WordPress Development
WordPress development for sites that load fast and stay easy to edit
We build custom WordPress websites, plugins and WooCommerce stores, and we fix, speed up and extend sites that already exist. Editors keep a familiar admin, and you keep a codebase that is clean enough to hand to any developer.
Website Development
What is WordPress development?
WordPress development is the building and customising of websites on the WordPress content management system. It includes theme design, page-builder work, custom plugins, WooCommerce online shops, performance tuning, security hardening and integrations with other tools, so that a team can publish and manage content without writing code.
WordPress runs a very large share of the web because editors find it easy and developers can shape it into almost anything. The same flexibility is also why so many WordPress sites end up slow, fragile and cluttered with plugins that nobody remembers installing.
We use WordPress where it suits: service businesses, corporate sites, content-heavy sites and shops where the team wants to stay in control of publishing. We build lightweight custom themes or carefully configured Elementor layouts, write plugins only where a feature really needs one, and keep third-party plugins to a short, reviewed list.
Softweb Planet has delivered WordPress websites for an energy contractor and an interior design studio, as well as a furnishing business that also needed search and advertising support. That mix of build, search and measurement is why we plan page structure and tracking alongside design.
Challenges
The problems we are usually brought in to solve
Plugin overload
Dozens of plugins from different authors slow the site down, conflict after updates and widen the attack surface, with nobody sure which ones are still needed.
A heavy page-builder theme
Bloated themes ship large amounts of CSS and JavaScript on every page, which hurts mobile load times and Core Web Vitals scores.
Hacked or infected sites
Outdated core files, nulled themes and weak admin passwords lead to injected spam pages, redirects and warnings in search results.
Editing that breaks the design
Editors paste content into rigid layouts or free-form builders and the page stops matching the brand.
A slow WooCommerce shop
Unindexed queries, unoptimised images and checkout plugins that add extra requests make buying slower than it should be.
Abandoned custom code
Functions pasted into a theme file years ago, with no version control, mean updates are risky and nobody wants to touch the site.
Capabilities
What the service covers
Custom WordPress themes
Lightweight, accessible themes built from your design, with reusable blocks so editors can build pages that always look right.
Elementor and page-builder builds
Fast Elementor layouts using global styles and a small set of approved widgets, so pages stay consistent and light.
Custom plugin development
Plugins for booking, calculators, custom post types, member areas and API connections, written with security and updates in mind.
WooCommerce stores
Product structure, variations, checkout, shipping rules and payment gateways, with performance work so shops stay quick as catalogues grow.
Headless WordPress
WordPress as the editing back end with a Next.js or React front end that reads content from the REST API, for speed and design freedom.
Performance and Core Web Vitals
Caching, image and font optimisation, script clean-up and database tuning measured against agreed loading and layout-shift targets.
Security hardening
Role clean-up, two-factor sign-in, firewall rules, file permissions, malware removal and tested backups.
Fixes and take-overs
Audits of sites built by others, bug fixes, plugin conflicts, PHP version upgrades and safe staging for every change.
Our process
How an engagement runs
Every engagement has a named lead, a written scope and working software to review every one to two weeks.
- 01
Audit and plan
For existing sites we review theme, plugins, hosting, speed, security and search data. For new sites we map page templates and editing needs.
- 02
Design the editing experience
We design layouts and the blocks or templates editors will use, so day-to-day publishing is simple and stays on brand.
- 03
Build on staging
Development happens on a staging site under version control, with real content and a preview link for review every one to two weeks.
- 04
Test updates and speed
We test plugin updates, forms, checkout, accessibility and mobile speed before anything reaches the live site.
- 05
Launch with a safety net
We take a full backup, deploy, check redirects and forms on production and monitor errors and uptime after go-live.
Technology
Technology we use
Chosen per project for fit, maintainability and your team's ability to own it.
