid-February, following a beta test completed in January, it has already drawn attention from developers, agencies, and enterprise hiring teams worldwide.
Why now?
WordPress’s reach extends far beyond the personal blogs it once powered: Salesforce pivoted 2,000 marketers to digital with WordPress VIP; Al Jazeera built its digital presence across more than 70 worldwide bureaus; Capgemini published over 20,000 pages in over 10 languages across 38 sites; Meta launched a secure e-commerce experience in under 30 days.
These are not hobbyist deployments – they are mission-critical digital operations. And yet, until now, there was no single credential that could tell an enterprise CTO whether a developer was truly equipped to work at that level.
The certification tests advanced competency across eight domains that map directly to real enterprise challenges: WordPress Core architecture, Custom Development, Security, Performance, Change Management, Debugging, Scalability and Architecture, and Disaster Recovery.
Automattic’s enterprise division, WordPress VIP — which has supported the largest WordPress deployments for more than 18 years — led the curriculum development. Some of the top WordPress agencies globally participated in testing the credential before launch.
“We’re excited to join Automattic to empower developers with respected credentials that reflect their real-world skills,” said Angela Street, Chief Customer Success at Kryterion.
“By combining Kryterion’s full-service certification offerings with Automattic’s deep connection to the web development community, we’re unlocking new opportunities for developers to grow their careers and help businesses thrive online.”
The credentials economy is booming
The Kryterion and Automattic launch lands in the middle of a significant macro-shift in tech hiring. According to a 2025 report, 53% of employers removed degree requirements –representing a 30% increase from 2024.
Cloud computing, cybersecurity, data analytics, and DevOps are fields where certifications and hands-on practice now carry more weight than a university transcript, and the same shift is beginning to reshape web development hiring.
For developers in the WordPress ecosystem, a portable, third-party validated credential has never been more valuable.
IT leaders report that certified staff add a value of $30,000 per year to the organization, with a noticeable increase in productivity from employees who earn certifications, according to Skillsoft.
And, as per last year’s C-Suite Perspectives report, organizations that invest in IT certifications report a 36% boost in productivity and a 35% reduction in time to troubleshoot issues.
Kryterion brings its Webassessor platform to the delivery infrastructure: secure dual-camera online proctoring, psychometric support, and flexible multi-modal exam options. The company began supporting Automattic’s item development process in September 2025 — a notably fast development track for a credential of this psychometric scope.
For the WordPress ecosystem, this represents the kind of structural credentialing that cloud computing and cybersecurity sectors have had for years. It has been a long time coming.
Featured image: Deng Xiang via Unsplash+
Disclosure: This article mentions clients of an Espacio portfolio company.
