WordPress · Theme
Not every change needs a new website. More often it is enough to improve what is already there: a different layout of the sections on the home page, more readable colours, a new page in the same style or a fix for a menu that breaks on phones. I work in a child theme, so the next theme update does not remove what you paid for.
Scope of work
I make small corrections to the look as well as new sections built from components your website already uses. All of it happens in the existing theme, without rewriting the website from scratch.
I change colours, fonts, spacing, the logo and the look of buttons and the header. These details decide whether a website still looks like a template. I keep them in one stylesheet, so the next change does not mean searching through a dozen files.
I add, for example, a section with customer reviews, a price list, a list of projects, a form in a different place or a whole new page in the style of the rest of the website. For this I use components your website already has, instead of installing another plugin for a single element.
This is the most common reason clients get in touch: on a computer everything looks fine, but on a phone the menu breaks, a table is wider than the screen and a button is too small to tap. I check the layout at several screen widths and fix what does not work.
Many small requests need only a few lines in the child theme, like hiding a field in the basket, changing the order of elements or adding a condition for when something appears. A plugin for a single feature is one more thing to update and one more possible target for attacks.
If you have the texts and photos ready, I add them with formatting, alt text and compressed images. Along the way, I put the headings in order, so the structure of the page also makes sense to search engines.
At the end you get a list of what I changed and where. It also shows which elements you can edit yourself in the admin panel and which ones are in the code. The job also includes one free round of corrections.
Process
The first step decides the timeline, because a more precise brief means fewer rounds of corrections and changes that go live sooner.
You describe what should change, ideally with the addresses of the pages and screenshots, or a link to an example you like. I reply with the price and the date, and I tell you if any of the changes needs more work than it seems.
I start with a backup of the files and the database. The changes go into a child theme or a separate stylesheet, never directly into the files of the theme you bought. Otherwise the first theme update would delete all the work.
I show you the result, and you go through the website and collect your comments. The price includes one round of corrections. Typical changes are ready in 2 working days, and I split larger jobs into stages, so that the website is never left halfway through the changes.
Starting the job
A job usually waits longest for the materials. With all the texts and photos ready at the start, I can save several days.
With a commercial theme, the version installed on the website is enough, and I do not need your account with the theme vendor. An active licence matters only for updates and the author’s support.
Other services
One change to a theme often leads to others, because something stops working along the way or it turns out that unused components are slowing the website down.
White screen, critical error, plugin conflict or a form that does not send: I find the cause in the logs and usually fix the website within 24 to 48 hours. Quote before I start work.
Cache, images, database, plugins and server. I measure before and after on the same pages, using Core Web Vitals rather than a single test score.
Updates, backups, uptime monitoring and hours of work for ongoing changes. Three plans from €100 net per month.
If you are not sure whether the theme is worth developing further, start with the WordPress website audit. You will find the other services on the WordPress page. All prices are net, excluding VAT. The offer is for businesses only.
FAQ
What clients ask when they first order changes to an existing website: the timeline, the cost, the access I need and what happens if something goes wrong afterwards.
Typical changes, such as colours, fonts, the logo, the layout of a section or a new page in the existing style, take 2 working days from when I receive all the materials. Work on the theme code or on WooCommerce templates takes longer, because there I test every change along the whole path to a completed purchase. You get the date in the quote, before the work starts.
One round per job. A round means all your comments collected in one message, rather than single requests sent one after another over a week. That is why I ask for one person on your side who collects the comments. I quote further rounds and changes beyond the original brief separately, always before I make them.
No. I work in a child theme or in a separate stylesheet with its own functions file, and a theme update does not overwrite these files. Many clients know the situation where someone fixed a problem once and then it came back. Usually the previous developer had edited the files of the purchased theme, and the first update replaced them with the originals. If your website is in that state, I move the earlier changes into a child theme.
Yes, most of my jobs are on websites like these. When customising stops making sense, I tell you. If the author has abandoned the theme, it blocks updates or every change has to work around the limits of the page builder, rebuilding the website can cost less than further fixes. In that case I show you both quotes, and you decide.
I need a WordPress administrator account and FTP or SSH access, a specific description of the changes with page addresses and screenshots, and the materials, meaning texts, photos in their original resolution and your logo as a vector file. I also need to know whether the theme is commercial and whether its licence is active. Finally, I need one person on your side who approves the result.
I bill small changes for the time actually worked, and larger ones at a fixed price given in advance, once I have seen the website and the list of changes. You always know the amount before the work starts, and if the scope grows while I am working, I ask for your approval instead of adding items to the invoice. Theme work is billed separately from maintenance plans: every hour of work is invoiced. All prices are net, excluding VAT. The offer is for businesses only.
Before I change anything, I back up the files and the database. I make larger changes on a copy of the website and move only the finished result to the live website. If an error caused by my change shows up after publication, I fix it at no extra cost. Going back to the state before the work takes about a quarter of an hour, because I make the backup right before I start.
Yes. I work remotely with companies in the UK and the EU, among them a chain of tattoo and piercing studios in the UK and education organisations in Belgium. You deal with me directly, in English. Theme work needs no visit, because I work through the WordPress admin panel and FTP or SSH, and you review the changes on your own website. You can reach me by email, WhatsApp, phone and video call, Monday to Friday, 9:00–17:00 Central European Time (8:00–16:00 UK time).
