WordPress Development Without the Bloat
Custom PHP themes, WooCommerce stores, and headless WordPress with Next.js — built without page builders, scored 95+ on Lighthouse, and maintained with the discipline of a proper engineering engagement.
- No Elementor, Divi, or Avada — ever
- 95+ Lighthouse on every custom theme shipped
- WooCommerce stores optimised for conversion, not just function
- Headless WP + Next.js for maximum performance
No commitment to enquire · Reply within 24 hours · UK, US, Canada & worldwide
50+
WordPress sites shipped — brochure, WooCommerce, and headless
95+
Lighthouse score on every custom theme — no exceptions
0
Page builders used — Elementor, Divi, Avada — ever
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LCP target on WooCommerce product pages on real 4G connections
WordPress Expertise
What I Build With WordPress
50+ sites shipped — none of them built on a page builder.
Bespoke WordPress Themes
Hand-coded child themes and standalone themes — clean PHP 8.2, BEM CSS, design tokens, and a template hierarchy that makes sense. No Elementor, no Avada, no 80MB theme zip. Just fast, maintainable code.
WooCommerce Stores
Product catalogues, variable and grouped products, Stripe and PayPal integration, shipping rules, tax configuration, and a checkout flow optimised for conversion. Fully manageable by your team via the WooCommerce admin.
Custom Gutenberg Blocks
React-based blocks registered with block.json, full editor preview, TypeScript props, and server-side render fallbacks. Your content team gets a drag-and-drop interface; the HTML output is clean and semantic.
Headless WordPress + Next.js
WordPress as a CMS, Next.js as the front-end. WPGraphQL or the REST API, ISR for instant page loads, and a full preview mode so editors see exactly what will publish. Keep the familiar admin, gain the performance.
WordPress Performance Turnarounds
Inherited a slow WordPress site scoring 42 on Lighthouse? I audit the theme, plugins, server config, and caching setup, then fix each issue in order of impact. Most sites reach 90+ within a week.
SEO-Optimised from the Ground Up
Rank Math or Yoast configured correctly, JSON-LD schema markup, XML sitemaps, canonical tags, and OG images. No duplicate meta, no thin pages, no conflicting plugins eating rankings you already earned.
Why Hire Me
WordPress Development Done Properly
The difference shows on Lighthouse, in the codebase, and in your organic rankings.
No page builders — ever
Page builders generate 10–20× more HTML than hand-coded themes, load render-blocking JS bundles, and lock your content in proprietary shortcodes. A custom theme gives you clean output, full design control, and a Lighthouse score that doesn't embarrass you.
Performance is non-negotiable
WordPress can score 95+ on Lighthouse — most sites don't because the theme was never built with performance in mind. I treat performance as a constraint, not a post-launch optimisation.
SEO baked in, not bolted on
I've seen too many WordPress sites with clean design and broken SEO — duplicate meta from plugins fighting each other, missing schema, and Lighthouse Core Web Vitals that tank organic rankings. I fix the foundation first.
Full-stack context for headless builds
When you go headless, the WordPress developer needs to understand the Next.js frontend too. I'm a full-stack developer — I've built both sides of headless CMS architectures and know where the pitfalls live.
Common Questions
Before You Reach Out
The questions every client asks — answered honestly.
Why should I use a custom theme instead of Elementor or Divi?
Three reasons: performance (custom themes score 90–98 on Lighthouse; most Elementor sites score 40–65), maintainability (custom PHP is readable by any developer; Elementor data is locked in JSON blobs), and future-proofing (your content isn't held hostage by a page builder's licensing model).
Is headless WordPress worth the extra cost?
For sites with 10K+ monthly visitors, a content team that needs the WP admin, or a brand that needs maximum performance, yes. For a 5-page brochure site, a well-optimised custom theme is more cost-effective. I'll tell you honestly which is right for your situation.
Can you migrate my existing Elementor/Divi site to a custom theme?
Yes. I export your current content, rebuild the theme from scratch, and migrate posts, pages, products, and media. URL structure is preserved with 301 redirects. Organic traffic is protected throughout the migration.
WooCommerce or Shopify — which do you recommend?
Shopify for straightforward product catalogues and teams that don't want to manage hosting or updates. WooCommerce for complex pricing rules, custom product types, or when you need deep integration with the rest of your WordPress site. Both are valid; the right choice depends on your team's capacity.
What hosting do you recommend for WordPress?
WP Engine or Kinsta for managed WordPress with built-in Redis caching and a CDN. Cloudflare on top of either for edge caching and DDoS protection. For headless, the Next.js frontend deploys to Vercel while WordPress stays on managed hosting.
Do you provide ongoing maintenance?
Yes — monthly retainers cover WordPress core and plugin updates, security patches, uptime monitoring, and a monthly Lighthouse check to catch performance regressions early. Most clients stay on retainer for at least 3 months post-launch.
Related Expertise
Other Ways I Can Help
Looking for a different speciality? Here are the most relevant pages.
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React, Next.js, NestJS, PostgreSQL & AWS — one engineer, full ownership from database to deploy
React Developer
Production-grade React UIs with TypeScript strict, Redux Toolkit, and 40% performance gains
Next.js Developer
95+ Lighthouse, SEO-first App Router builds — from Server Components to production deploy
SaaS Developer
Multi-tenant apps with Stripe billing, auth flows, onboarding, and admin dashboards
Ready to hire a WordPress developer who won't use page builders?
Send your brief. I'll reply within 24 hours with a written proposal — scope, timeline, and price. Custom theme, WooCommerce store, or headless — your call.