KH.
WordPress & Web Development

Service

WordPress & Web Development

WordPress sites that load fast, rank well, and don't break on updates.

WordPress powers 43% of the web and gets a bad reputation it mostly doesn't deserve — usually because it's been set up by someone who knew just enough to make it work, not enough to make it fast, secure, and maintainable. I build WordPress sites with the same engineering rigour I apply to cloud infrastructure: CI/CD for theme and plugin deployments, staging environments, database backups with tested restores, CDN configuration, and performance tuning that gets Lighthouse scores above 90. The result is a site your marketing team can update without engineering help, and your engineering team doesn't have to babysit.

Who this is for

  • Agencies and consultancies needing a technical WordPress developer for client projects
  • SMBs with a WordPress site that's slow, insecure, or breaking after updates
  • Content-heavy businesses that need custom WordPress architecture (custom post types, ACF, headless)
  • Companies that want a Next.js or headless WordPress setup for performance
  • Startups that need a site launched quickly without sacrificing code quality

What you get

Custom theme or plugin development

Block-based themes using the Full Site Editor, classic PHP themes, or Oxygen/Bricks Builder — whichever suits the project. Custom plugins for bespoke functionality.

Performance optimisation

Lighthouse score above 90 on desktop. Caching configured (object cache + page cache). Images served via WebP with lazy loading. Unused plugins removed.

Hosting and CDN setup

Managed WordPress hosting (Kinsta, WP Engine, or Cloudways) or self-managed on AWS/DO. Cloudflare CDN with proper cache rules and DDoS protection.

CI/CD for WordPress

Git-based deployment workflow. Changes pushed to staging, reviewed, then promoted to production. No more SFTP edits in production.

Security hardening

File permission hardening, login protection, two-factor authentication, vulnerability scanning via WPScan, and automated core and plugin updates with rollback.

SEO foundation

Yoast or Rank Math configured, XML sitemap, robots.txt, structured data (JSON-LD) for posts and pages, Core Web Vitals passing.

How it works

01

Requirements and design review

1–2 days

We define the site structure, content types, integrations, and performance targets. If you have designs, I review them for WordPress feasibility.

02

Hosting and environment setup

1–2 days

Production and staging environments configured. Git repository connected. Local development environment documented for your team.

03

Theme / plugin development

2–6 weeks (depends on scope)

Core development work: theme, custom blocks, custom post types, ACF field groups, and any bespoke plugin functionality.

04

Performance and SEO tuning

3–5 days

Caching, image optimisation, font loading, and Lighthouse audit. Structured data added. Core Web Vitals verified against real-device testing.

05

Security hardening

1–2 days

Security checklist applied. Wordfence or similar configured. Backups verified (restore tested, not just backup). SSL/TLS configured properly.

06

Launch and handover

1 day + 2-week support window

DNS cutover, post-launch monitoring, and a content editing guide for non-technical users.

Pricing

WordPress projects are fixed-price, quoted after a requirements call: simple brochure sites from £1,500, complex WooCommerce stores or headless setups from £4,000. Performance audits and security hardening for existing sites are typically 1–3 days of work.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use WordPress or a headless CMS?+
WordPress is the right choice if your content team needs a familiar editing experience and you don't have a dedicated frontend development team. Headless (Next.js + WordPress as API) is worth the complexity if you need maximum frontend performance, you're building a custom React/Next.js frontend anyway, or you need to serve content to multiple channels (web, app, etc.).
My WordPress site is slow. What's usually the cause?+
In order of frequency: no caching at all or misconfigured caching, unoptimised images served at full resolution, too many plugins (especially page builders with bloated output), cheap shared hosting with no object cache, and external requests blocking page load (fonts, analytics loaded synchronously). Most slow WordPress sites can be significantly improved without a rebuild.
Can you take over an existing WordPress site?+
Yes. I'll do a technical audit first — code quality, security vulnerabilities, performance issues, hosting setup — and give you a clear picture of what you're working with before we agree on scope.
Do you build WooCommerce stores?+
Yes. Custom WooCommerce themes, payment gateway integrations, custom shipping rules, and performance optimisation for stores with large product catalogues.