The work that doesn't fit neatly into a template. CRM hookups, payment platforms, booking systems, headless setups, custom plugins. Usually the kind of thing that's been sitting in your backlog for a year because no one wanted to touch it.
Integration and custom work covers anything that doesn't ship out of the box with WordPress or a standard plugin. The shape of the engagement depends entirely on what you're trying to do, but most projects involve some combination of:
If you've got a 'wouldn't it be great if the site could...' idea that no one's been able to scope, this is usually the right service to talk about.
Being clear about what's outside the scope is part of giving you a realistic estimate. Custom and integration work doesn't include:
Custom work is the most variable of the services I offer, so the process is more flexible than a typical build. The shape usually looks like this:
We talk through what you're trying to do, what systems are already in place, and where the integration needs to sit. For more complex projects, this might involve a paid discovery phase (a few hours of investigation) before I can give you a meaningful estimate.
Once I understand the shape of the work, I send a written estimate with a recommended approach. For larger projects, I'll usually break it into phases so you can decide whether to commit to the whole thing or start with the smallest meaningful piece.
The work itself. For integrations, this usually means setting up the connections, building any custom plugin code, testing the data flow end-to-end, and handling edge cases. For headless setups or custom plugins, the timeline stretches to match the complexity.
Custom work needs more testing than standard builds, because the failure modes are usually invisible until they happen in production. I test thoroughly in staging, then carefully on your live environment if needed, with rollback plans in place.
A written technical handover so you or your future developer knows what was built, why, and how to maintain it. Includes any access credentials, API keys, and dependencies that need to be tracked going forward.
Custom and integration work has the widest possible range of scope, from a few hours for a simple Mailchimp hookup to several months for a headless rebuild. As a rough guide:
I bill hourly at $55 / hour (GBP / USD / ZAR via the currency switcher), with a time log you can audit at any point. For larger custom projects, I'll usually recommend a paid discovery phase before committing to a full estimate. A few hours of upfront investigation often saves significant time later.
Custom work draws from a wider stack than standard builds, depending on what's being built. Common tools:
WordPress core · Bedrock · Composer · WP-CLI · custom plugin scaffolding
ACF Pro · ACF Blocks · Custom Gutenberg blocks · Carbon Fields · Meta Box
REST APIs · Webhooks · Zapier · Make (formerly Integromat) · custom middleware in PHP or Node.js
HubSpot · Mailchimp · ActiveCampaign · Klaviyo · ConvertKit · Salesforce (basic integrations only)
Stripe · PayPal · PayFast · custom gateway development where needed
Next.js · Nuxt · Astro · WPGraphQL · WP REST API
DDEV locally · Cursor · Claude Code · GitHub for version control · Buddy.works or DeployBot for deployments
The full directory of tools I work with sits on the Tools page, where each has its own breakdown.
Four questions that come up specifically about custom and integration work. General FAQs on cost, timeline, and pricing sit on the Services page.
A custom WordPress plugin built around Google Sheets integration, used as the recruitment backbone for a UK research network. Detailed write-up in progress.
Notify me when it's ready →Custom work is the service where the brief usually doesn't fit a tidy template. A few sentences about what you're trying to do, what's already in place, and what you've tried so far is enough for me to give you a useful first response.
Custom WordPress builds in Elementor, designed around how your business actually works. I handle the full path from design translation to launch, including the customisation, the ACF fields, and the bits no one tells you about until you're three weeks in.
WooCommerce builds for B2C and B2B clients across the UK, US and Europe. Product catalogues, payment gateways, tax configuration, shipping logic. All set up properly so you're not fighting the platform six months in.
Slow sites hurt rankings and conversions. I diagnose what's actually causing it (render-blocking scripts, unoptimised assets, plugin bloat, server config) and fix the things that move the needle. Real measurements before and after.
Updates, backups, security monitoring, and a person who picks up when something breaks. For clients who'd rather get on with their business than learn what a PHP error means.