WordPress development for businesses that need more than a theme
Custom plugins, custom themes, connections to your CRM or shop, migrations, and sites that have become slow or fragile. I have built hundreds of WordPress sites over the years, and I still take on WordPress work when it needs a developer rather than a theme setting.
I'm all in on AI. It lets me get through a lot of work in a short time, and I stay careful about the code and about what goes live. WordPress with a Laravel app behind it is something I do as well, when a business needs an app and a website.
I usually reply within one working day.
WordPress work I do
The kind of WordPress work that needs a developer.
Custom plugins
The thing no plugin in the directory does: your booking rules, your pricing, your connection to an internal system. Written in clean PHP so it survives updates and the next developer can read it.
Custom themes
A theme built from your design, fast, without a page builder locking your content in. Or a child theme that fixes what the bought theme gets wrong.
Connections to other systems
Your CRM, your shop, your newsletter tool, your booking system, an AI provider. WordPress talking to the rest of your business through their APIs, with logs you can read.
Migrations and upgrades
Moving from another CMS, merging sites, changing hosts, updating a site that has not been touched in years. Done on a copy, checked, then switched.
Speed, hosting and security
Finding out what is actually slow, the theme, a plugin, the database or the host, and fixing that. Caching, image handling, a proper host, backups, and updates that are tested before they go live.
WordPress plus a Laravel app
When a business needs a website and an application, WordPress for the content and a Laravel app for the rest, connected so users never notice there are two systems. Or WordPress as the content source for a separate frontend.
How I work
You don't need to have everything figured out before we talk. An idea, access to the repo, a screen recording or a list of problems is enough. I look at what is there, tell you what I would do and what it costs, and then I build it.
I use Claude Code, Codex and my own agent workflows for reading code, planning changes, writing tests, refactoring and debugging. It is not vibe coding. It is senior engineering with a much faster loop.
AI-first, on WordPress too
Claude Code and Codex are as good at PHP and WordPress as at anything else. Plugins, theme work, migrations and the tedious parts of a site cleanup go much faster, and I check everything before it goes on your live site.
I stay in control
AI writes a lot of my code. I still make every technical decision, read every change before it ships, and test it. Fast, but meticulous: the speed is only worth something if what goes live is right.
The way you want to work
Some clients want to look at every change before it goes live, others want me to deploy. Some want a weekly call, most prefer written updates. I work well asynchronously, and I still ask the important questions when they come up.
I think like an owner
I still run my own online products. So when I build or fix yours, I think about traffic, conversion, revenue and support as much as about the code, and I tell you when something is not worth building.
Ways to work with me
Fixed price, a flat monthly rate, or hourly. It's always me doing the work, not an agency. If you're not sure, describe what you need and I'll suggest one.
Examples of my work
WordPress work where the site had to do more than show pages.
Registration, tickets and matching behind an existing site
An event platform with registration, personal day planning, AI-assisted exhibitor matching, QR tickets with scanning, and admin tools, built as an app and connected to the WordPress site the organizer already had.
Themes, plugins and hosting
Custom themes, plugins, hosting and performance work across hundreds of WordPress sites over the years, including a network of more than 100 websites with about a million visitors a month.
Custom theme, custom plugins, two languages
vincentschmalbach.com runs on WordPress with a custom child theme, a custom inquiry plugin with spam filtering, a newsletter plugin, and English and German content. When I need something WordPress does not do, I write it.
What clients say
"HIRE VINCENT. Seriously. I've worked with many many developers over the years (remember rentacoder?), and Vincent is that rare breed of web developer who just gets it."
"What stood out about working with Vincent was how methodical and efficient he was. He started by really digging into our requirements, asking clarifying questions until he had a solid understanding."
"Vincent was easy to work with and produced high-quality code. Would recommend."
Questions
Do you work with page builders?
I can work with what you have. For custom functionality I write themes and plugins in code, so they keep working through updates and the next developer can understand them.
Can you fix a slow WordPress site?
Usually yes, and usually without a rebuild. I find out what is actually slow first, the theme, a plugin, the database or the hosting, and fix that.
Do you do WooCommerce?
Yes. Custom functionality, connections to your other systems, and performance work on larger shops.
Can you host it?
I set up hosting, caching, backups and monitoring, or fix what your current host gives you.
Should this be WordPress at all?
If it is mostly content and a few forms, yes. If it is really an application with users, data and workflows, I say so, and then it is usually a Laravel app with WordPress next to it for the content.
How do you charge?
Fixed price for a job with a clear outcome, a flat monthly rate for ongoing work, or hourly. Describe what you need and I'll suggest one.
Get a quote
What the site should do, what it does today, and what bothers you most. A few sentences are enough. I'll reply with what I would do and what it would cost.
If you would rather talk first, book a 30-minute call or email contact@vincentschmalbach.com.