Hire a WordPress developer
We build plugins and integrations, and sort out slow code.
How a WordPress developerfrom PXL works
Some clients bring us one job with a clear finish line, like an integration or a new customer portal. Others keep a developer on set days because there's always more to do. Either way, the work is done the same way.
When a need can be met with a small amount of our own code, we write it rather than install another plugin. Each plugin is one more dependency to keep updated and one more thing that can clash with the rest. A site running dozens of them gets hard to move to a new version of WordPress or PHP. Our code targets PHP 8.4 and lives in Git.
pxl-tripletexIn reviewLivefinal readonly class CreditNoteSync{public function __construct(private TripletexClient $tripletex,) {}public function handle(WC_Order_Refund $refund): void{$this->tripletex->creditNotes()->create(CreditNote::fromRefund($refund),);}}
- PHPStan, level 9
- Pest46 tests
- Migration on staging
- Screenshot test32 pages
A second senior developer reads every change, and automated tests run before anything is released. Database changes are scripted, so they can be rerun or rolled back. Nobody edits files on the live server.
It's slower at the start than installing a ready-made plugin, but updates are easier later and the next developer can follow the code. When a well-maintained plugin already does a simple job well, we use it. Larger builds follow the same approach as our enterprise WordPress development.
- Years running WordPress sites
- 10+
- Response time with an SLA
- <4h
- Releases to the live site in a typical week
- 15+
- Plugins without a clear purpose
- 0
What clients hire us for
Most of the work falls into two camps: building something that doesn't exist off the shelf, or untangling a site that has become slow and hard to change. These are the jobs we're asked to do most often.
Custom plugins
If no plugin does what you need, or you're running five that each do part of it, we write one plugin for that job. It comes with tests and documentation, and it lives in your own repository.
Integrations
We've connected WordPress to ticketing systems, accounting software and customer databases. Data moves between them on its own, so nobody has to export a spreadsheet from one and import it into the other.
Customer portals
For a large garden centre chain, we built the members' area of their customer club, connected to the point-of-sale system in every store. Members can see what they've bought and manage their newsletter subscription, and the chain runs SMS campaigns from the same place.
Custom themes and content blocks
A theme with blocks designed around your content gives editors a fixed set of building blocks instead of a page builder. Pages stay consistent, and each block's code only loads where it's used.
Performance and code clean-up
When a site is slow, we measure where the time goes. The usual culprits are slow database lookups, plugins that load on every page and code that fetches the same data over and over.
Servers and caching
We review the server setup and add caching where it helps, with Redis and servers close to your visitors (CDN). Data that takes time to fetch from other systems is stored temporarily, so the site doesn't have to wait for it.
A project or fixed days
| Projectfixed price or estimate | Fixed daysfrom NOK 12,000 a day | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | A job with a clear scope, such as an integration or a customer portal | A steady stream of new tasks every week |
| Price | A fixed price when the scope is clear, an estimate when it isn't | Roughly NOK 50,000 a month and up for one day a week |
| Who does the work | One or more senior developers, depending on the size of the job | The same developer every time |
| When something's urgent | Agreed as part of the project | An SLA with a response time under 4 hours |
| Afterwards | Ongoing maintenance, or fixed days | The number of days is reviewed every quarter |
When it makes sense to hire a WordPress developer
- You need an integration, a customer portal or a custom plugin, and nobody in-house knows WordPress.
- The site is slow, and nobody can tell whether it's the code, the plugins or the server.
- Small fixes sit on the to-do list for months because nobody has time.
- A three-hour job needs a quote first, then a two-week wait.
- The site matters to the business, but the people who built it have moved on.
- More than 40 plugins are installed, and nobody knows which ones are in use.
- You've thought about hiring, but there isn't five days a week of WordPress work.
Tell us what needs doing, and we'll come back with a fixed price or a suggested number of days.
How we get started
- 01 / 04
Review
We read the code and look at the server setup before giving any advice. You get a written assessment with clear priorities, usually within a week.
