Websites built to earn their keep.
Hey, I’m Steve. I’ve been a freelance WordPress developer and designer for over 18 years, based in Ashford, Kent. I design and build websites that bring in work, and I fix, improve and look after the ones you already have. Whether you need a new site, a developer for your agency or a few changes, you deal directly with me.
18+ years’ experienceBased in Ashford, KentWorking with businesses across the UK
18+ years
building websites professionally for agencies, brands and local businesses.
12+ years
specialising in WordPress and WooCommerce.
One developer
from design to code to launch, and beyond.
UK Based
working with clients across Kent, London and the UK.
Which sounds like you?
Most people who get in touch are in one of these four places. None of them is too small a job.
“My website doesn’t bring in any work. I need a new one.”
A new WordPress website designed around the enquiries or orders you need, built by me, and either paid for once or set up as a Shared Success partnership where I stay involved and earn more only when it works.
New website · fixed cost or Shared Success“My website is fine. I just need some changes.”
Ad-hoc development by the hour: new features, fixes, a plugin, an integration, speed or security work. Or a support plan if you would rather someone kept an eye on it.
Ad-hoc development · support plan“I’ve got a small budget and I need something quick.”
A pay-monthly website: a small setup cost, a fast build on a proven structure, and a monthly fee that covers hosting, updates and support. Add SEO, content or growth work when you are ready.
Pay monthly“I run an agency and need a safe pair of hands.”
White-label WordPress development: overflow builds, custom plugins, code review and the integrations nobody else wants to do, delivered under your name and to your standards.
White-label for agenciesservices
Everything below is carried out by me. I don’t outsource anything. You deal with the person doing the work.
01
Custom WordPress design and development for businesses that need the website to produce enquiries or sales.
02
Online stores built to sell: product discovery, checkout, and integrations with stock, fulfilment and third-party systems.
03
Changes, features, fixes and plugins for an existing WordPress site, by the hour, with no retainer needed.
04
Updates, security, backups and monitoring, with a developer on hand when something needs fixing.
05
Fast, reliable hosting looked after by the developer who knows the site, with performance and security handled in one place.
06
Hacked WordPress site? White screen of death? Locked out? I recover it, clean it up and close the way in.
07
Overflow WordPress development, custom plugins, code review and consultancy for agencies and in-house teams, under your name.
08
Practical uses of AI APIs in WordPress: automating repetitive work, generating drafts, classifying enquiries and building small tools.
three ways to pay
I develop every website with the same attention to detail. What changes is how much you pay up front and what happens after launch. Changes to an existing site are billed by the hour.
Small setup. Quick build. One monthly fee.
For businesses with a modest budget that need a good website quickly. A small setup cost, a fast build on a proven structure, then a monthly fee that keeps it hosted, updated and supported.
What you get
After launch
Best when
Build and launch. Job done.
A custom website, designed and built for one agreed price. You own it on launch day and can run it yourself, with me available by the hour if you want changes later.
What you get
After launch
Best when
Lower setup. I stay involved. I earn only when it works.
A custom website with a lower setup fee, a monthly fee for management and improvement, and a success fee only when the result we agree (enquiries, bookings or orders) grows beyond its benchmark.
What you get
After launch
Best when
Not sure which? Tell me about the business and the budget and I will recommend one. None of these is a lesser option, they suit different situations.
about me
Based in Ashford, Kent, I have been a professional web developer and designer for more than 18 years, working with some of the best-known web agencies and in-house digital teams in London and Kent. As a freelance WordPress developer I have worked closely with companies of all sizes, from small startups to global household brands, and with agencies who use me as their developer behind the scenes.
I combine a designer’s eye with a developer’s technical ability. I can handle the strategy, design and front-end experience, then build the custom theme, plugin or integration behind it. Or I can do just the part you need. There is no salesperson translating your brief, no account manager rationing access to the developer and no junior team learning at your expense.
Case Studies
Here’s 3 projects with a measured result, then a few more.
39.7%
increase in conversion rate in 3 months · Harry Benmore
The problem. An established store whose existing traffic needed to convert better.
What I did. Conversion rate optimisation, a mattress finder and ongoing improvements.
