Freelance WordPress Designer and Developer
From the plan to launch, and after
I design and build WordPress websites for small businesses, and I do every part of the job myself, including the site plan, the words, the design, the code, and the search setup. You deal with one person from the first call, and the same person keeps the site updated and secure after it goes live. Your site is built around your business, loads fast on a phone, and opens in an editor you can use yourself.
What a freelance WordPress designer does
One person on both sides of the job.
WordPress is free software for building and running websites, and roughly 40 percent of all websites run on it. A freelance WordPress designer is one independent person who plans and designs a WordPress site for a business and works with the owner directly. People also search for a freelance WordPress developer. On a small business site, the two jobs overlap so much that one person should do both.
The design side
Design decides how the site looks and how people move through it, like which pages it has, how each page is laid out, the type and colors, and where the buttons sit. Good design starts from what your customers need to find, then gives it a look that fits your business. It also plans how each page reads on a phone, where the same layout has far less room and every button has to be easy to tap.
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The development side
Development makes the site work. That means setting up WordPress and the hosting, choosing the theme (the starting framework for the site's layout and styling), choosing the plugins (small programs that each add one feature, such as a form or a photo gallery), building the forms, writing code where a feature needs it, and keeping the whole thing fast and secure.
Some freelancers do one side. A designer hands over a mockup for someone else to build, or a developer installs a ready-made theme and fills in the blanks. I do both, along with the writing and the search setup, so each page is planned by the person who builds it.
What you get when one freelancer does the whole job
You talk to the person doing the work, from the first call on.
Hiring a freelancer instead of an agency changes who you work with. You talk to the person doing the work, and what you ask for reaches the site without passing through anyone else.
Your questions reach the builder
When you ask whether the site can take online bookings, the answer comes from the person who would set them up, often on the same call. Nobody has to check with a developer and get back to you.
Design, code, words, and search, planned together
Say you want a gallery of finished projects. A designer might draw one with filters and pop-up photos. A developer might find a plugin that does all of that, plus dozens of features you'll never use, and every one of them adds weight to the page. When one person plans it, the gallery gets built the lighter way, each photo is named and described for search, and the page still loads quickly on a phone.
A site you can run yourself
Owners choose WordPress partly because they can edit their own pages. That only works if the site is built for it. I build every page in a visual editor, so a new photo or a change to your hours takes a few clicks, and you never open the code.
The same person after launch
Updates and backups come to me through a website care plan. When something needs attention two years from now, you write to the person who built the site and already knows how it fits together. I still look after sites for clients who hired me in my first years of building websites.
Hiring one freelancer also changes the price. You pay for the work itself, with no account managers or office overhead built into the bill.
"In today's world many firms claim to build and service great websites. In my experience only a few actually deliver. Josh Miller is one of those few. From the idea stage through completion, he is a pleasure to work with and trust me, this guy knows what he is talking about."
What to look for in a freelance WordPress designer
Ask these before you hire anyone to build on WordPress.
WordPress makes it easy to put a site up quickly, so the people who offer WordPress work vary a great deal. Seven questions tell you most of what you need to know.
- 1
Is the design made for your business?
Ask whether the work starts from a ready-made theme demo or from a plan for your pages. A demo with your logo added looks like every other site built from it.
Yesa plan, not a demo - 2
How many plugins will the site run?
Every plugin is software that has to be kept updated. A site with a plugin for every small feature loads slowly and breaks more often. Ask which plugins they use and why.
Yesa short, tested list - 3
Is search part of the build?
Page titles, headings, image descriptions, structured data, and redirects from your old page addresses should go in while the site is built. Ask who handles them.
Yesbuilt in as I go - 4
Where does the building happen?
A new site should be built on a private test site, while your current site stays up for your customers. Ask where you will review the new site before it goes live.
Yesa private test site - 5
Who writes the words?
A finished design waiting on copy you have to write yourself can sit unlaunched for months. Ask whether writing is part of the project, and who writes the first draft.