- 02 / 04
Proposal
A job with a clear scope gets a fixed price. For ongoing work, we suggest a number of days a week and a trial period of four to six weeks.
- 03 / 04
Development
We work in a separate test environment, where you approve each change before it goes live through automated tests.
- 04 / 04
Afterwards
Once a project is delivered, we can take over maintenance or carry on with fixed days. We review the number of days every quarter, adding more when it's busy and fewer when it's quiet.
- Jan–Mar · customer portal project
- 3 days
- Apr–Jun · regular days
- 1 day
- Jul–Sep · regular days
- 1 day
- Oct–Dec · Black Friday run-up
- 2 days
Once the portal went live, the work carried on as regular days, reviewed each quarter.
We take over existing WordPress code
Most people who contact us already have a website. Often one agency built it and several developers have changed it since, and the documentation is patchy or gone.
So we start by reading the code that's there, from the theme files and configuration to the tables the plugins have left in the database. Only once we understand the setup do we start making changes.
The review ends in a written report. It separates what works from code that makes later changes expensive, and points out anything that could take the site down if it isn't fixed. It's written so a managing director can read it without a technical background. Some clients have used the report to choose a different provider, and that's fine with us.
We rarely suggest rewriting everything. Usually the code can be cleaned up step by step under version control, and with operations and maintenance in place they stay in good shape for years. You'll find all the prices in one place on our page about WordPress pricing.
Working together starts with a review of your site, so you know what to prioritise.
Frequently asked questions
What does a WordPress developer cost?
A job with a clear scope, such as an integration or a new customer portal, gets a fixed price after the review, so we carry the risk if it takes longer than planned. If you hire a developer on fixed days, the day rate is from NOK 12,000, depending on how complex the work is and how long the agreement runs. One day a week comes to roughly NOK 50,000 a month and up. A professional WordPress site starts at NOK 50,000, and ongoing maintenance is from NOK 2,500 a month.
Can we hire a developer for a single project?
Yes. Typical projects are an integration with a ticketing or accounting system, a customer portal, a custom plugin or a clean-up of a slow site. After the review you get a fixed price, or an estimate if the scope isn't clear yet. When the project is done, we can take over maintenance, or you can carry on with fixed days.
How quickly can a developer start?
Usually within one to two weeks. The review of the code and access can often start the same week you get in touch. If the site has been hacked or the provider has disappeared, we fix the urgent problem first and sort out the agreement afterwards. Otherwise we don't change unfamiliar code until we've reviewed it, because that saves time later.
Do you work with code others have written?
Yes, that's the usual case. Most clients come with a site built by a previous agency or freelancer, from single sites to several sites in one installation, with or without documentation. Before we change anything, we go through the code and all the plugins and map what's in use. We expect documentation to be missing and plan for that. A full rewrite is rarely what we recommend, because gradual clean-up under version control usually gives you more for the money.
What's the difference between hiring a WordPress developer and using an agency?
An agency is usually set up around projects, with a project manager and several people between you and whoever writes the code. With us, you talk directly to the senior developers doing the work, whether it's a project or fixed days. Over time they get to know your code, which often makes changes faster and cheaper.
Can the developer work as part of our team?
Yes. The developer can join your daily stand-up meetings, take tasks from Jira or Azure DevOps and work in Slack with the rest of your team, with no account manager in between. Several clients have an in-house team for everything else and use us only for WordPress. All the code lives in your own version control and belongs to you, so you're not locked in. Before we start, we need version control and a test environment. If either is missing, setting it up is our first task.
What happens if we need more capacity?
Then we add days. Going from one to two days a week can be arranged at short notice, and in busy periods such as a launch or a migration, the developer can work several days in a row. There's no new start-up cost, because the developer already knows the code. For larger jobs, such as moving to a new platform or building an online shop from scratch, we'd rather put a small senior team on it at a fixed price. Scaling down is agreed each quarter, so you don't pay for days you don't use.
A WordPress developer from PXL
Write a few lines about the site and what you need, and we'll send a concrete proposal: a fixed price or a number of days. You're not committing to anything.