Skip to content

Start here

Working with a web developer

What to send a developer building your site, and why you should invite them as a user instead of sharing your owner login.

Plenty of operators hire someone to build the website. This page is what to send them, and one thing to do before you do.

Do not share your owner login

Your owner account can see customer records, payment settings, and your Stripe connection. For website work a developer needs only your API key -- copy it from the WordPress tab of Settings > Website and send it; they do not need a login at all. If they also need to work inside HaulHQ, invite them as a user from Settings > Team, with Invite Member, as a Manager or Dispatcher. Those roles still see customer records, but cannot read the API key, touch billing or export your data, and you can remove them when the work is done without changing your own password.

Send them this

  1. 1How HaulHQ works: the two workflows. Send this first. A developer who does not know which workflow you are in will build the wrong thing competently.
  2. 2Whether you are junk removal, dumpster rental, or both.
  3. 3Install the WordPress plugin, plus your API key from the WordPress tab of Settings > Website.
  4. 4Which shortcodes, and where.

What you have to do yourself

A developer cannot finish without these, and they are yours to fill in: your Equipment screen (sizes and services), your prices, your service area cities, and your hours and booking capacity. The shortcodes render whatever is in your account -- if the account is empty, a correctly built page still shows nothing.

What to check before you pay

  • Submit a real quote or booking from your phone on the live site. It should appear in HaulHQ within seconds.
  • Check the confirmation email arrives with your business as the sender name. It is sent from a HaulHQ address with your email as the reply-to, so replies reach you.
  • Open every page on a phone. Most of your customers are on one.
  • Confirm your service area and reviews render, not just the booking page.

Common mistakes

"My developer says the plugin is broken -- nothing shows up."

Check your Equipment screen and your service-area cities first. An empty account renders empty pages, and that is by far the most common cause.

"They built the quote form but I rent dumpsters."

A workflow mismatch, not a mistake in the build. Send them the two workflows and the dumpster shortcodes.