YesI write the first draft - 6
What happens after launch?
WordPress and its plugins release updates all the time. Ask who applies them, who keeps the backups, and who answers when something breaks a year from now.
Yesmy care plan covers it - 7
Can you see their sites live?
A portfolio of sites that are still running shows how the work holds up. Ask for the links, then open each site on your phone and see how it loads and reads.
Yeslive links, where the site is still mine
Every design I make starts from a plan for your pages. The plugin list stays short. Search goes in as each page is built, on a private test site. I write the first draft of every page, and you edit it. After launch, a care plan covers the updates, the backups, and the fixes. You can see the sites themselves through the portfolio.
Have a WordPress project in mind?
Tell me about itHow I build a WordPress site
One tested setup, so updates bring fewer surprises.
I build every WordPress site from one tested setup. Using the same tools each time means fewer surprises when updates arrive, and quicker fixes when something does go wrong.
The site plan first
Before any design, I settle which pages the site needs, what each one is for, and which searches it should show up for. You approve the plan before I build.
A theme chosen for speed
I use a theme that adds little code of its own. A phone has less to download before the page appears, so visitors see your page sooner, even on a slow connection.
A visual page builder
Each page is laid out in a drag-and-drop builder. After launch, you make your own edits in that same builder and see each change where it will appear.
Plugins only where needed
Forms, search settings, and backups come from plugins I know well. Anything more, like a store or a booking calendar, is added only if your site needs it.
Hosting matched to WordPress
The server is configured for WordPress, keeps cached copies of pages ready to serve, encrypts every connection, and backs the site up daily.
Custom code where it helps
When no plugin does the job well, or a plugin would add far more than the site needs, I write the code myself, so your site carries only the code it needs to run.
WordPress development beyond the theme
Some sites need more than pages, like a store, a booking calendar, or a feature no plugin handles well.
Most small business sites need pages, forms, and photos. Some need more, like an online store, product specifications buyers can sort through, a calendar customers can book from, or a feature that ties the site to a tool you already use. That’s where the developer half of the job comes in. Speed and security still get settled during the build, so the extra features don’t slow the site down or open a door.
Stores and product catalogs
I've built online stores for a manufacturer and for a pharmacy. A store adds products, carts, payments, and shipping rules, and each product page still gets written for the searches buyers make, like any other page.
Custom features and forms
A quote form with the questions your sales team asks. A page of documents customers can download. A booking calendar that fits your schedule. Each is built from tools I know, or written from scratch when none fit.
Looked after once it's live
On a website care plan, I apply the updates when WordPress releases them.
WordPress projects I've developed
From a wedding studio to a technology company.
Each of these is a WordPress site I designed and built.
Love and Beauty Maui
12xAI visits a month versus the old siteInquiries up 51 percent on the year before launch, with no ad campaign.
Read the case study
Family Value Flooring
1,000+Different searches that bring people to the siteA new name, a second store, and one website for both.
Read the case study
Therm-A-Guard
Nearly 2xGoogle clicks a month since launchA product for electric utilities, sold through the online store on its site.
Read the case study
Teledata
A technology company. Its logo, its website, and then a second site for its cloud services.
Read the case study
Maconachy Stradley Insurance
An independent insurance agency, still on the same WordPress site I built in 2015.
Read the case study
DR Miller Design Build
A design-build contractor I've worked with since 2015.
See the project"Josh Miller is one of the most creative, energetic and hard-working people I've met in a long time. In addition to his web design and 'metrics' skills, he has an entrepreneurial spirit, which I admire a great deal. I've worked with him on several projects, and would gladly recommend him to anyone who is looking for a web-guru type who doesn't drown you in geek-speak!"
Working with me, step by step
Your part stays small, and every step happens in the same order.