CMS and commerce
- WordPress
- WooCommerce
- Elementor
- Stripe
Backend and data
- PHP
- MySQL
- Laravel
Frontend
- Next.js
- React
- JavaScript
- Tailwind CSS
Hosting and delivery
- Nginx
- Linux
- Docker
- GitHub Actions
Use cases
Where it makes the biggest difference
Corporate and service website
A site for a contractor, clinic or consultancy with service pages, a project gallery and enquiry forms, edited by the client's own team.
WooCommerce shop with custom rules
A store with unusual pricing, delivery zones or product options, where a small custom plugin replaces three generic ones.
Speeding up a slow WordPress site
A plugin audit, caching, image conversion and database clean-up that cut load times without changing the design.
Recovering a hacked website
Malware removal, credential reset, core file replacement and a hardened setup with monitored backups.
Headless WordPress with Next.js
Editors stay in WordPress while a Next.js front end delivers faster pages and more design control.
Member area or booking feature
A custom plugin adding logins, bookings or document downloads to an existing WordPress site.
Industries
Industries we apply this to
Why Softweb Planet
Why teams choose us for this work
Delivered WordPress work
Our case studies include WordPress sites for an energy contractor, an interior design studio and a furnishing business, built and supported by the same team.
Few plugins, chosen carefully
We keep the plugin list short and reviewed, and write code ourselves where that is lighter and safer.
Staging and version control
No change goes straight to your live site. Everything is built, tested and approved on staging first.
Search built into the build
Page structure, schema and analytics are set up as part of development, with SEO support available afterwards.
What you can expect
- A lighter site with faster mobile loading and cleaner code
- A short, reviewed list of plugins that is documented
- Editors who can publish new pages without breaking the layout
- Regular backups, updates and monitoring in place
Case studies
Related work
Delivered projects connected to this service.
WordPress Development FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Yes, for most service and content-led businesses. WordPress is easy for non-developers to edit, has a large developer community and can be tuned to load quickly. It is less suitable for highly custom web applications, where we may recommend a framework such as Next.js or Laravel instead.
Price depends on the number of page templates, custom features, integrations and whether design and content are ready. A brochure site from an existing design costs much less than a custom shop. We give a fixed written quote after discovery, so there are no surprises mid-project.
Yes. We audit the theme, plugins, hosting and security first, then fix issues in order of risk and agree what to rebuild and what to keep. We work on staging, so your live site is never at risk, and we can continue as your maintenance team afterwards.
Common causes are heavy themes, too many plugins, large images, weak hosting and no caching. We measure the site, find the biggest costs and fix them in order. Typical work includes image conversion, caching, script clean-up and database tuning, checked against mobile Core Web Vitals.
Elementor is a sensible choice when the team wants to build and change layouts visually, and when it is configured with global styles and a small set of widgets. A custom theme is lighter and gives tighter control, which suits larger sites. We recommend one after seeing your editing needs.
Yes. We structure products and variations, configure checkout, shipping and tax, connect payment gateways and test orders end to end. We also tune performance so the shop stays fast as the catalogue grows, and can connect stock and orders to accounting or fulfilment tools.
Headless WordPress uses WordPress only as the place where editors write content, while a separate front end such as Next.js displays it. This can give faster pages and freer design, while editors keep the admin they know. It adds some complexity, so we use it where speed or design justify it.
We keep core, themes and plugins updated on a schedule, remove unused plugins, enforce two-factor sign-in and limited roles, add firewall and malware scanning, and keep tested backups off the server. If a site has already been hacked, we clean it, find the entry point and close it.
Yes. We write plugins for bookings, calculators, custom content types, member areas and connections to other systems. They follow WordPress coding standards, use nonces and capability checks for security, and are versioned so updates are predictable rather than a risk to the site.
Usually yes. We copy the site to the new host, test it on a temporary address, lower DNS caching times in advance and switch over at a quiet moment. After the switch we check forms, email, SSL and redirects, and keep the old host briefly as a fallback.
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