How we build · WordPress

How I build WordPress sites.

A WordPress site is a different kind of build to a custom-coded one — more moving parts, more for you to control, and honestly, a bigger investment. Here's exactly how it works, so you know what you're getting and why.

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The difference in the build

How a WordPress site differs from a custom one.

Same craft and the same designer — but a different engine under the bonnet. Here's the honest comparison.

Custom-coded site

Lean and locked-down

Every line written by hand — no extra software layer
The fastest possible loading and top performance scores
Almost nothing to maintain, and very little to go wrong
Content changes usually come through me

WordPress site

Flexible and yours to run

A custom theme, designed for you, built on WordPress
A dashboard you log into to run the site yourself
Carefully chosen plugins add features like shops and bookings
More moving parts, so more to set up, secure and maintain

Neither is "better" — they suit different people. If you want to be hands-off with a rocket-fast site, custom wins. If you want to run and grow the site yourself, WordPress is built for exactly that.

What you gain

More control, in your hands.

The big reason to choose WordPress: it's your site to run, day to day, without needing me for every change.

Edit it yourself

Add pages, change text, swap images and post updates whenever you like, from a simple dashboard. I'll walk you through it.

Grow it as you go

Add a shop, a booking form, a members' area or new sections over time. WordPress bends to fit the business you're building.

A huge toolkit

Thousands of trusted plugins and integrations mean almost anything you need later can be added, without starting over.

Honest about cost

Why WordPress is a bigger investment.

I'd rather be straight with you up front: a WordPress build costs more than a custom-coded one. Here's exactly where that goes.

More to build and configureA custom theme, the WordPress setup, and every plugin chosen, installed and configured properly around your needs.

Plugins and licencesThe best tools for shops, bookings and forms often carry their own yearly licence cost, which adds up.

Ongoing upkeepWordPress, its theme and plugins all need regular updates, security hardening and backups to stay safe and fast.

The flexibility itselfYou're paying for a bigger, more capable system that you control, not a fixed site. That freedom has a price.

No surprises. I'll always give you a clear, itemised quote before anything starts, and I'll happily tell you if a simpler custom build would serve you better and cost you less. The right choice for your business always comes first.

What doesn't change

Whichever you choose, the craft is the same.

WordPress or custom, you're still working directly with me from first conversation to launch and beyond. The design is still built around your brand and your customers, never a bought theme dropped in.

It's still fast, still built to rank on Google, still written to turn visitors into enquiries, and still looked after month to month if you want it to be. The engine changes. The standard doesn't.

Not sure which is right for you?

Tell me what you're trying to do and I'll recommend the honest best fit — custom or WordPress — with a clear quote, within one working day.

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