Custom WordPress development
Work on a WordPress site that has to be written in code, such as a small plugin, a theme change or a link to another system. Sold as developer time by the hour, in blocks, and quoted before work starts.
In short
- For work that no setting and no ready-made plugin does. Something is written or changed in code.
- Sold as developer time, by the hour, in blocks.
- You get a quote before any work starts. A job too large to price as a few hours gets a written quote.
- No package and no delivery date is promised on this page.
- A fault, routine upkeep, a build from a design file and a change of platform each have a page of their own.
- Check first whether a setting, a plugin or a few lines of CSS already does what you want.
Custom development is work on your WordPress site that no setting and no ready-made plugin does for you. Something has to be written or changed in code.
You can ask for things like a small plugin that does one job for your business, a change to how your theme lays out a page, a custom block for the block editor, an extra step in a WooCommerce checkout, or a link between your site and another system you use.
We sell this as developer time: by the hour, in blocks, with a quote before work starts.
Who it is for, and who it is not
Custom development fits a working WordPress site that has to do something it does not do now, where you have looked and no setting or plugin does it. The jobs named above are the kind.
A different page fits better in these cases.
- A ready-made plugin may already do it. Check before you pay for code. How to choose a WordPress plugin shows how to read a plugin's listing and try it without risking your site.
- You want to change how something looks, not what the site does. A few CSS rules may be enough, and how to add custom CSS shows where they go.
- One thing is broken. A one-time fix is the better fit, or emergency support if the site is down.
- You want a small change to what is already there. New text, a replaced image or a menu item are website edits. On a care plan they come out of the monthly time.
- The job is a plugin of your own. WordPress plugin development says where code belongs on a WordPress site and what to ask of whoever writes it.
- The job is on a WooCommerce store. WooCommerce development covers the checkout, ways to pay and ship, and links to other systems.
- You have a finished design in Figma. Figma to WordPress builds a site from the file, with a quote of its own.
- You want pages designed and built, or a redesign. See design and development.
- You want to move to or from another platform. That is a platform migration, quoted in writing after a free assessment.
- You want updates, backups and monitoring. That is a care plan, not developer time. See WordPress maintenance.
- You do not yet know what to build. Consulting is for the question that comes before the job.
What you get
- The cost known first. We quote the job in hours, and you have the quote before work starts.
- A written quote for a larger job. Anything too large to price as a few hours gets one.
- Nothing started without your yes. Work starts only after you have the quote and agree to it.
- Extra work quoted first. If the job grows, or you want more done, the extra hours are quoted before they are worked.
- What was quoted, built. We build what is quoted.
- No plan to join. Developer time is bought on its own.
The hourly price is shown on this page. There is no price list by type of job.
It is sold the same way as design and development and consulting: as developer time. What differs is the work. Here it is code that changes what the site does.
How it works
Step 1: Describe the job
Write to us on the contact page. Give the site's address and say what the site should do that it does not do now.
Step 2: Get a quote
We quote the job in hours. A larger job gets a written quote.
Step 3: Agree before anything starts
Work starts only after you have the quote and say yes to it.
Step 4: Further work is quoted the same way
If the job grows, or you want more done, the extra hours are quoted before they are worked.
What we need from you to start
The contact form asks for your name, an email address and your message. We reply by email. A clear description gets a closer quote, so put these in the message:
- the site's address
- what the site should do that it does not do now
- an example of the same thing elsewhere, if you have one
- what the site is built with, if you know. The platform and theme detector shows a site's theme folder, its page builder and the plugins that show.
- your deadline, if there is one
What it does not cover
- A delivery date. This page promises no timeline. If you have a deadline, put it in your message.
- Paid plugins, licenses and outside services your job depends on. Developer time pays for the work only.
- Results in your business. We build what is quoted. We do not promise more sales or higher rankings from it.
- Routine upkeep. Updates, backups and monitoring are a care plan, not developer time. See WordPress maintenance.
Before you buy: do it yourself, or check first
Custom code is for what is left once a setting, a plugin and a few CSS rules have been ruled out. Each of these is free.
- How to choose a WordPress plugin. Read the plugin's WordPress.org listing for signs that someone still looks after it, then try it on a staging copy.
- How to add custom CSS to WordPress. For a few rules, the "Additional CSS" box that WordPress provides. For a long stylesheet, a child theme.
- How to create a WordPress child theme. A child theme holds your changes to a theme, so the parent can be updated without losing them. It needs a folder and one file.
- How to set up a WordPress staging site. A private copy of your site for trying a change before visitors see it.
- How to switch from Elementor to the block editor. If the job you have in mind is getting off a page builder. Neither Elementor nor WordPress has a converter, so it is a rebuild, page by page.
- How to take over a WordPress site. If the developer who wrote the site's code has gone and you do not hold the logins, recover those first.
The topics pages list everything we have by subject.
What it costs
Developer time
$49
Start with a free diagnosis
Common questions
How much will my job cost?
The hourly price is on this page. The total depends on how many hours the job takes, and you get that number as a quote before work starts. There is no price list by type of job.
What should I send to get a useful quote?
The site's address, what you want it to do, and an example of the same thing elsewhere if you have one. Say what the site is built with if you know, and whether there is a deadline. A clear description gets a closer quote.
Is my job too small for this?
If one thing is broken, a one-time fix is the better fit. If you are on a care plan with monthly minutes for fixes and small edits, a small change can come out of those. Developer time is for work that is neither.
Do I need a care plan to buy developer time?
No. Developer time is bought on its own. Custom code, like the rest of a site, needs checking when WordPress and PHP are updated, so decide who will do that once the work is finished.
When will it be finished?
This page promises no timeline. If you have a deadline, put it in your message.
What if the job turns out to be bigger than the quote?
The extra hours are quoted before they are worked. That is true if the job grows, and if you ask for more to be done.
How is this different from design and development, or from consulting?
All three are sold as developer time, by the hour, in blocks, with a quote first. The difference is what you ask for. Custom development is code that changes what the site does. Design and development is pages designed and built. Consulting is an answer, with the work kept separate.