252%
increase in organic leads · Steve Barber Photography
The problem. A wedding photographer who needed more couples to find him through organic search.
What I did. Image-led portfolio with custom scrolling animations and transitions, built on a search-friendly structure.
10 Years
and counting, as their developer of choice · Bigatmo
The problem. A technical, specialist product competing with global brands for the same searches.
What I did. Custom WooCommerce store with mega menu, lens preview slider, model comparison and product filtering.
Still being measured
Barry Gardner
The problem. The old site was a great hub for audio engineering information, but failed to appeal to a potential client due to the technical nature of the content.
What I did. A full redesign and build, with a focus on reaching new clients. Simplified language and clearer routes to convert visitors into long-term clients.
more projects
Bownet Cable Management Systems
Custom ecommerce website on WordPress and WooCommerce.
Balfour Winery
Ecommerce website on WordPress and WooCommerce.
Oven Shine 3+ Months Fully Booked in Advance
New brochure website, a frictionless enquiry form and search-optimised content on a clean, performant design.
Testimonials
Steve has been an absolute star on our WordPress site – making it easier to edit, faster, and more secure.
Steve is a dream to work with – I give him a brief, and he challenges me on ideas that aren’t so good and suggests alternatives. He then just gets on with it, quickly and to a good standard.
Read the full review
I’m almost hesitant to write this in case you snap up Steve’s time and we can no longer use him!
I contacted Steve to help me create a website that I would not only love to bits but be functional, and quick and help me be seen by more customers through organic searches.
Having worked with other web developers and designers in the past I can’t even begin to explain how much better my whole experience working with Steve has been. After a few calls to pin down a bit of a road map, he helped create the most amazing website for me. As far as design ideas and options for the website’s functionality anything was possible! Working with him to fine-tune the site was seamless, he just understood the brief and nailed it every time we made an adjustment.
Read the full review
Don’t waste your time looking around at all the options and doing the comparisons, get it right the first time. This is your guy!
It is not an understatement to say I am reeling from what you have done with the pages before my eyes.
Absolutely BLOWN AWAY!
I don’t even know where to start to really say how impressed I am.
FAQs
Probably more than you expect, but it depends on what you need. For a new site, that is where the pay-monthly route fits: a small setup cost, built on a proven structure and a monthly fee for hosting and support. For changes to an existing site, £500 buys a decent chunk of ad-hoc development time. Tell me what you are trying to achieve and I will tell you what is realistic.
Yes. Ad-hoc development is by the hour with no retainer. New features, fixes, a custom plugin, an integration, speed or security work. If the site was built by someone else, I will tell you what state it is in first.
Three parts. A setup fee that is lower than the standalone price of the same website. A monthly fee for hosting where agreed, maintenance, support and continual improvement. And a success fee that only applies when the agreed result grows beyond its benchmark.
I do not publish “from” prices because a website that must produce fifty valuable enquiries a month is different from one that must sell online every day. After our first conversation, I put all three figures in writing.
One result, agreed before any work starts. Verified enquiries, bookings or completed orders, with the method of measurement written down. Nothing is charged in the first 90 days after your new site launches, then quarters are compared with the equivalent period in your website history, so seasonal businesses are treated fairly.
Fixed-cost sites are yours immediately on completion. Pay-monthly sites are yours on payment completion. With Shared Success, the reduced launch fee is based on an initial 24-month partnership. If you leave before then you can buy out the remaining deferred value, which reduces every month to £0. After 24 months there is nothing further to pay for the site.
Yes, a lot. White-label overflow development, custom plugins, code review and consultancy, delivered under your name. A good 80% of my work is white-label agency work.
No. I am based in Ashford and work with businesses across Kent, London and the rest of the UK. Most of the work happens over calls and shared documents, with in-person meetings where they are useful.
Usually, yes. Get in touch with what you are seeing. I recover hacked WordPress sites, fix white screens and failed updates, clean up and harden the site so it does not happen again.
get in touch
Tell me what the website needs to achieve, what is getting in the way and roughly what you have as a budget. I will reply personally and provide you options for routes that make sense.
You can usually expect a reply within one working day.