Custom WordPress
Development

Custom plugin development, custom block (Gutenberg) development, ACF Pro pattern work, REST + WPGraphQL endpoint development, headless WordPress on Next.js via WPGraphQL, WooCommerce custom development (gateways, shipping, product types, HPOS migration), performance + caching tuning, and plugin stack audits / cleanups. Engineering, not snippet-copying.

When (1) you need multi-channel delivery (web + native + kiosk) from one editorial CMS, (2) you need Core Web Vitals beyond what PHP rendering can hit, (3) you're combining WordPress with a separate React app or design system, or (4) you have a content team that loves WordPress's editorial UX but a product team that wants modern frontend tooling. Headless isn't right for every site — for a content-led marketing site, traditional WordPress is usually the cleaner answer.

Faust.js (WP Engine's headless framework) is a fast path for standard headless projects — built-in auth bridging, preview handling, and SEO module. Custom Next.js + WPGraphQL is better when you need control over the data layer, want to integrate non-WP data sources, or are building a complex App Router architecture. We scope honestly — Faust where it accelerates delivery, custom where it earns the cost.

WordPress Coding Standards (PHPCS WPCS) enforced in CI, PSR-4 autoloading via Composer, namespaced classes, proper hook registration with named callbacks (no closures attached to actions you can't unhook), capability checks on every admin action, nonce verification on every form post, prepared SQL via $wpdb->prepare(), sanitization on input + escaping on output, and unit tests in PHPUnit. Distributable plugins ship with .pot files and translator comments.

Register custom types and fields via register_graphql_object_type and register_graphql_field; expose connections via register_graphql_connection; resolver functions live in PHP classes with single-responsibility scope. ACF fields surface automatically via the WPGraphQL for ACF extension. Persisted queries when the client is consistent (Next.js). Auth via JWT (wp-graphql-jwt-authentication) or application passwords.

High-Performance Order Storage replaces the wp_posts / wp_postmeta order schema with dedicated tables. Required for new WooCommerce installs, the default for upgrades on 8.2+. We audit every custom snippet, plugin, and integration touching orders for HPOS compatibility (WC_Order vs. WP_Post API calls), run the migration in stages (sync mode → flip mode), verify order operations on the new tables, and only then deprecate the legacy reads.

Object Cache Pro on Redis (sub-millisecond cache reads vs. WP's default), page caching via the host (WP Engine, Kinsta) or Cloudflare APO, fragment caching for expensive admin widgets, transient caching for external API calls, query optimization with proper indexes on custom tables, $wpdb->prepare() everywhere, and a New Relic + Query Monitor profiling pass before launch. Targets: LCP <2.5s on key landing pages, INP <200ms, no N+1 queries in the critical path.

Yes. Native React / JSX blocks via @wordpress/create-block, registered with block.json, server-side render callbacks where SEO matters, client-side InspectorControls + BlockControls for editor UX, and proper block.json schema. ACF Blocks for blocks where the editor experience benefits from ACF's field UI. Block patterns and reusable patterns where the content is repeating boilerplate.

Bedrock-style Composer-managed installs (wp-core + plugins + themes as dependencies), GitHub Actions CI running PHPCS WPCS + PHPUnit + Playwright on every PR, WP-CLI deploys via SSH (no FTP), staging environments mirroring production (WP Engine multi-env, Kinsta staging, or a dedicated staging host), and database migration scripts version-controlled when content models change.

Yes — and it's often the engagement. We audit the plugin stack, custom themes, mu-plugins, custom tables, and any inherited custom code. Findings get a written report: keep, refactor, replace, deprecate. Then we phase the cleanup against business priorities — usually performance and security first, feature additions on top of the clean foundation.

Discovery + scope first (typically a paid 2-week sprint for non-trivial work — we won't quote $50k of custom plugin development on a 30-minute call). Then fixed-price phases for well-bounded work, T&M for ongoing development retainers. You'll see a band on the first call after a scope conversation.