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Custom WordPress development in Milwaukee, for real engineering work.

When the site needs more than a template, custom CPTs, REST endpoints, third-party integrations, performance work, complex content modeling. Custom-coded PHP for projects that can't be shipped with a plugin.

Price
Custom quote
Tier
core

WordPress as a real platform, not a content blob.

The WordPress ecosystem makes it easy to throw 25 plugins at any problem. That works until your edit screen takes 8 seconds to load, your database has 14 different ways to store the same kind of entity, and a routine update breaks four pages. Most development engagements at Outerwave start with peeling that mess back to clean PHP.

Common development projects: custom CPTs with structured fields and admin UI, REST endpoints for headless front-ends or mobile apps, third-party API integrations (CRM, payments, booking, calendars), block editor extensions, server-side caching and asset optimization, search and filter architectures that scale past a few hundred posts.

The kind of code you’d want to inherit.

Custom WordPress development at Outerwave is written the way you’d write any other production codebase: namespaced, tested, version-controlled, and documented enough that a future developer (including future you) can extend it without re-reading the entire thing.

Where most sites stall

What goes wrong, and how we fix it.

  1. Problem

    Plugin sprawl already at 30+ and the site is held together with rubber bands

    What we deliver

    Custom plugins that replace 5-10 stacked off-the-shelf ones

  2. Problem

    Need a CPT setup that doesn't fall over when content scales past 1,000 entries

    What we deliver

    Custom CPT + taxonomy + admin UI architected from the data model out

  3. Problem

    Third-party API integration that requires real auth + error handling

    What we deliver

    Proper REST or GraphQL endpoints with auth, validation, rate limiting

  4. Problem

    Performance is in the gutter and no off-the-shelf plugin moves the needle

    What we deliver

    Performance audit + custom fixes (server, asset, render path)

What's included

Every project ships with:

  • Theme Limitations, Removed
  • Custom Fields & Content
  • Plugin Reduction & Custom Code
  • Bespoke Features
How we work

The path from kickoff to launch.

  1. 01

    Audit

    Read the existing code, understand the data model, map the constraints

  2. 02

    Scope

    Quote a fixed price for the work, with milestones if multi-week

  3. 03

    Build

    Custom-coded PHP, written like you'd read it in 6 months

  4. 04

    Handoff

    Documented, version-controlled, deployable. No lock-in.

Custom scope

Custom scope

Development work doesn't have a fixed price, it depends on what you're building. Most projects fall between $2,000 and $25,000. Quote in 1 business day after a 20-minute call.

Recent work

Selected projects.

FAQ

Questions about WordPress Development.

  1. Do you work on existing WordPress sites or only new builds?

    Both. Most development engagements are extending or fixing an existing site.

  2. What about block editor / Gutenberg blocks?

    Yes, happy to build custom blocks in PHP + React if the project calls for it.

  3. Can you work with my existing dev team?

    Yes. Most development gigs are part of a larger team where Outerwave handles the WordPress-specific lift.

  4. What happens to the code I'm paying for?

    You own it outright. Github access on day one. No NDA, no proprietary clause.

Ready to start a WordPress development project?

Start with the cost estimator for a real range, or book a 20-minute call. I quote within a business day if it's a fit.

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