Tailoring guide
Web Developer resume keywords and example
Web developer postings cover a whole site rather than one app layer: HTML, CSS and JavaScript, a CMS such as WordPress or Shopify, some server-side code (often PHP or Node.js) and a database. Many come from agencies and marketing teams, so they also ask about SEO basics, site speed, hosting and handing sites over to clients. Below are the keywords that repeat, a sample summary, skills grouped by type, and example bullets across seniority levels.
Updated 14 November 2026. Keyword research current as of November 2026, sourced from public ATS keyword guides, not Weydr's own usage data.
Web Developer keywords that repeat in job postings
- HTML5 / CSS3
- JavaScript
- Responsive Design
- WordPress
- PHP
- MySQL
- Technical SEO
- Git
- Cross-Browser Testing
Only include the ones that are true for you. A keyword you can't back up in an interview costs more than it gains.
Sample professional summary
Web developer with 4 years at a digital agency, building and maintaining marketing sites and online stores for 30+ clients. Develops custom WordPress themes and plugins in PHP, builds Shopify storefronts, and handles hosting, backups and launches. Focuses on fast, accessible pages that clients can update themselves.
Illustrative example. Swap in your own years, domain, tools and results.
Skills to list on a web developer resume
Hard skills
- Semantic HTML and responsive CSS
- JavaScript for interactive pages
- Custom WordPress themes and plugins
- Server-side PHP and MySQL
- Technical SEO (meta tags, schema, sitemaps)
- Site speed optimization
- Hosting, DNS, SSL and deployment
Soft skills
- Client communication
- Translating briefs into requirements
- Estimating and managing deadlines
- Training non-technical editors
- Juggling several projects at once
Tools
- WordPress
- PHP
- MySQL
- Shopify
- JavaScript
- Git
- cPanel
- Google Search Console
- Figma
A tailored bullet, before and after
Built and maintained websites for clients.
Built 12 custom WordPress sites a year for small-business clients, using a shared PHP starter theme that cut average build time from 6 weeks to 4 and passed Core Web Vitals on launch.
Example resume bullets by seniority
Illustrative examples: the companies, numbers and outcomes are made up to show the structure (action, scope, tool, result). Use your own real figures.
Entry level
- Updated content and layouts on 20 client WordPress sites each month, fixing broken links and mobile display issues reported through the support queue.
- Built a responsive landing page in HTML, CSS and JavaScript for a product launch, delivered in 5 days and tested across Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge.
Mid level
- Developed a custom WordPress plugin for event bookings with a MySQL table and admin screens, replacing a paid plugin across 8 client sites.
- Migrated a 400-page site to a new host and theme with 301 redirects and updated XML sitemaps, keeping organic traffic level through the switch.
Senior
- Set the agency's development standards (Git workflow, staging sites, launch checklist), reducing post-launch fixes on new sites by about half.
- Led a 3-person team building a Shopify store with custom Liquid templates and a product data import, launching 1,500 SKUs on the planned date.
Gaps candidates miss most
- The CMS or platform by name (WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Drupal), not just "websites"
- Server-side and database work, if you did it, so the role doesn't read as front-end only
- Launch and hosting tasks (DNS, SSL, redirects, backups) that postings often list
Common web developer resume mistakes
- "Built websites" with no count, platform, client type or result.
- Linking a portfolio of sites that are now offline or redesigned by someone else.
- Leaving out SEO and speed work when the posting comes from a marketing team.
- Listing page builders only, when the posting asks for custom code.
- Skipping the client side of the job: briefs, training and handover.
Before you stuff in keywords
- Does ATS really reject 75% of résumés?: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to tailor your résumé to a job description: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- What an ATS résumé checker can and can't tell you: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- Tailoring a résumé to a job description: a worked example: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to explain an employment gap on your résumé: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to write a cover letter for a specific job: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- Résumé summary examples, and how to write your own: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How long should a résumé be?: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to write a career change résumé: what the research says about ATS filtering.
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