Penguin Publishers UK
Custom WordPress development
WordPress for Penguin’s UK publishing sites
WordPress Developer for Custom Work on Live Sites
Hire an experienced WordPress developer for custom work on a live codebase — themes, plugins, Gutenberg/ACF, and the engineering that has to survive the next release.
WordPress development here is production work: custom themes and plugins, integrations, and ongoing support. WooCommerce, APIs, performance, and security sit alongside the build when the site actually needs them — not as a keyword list.
Who this is for
Ideal for teams hiring a WordPress developer.
Businesses with an existing WordPress site that needs custom work, not another theme install
Agencies that need experienced development support on a live codebase
Product and brand teams dealing with complex WordPress functionality
In-house engineers who want a senior pair of hands, not an account manager
This is paid commercial development. It is not WordPress training, a plugin/theme download, or a job board.
Services included
What WordPress development covers here
01
Custom theme development
Block (FSE) or hybrid themes built for the editors who have to ship afterwards — not a forked marketplace theme you cannot update.
02
Custom plugins
PHP that belongs in a plugin you can still update — custom post types, editorial workflows, and behaviour a page builder cannot own.
03
Gutenberg and ACF
Custom blocks, template parts, and ACF where the content model is structured. Classic templates stay when the estate is already there.
04
Integrations and migrations
Third-party systems, REST work, content moves, and refactors when an existing site has drifted. WooCommerce when the catalogue is actually a shop.
05
Production performance and security
When the live site is slow or the install needs a review, that work sits alongside the build. Specialist pages on this site cover the deeper hire questions.
06
Maintenance and support
Ongoing WordPress development on a codebase I can read — Git, reviews, and the work that shows up after launch.
Relevant work
Public case studies that actually relate to this service.
Titles, notes, and links are from the existing work section. No invented metrics.
Reliance Worldwide Corporation
WordPress platform engineering
Enterprise WordPress for a global water-controls manufacturer
Campbell’s
Custom WordPress delivery
Supporting a global food brand on a high-traffic WordPress platform
StreamzAI
WordPress engineering and performance
WordPress for a Singapore AI sales-readiness platform
More delivery notes sit in the case studies.
Stack
Tools this work actually uses.
- WordPress
- PHP
- Gutenberg
- ACF
- JavaScript
- Git
- WP-CLI
Process
How an engagement usually runs.
01
Understand
Review the existing site, the codebase, and what actually has to ship.
02
Assess
Identify architecture constraints, plugin risk, and a realistic sequence of work.
03
Build
Implement the theme, blocks, or functionality in Git — not as untracked edits in production.
04
Validate
Check editor workflows, the critical templates, and a deploy the team can repeat.
Why this practice
Factual differentiators — not slogans.
- 9+ years on WordPress platforms — publishing estates, product sites, and the Git path that has to survive handover.
- Full-stack WordPress: PHP, the block editor, and the JavaScript the front end actually runs.
- Custom work rather than template-only installs.
- Comfortable joining an existing team and an existing codebase.
FAQ
Questions specific to this service.
Can you work with an existing WordPress website?
Yes. Most of the work starts on a live install — custom themes, plugins, and the history that comes with them. I review the stack before proposing a rebuild.
Can you work with an existing development team?
Yes. I join agencies and in-house teams as a senior engineer: pull requests, reviews, and the pieces that need someone who has shipped this kind of WordPress before.
Can you develop custom Gutenberg blocks?
Yes. Custom blocks and block themes are the default for new editorial models. I still support classic templates when the estate is already there — I do not force a full FSE rewrite as a billable event.
Can you work with WooCommerce?
Yes, when the site is actually a shop. Catalogue behaviour, checkout, and the query load that usually explains a slow product page. Brand or content sites without commerce stay WordPress without WooCommerce.
Can you integrate external APIs?
Yes. REST integrations, custom endpoints, and the error handling that shows up in production. Headless WordPress is optional; API work is not always a rewrite.
Can you troubleshoot an existing WordPress application?
Yes. Broken editor flows, plugin conflicts, and “it was fine until the last release” are normal intake. I start with the constraint, not a new theme.
Do you provide ongoing WordPress development?
Yes, when there is a real backlog. I do not sell a generic retainer that exists only to keep a Slack channel warm.
Do you build custom WordPress plugins?
Yes. Small, maintainable plugins for the behaviour that does not belong in the theme. I do not wrap a marketplace plugin in a new name and call it custom.
Related
Notes, tools, and related services.
Start
Have a WordPress project that needs an experienced developer?
Share a little about the website, the problem you are trying to solve, and what you need help with. I will reply with a realistic next step.
Prefer a calendar? Use the consultation scheduler on the contact page.