Every project runs in the same order, and your part stays small. You send the form, and you and I talk for 20 to 30 minutes. If we’re a good fit, I walk you through how we get started. Then comes discovery, where you answer my questions in writing, at your own pace, while I research your business and your competitors. By the end, I know what your site has to say and who it has to say it to. You approve the site plan and edit the draft I write for each page. I design and build the site on a private test site. You review it and tell me what to change. Then I launch it on your domain and point each old page address at the page that replaced it.
Ready for step one?
Send a requestQuestions about hiring a freelance WordPress designer
Still have a question?
Ask me directlyWhat is a freelance WordPress designer?
A freelance WordPress designer is one independent person who plans, designs, and builds WordPress websites for businesses and works with the owner directly. On a small business site, the design and the development overlap so much that one person should do both. I handle the site plan, the words, the design, the code, and the search setup myself, and I look after the site after launch.
What does a WordPress developer do?
A WordPress developer sets up and builds WordPress sites. That covers the hosting, the theme, the plugins, the forms, custom code where a feature needs it, and the work that keeps the site fast and secure. A WordPress designer decides how the site looks and how people move through it. On a small business site, I do both jobs, plus the writing and the search setup.
Do I need a WordPress designer or a WordPress developer?
Most small businesses need both a WordPress designer and a WordPress developer, because the design decides what the site needs and the development makes it work. When two people split the job, a designer hands over a mockup and a developer fits it to a ready-made theme, and details get lost between them. I do both, so each page is planned by the person who builds it.
Are WordPress developers real web developers?
Yes, WordPress developers are web developers who specialize in one platform, writing the PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript behind themes, plugins, and custom features. The difference is focus. A WordPress developer knows how the platform's pieces fit together and how they behave when updates arrive, which matters for a site that has to keep running for years. When no plugin does a job well, I write the code myself.
Where's the best place to hire a WordPress developer?
The best place to hire a WordPress developer is often a referral or the developer's own website, where you can see live sites they built and talk with them directly. Freelance marketplaces list many developers, but it's harder to tell who will still answer a year after launch. Before you hire anyone, open a few of their live sites on your phone and ask who writes the words and who handles the updates.
What should I look for in a freelance WordPress designer?
Look for a freelance WordPress designer whose sites start from a plan for your pages, run a short list of plugins, build search in as they go, and are still live years later. Ask where the site will be built (a private test site keeps your current site up), who writes the first draft of the words, and who applies the updates after launch. You can see my live sites in the portfolio.
Why hire a freelance WordPress developer instead of an agency?
Hiring a freelance WordPress developer means you deal with the same person from the first call to the last update. Agencies split a site across a team, so your requests travel from an account manager to a designer to a developer. With me, one person plans it, writes it, designs it, builds it, and looks after it, so nothing depends on notes passed between people.
How much does it cost to hire a freelance WordPress developer?
The cost of hiring a freelance WordPress developer depends mostly on the number of pages, plus any store, logo, or custom features, and how crowded the searches in your market are. Taking over a WordPress site you already have can cost less, if the build underneath is sound. On our call, we talk through what your site needs, and I aim for the right blend of price and quality.
Can you add custom features to a WordPress site?
Yes, I add custom features to WordPress sites, such as online stores, product catalogs buyers can sort, quote forms with the questions your sales team asks, booking calendars, and pages of documents to download. Each is built from tools I know, or written from scratch when none fit. Speed and security get settled during the build, so the extra features don't slow the site down. I've built online stores for a manufacturer and for a pharmacy.
Who looks after my WordPress site after launch?
On a website care plan, I look after your WordPress site after launch, handling the hosting, updates to WordPress and its plugins, backups, and security. When something needs attention two years from now, you write to the person who built the site and already knows how it fits together. I still look after sites for clients who hired me in my first years of building websites.
Tell me about your WordPress project.
Write a few sentences about your business and what you want the site to do for it. If you already run a WordPress site, include its address and what isn’t working. I’ll write back with a time for a short call. If we’re a good fit, I’ll show you how we get started. From there, you approve a plan, edit a draft, and review the site before it goes live. The first step is the form.