WordPressWhat we build on WordPress
The seven things we are asked for most on WordPress.
Is WordPress the right home for you?
WordPress runs a large share of the web for good reasons, and has trade-offs worth knowing.
Teams choose WordPress for
When it is not the right fit
Block theme, page builder or headless WordPress?
Three ways to build the same site. They look similar on launch day and very different a year later. Pick one to compare.
WordPress’s own editor, all the way down
Colours, type sizes and spacing live in theme.json. Templates and headers are made of blocks, editable in the Site Editor. Custom blocks registered with block.json cover the layouts your team repeats, and patterns give editors ready-made sections.
Nothing extra to license, and every WordPress update is designed with this approach in mind.
The default we recommend
Fast pages, one design system and editors who can’t accidentally pick a fourteenth shade of blue. It takes a little more planning up front, because the design system has to be decided before the pages are built.
A visual builder plugin on a classic theme
A page-builder plugin stores layouts in its own format and loads its own CSS and JavaScript on every page. Editors get lots of freedom: any font, any spacing, any widget.
After a year that freedom shows: every page is slightly different and the site carries the weight of every widget anyone ever tried.
We help people leave, gently
We don’t rebuild page-builder sites in another page builder. We rebuild the layouts you actually use as blocks and patterns, move the content, and keep URLs exactly where they were. Read more on our speed optimisation page.
WordPress for editing, React for the front end
Editors keep the block editor. A separate front end, often Next.js, reads content through the REST API or WPGraphQL and renders the pages. Previews, forms and search all need wiring between the two.
Right for a few, expensive for most
We’d choose it when the same content feeds an app, several sites or a product UI. For a marketing site with a blog, a block theme is faster to build, cheaper to host and simpler to hand over.
WordPress words, without the jargon
You’ll hear these in our calls. Here’s what each one means for your team.
theme.json- One file that sets the site’s colours, fonts, spacing and which options editors can change. Think of it as the design system in code.
- Block
- A piece of content in the editor: a paragraph, an image, a product grid. Custom blocks are ones we build for your layouts.
block.json- The file that registers a custom block: its name, settings and the scripts and styles it needs, loaded only where the block is used.
- Pattern
- A ready-made group of blocks, such as a pricing row or a case-study header, that editors insert and then fill in.
- Synced pattern
- A pattern that updates everywhere when you edit it once. Handy for a shared call-to-action or a legal notice.
- Site Editor
- Where block-theme templates, headers and footers are edited visually, without touching code.
- Template part
- A reusable piece of a template, like the header or footer, shared across pages.
- WPGraphQL
- A plugin that adds a GraphQL API to WordPress, popular for headless front ends.
- Staging
- A private copy of the live site where updates and changes are tested before anyone sees them.
Four WordPress habits that cost more than they save
Office addresses, team bios or banners baked into PHP templates instead of blocks or patterns.
What it costs: A developer ticket every time marketing wants to change a sentence.Clicking “update all” on production because staging felt like a hassle.
What it costs: A white screen during a campaign, and an evening restoring backups.Every colour picker and font size left open in theme.json and the editor.
What it costs: Pages that drift off-brand within months, and a redesign that starts with a clean-up.Custom blocks shipped without keyboard testing, labels or heading order checks.
What it costs: Lost visitors, poorer search signals and, in some markets, legal exposure.A WordPress build, start to launch
- Week 0
Audit call
Content, editors and plugins in 30 minutes.
Gap list - Week 1
Design system
theme.json tokens and key layouts agreed.
Design system - Weeks 2–6
Build
Theme, blocks and patterns, demoed weekly.
Staging site - Week 7
Content and test
Content moved, accessibility and speed checked.
Test report - Week 8+
Launch and care
Go-live, editor training, then a care plan.
Live site
Questions to ask any WordPress agency
Ask us these too. If the answers are vague, keep looking.
- Will you build with blocks or a page builder?A good answer explains the trade-off for your site, not just a preference. Watch for anyone who can’t say why.
- Who owns the code and the hosting account?You should. The theme should sit in your repository and the hosting in your name, with the agency invited as a user.
- How do updates reach the live site?Look for staging, a test pass and a backup before each release. “We click update” is not a process.
- How many plugins will we end up with, and why each?Every plugin is a future update and a possible conflict. Keep the list short, with a reason for each plugin.
- What can our editors change without you?Ask to see it in the editor. If the answer is “anything”, ask how the design stays consistent.
- What happens to speed after launch?Speed drifts as content and plugins are added. Ask how it is measured and who acts when it slips.
Our partnership with Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com and WooCommerce, keeps us close to where the block editor is heading. It doesn’t change our advice: we’ll still recommend the simplest build that does the job.
About WordPress development
Anything else, ask on the audit call.
Ask an engineer
Not answered here? Ask on the free 30-minute audit call. An engineer replies within one business day.
Quick facts
- Based in Delhi, India Working across time zones, with written weekly updates.
- Fixed quote first Nothing is billed before you agree it.
- You own it The code, workflows and accounts are yours.
- Stores and ERPs Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce and Adobe Commerce, with NetSuite, SAP Business One, Odoo and Dynamics 365.
What is a block theme?
A WordPress theme built entirely from blocks, with design settings in theme.json and templates editable in the Site Editor. Intelligize Digital builds block themes instead of relying on page-builder plugins.
Can you move us off our page builder?
Yes. We rebuild the layouts you actually use as native blocks and patterns, move the content, and the site usually gets faster and easier to edit.
When does headless WordPress make sense?
When you need an app-like front end, multiple channels from one content source, or a team already working in React. Otherwise a block theme is simpler and cheaper to run.
Can editors still change pages themselves?
Yes. Intelligize Digital builds custom blocks and patterns so editors can create and change pages without breaking the design system.
Do you host WordPress?
We set up hosting with a provider that fits your traffic and budget, and run updates and backups on a care plan if you want us to.
Is WordPress good for SEO?
Yes, when it is built cleanly. Fast block themes, sensible headings, structured data and tidy URLs matter far more than any SEO plugin. Intelligize Digital builds those in from the start and checks them before launch.
How often should WordPress be updated?
Security releases should go out within days. Other core, theme and plugin updates are best applied weekly or fortnightly, tested on staging first. Intelligize Digital runs that rhythm on its care plans.
Can we keep our URLs when you rebuild the site?
Yes. Intelligize Digital maps every existing URL before the rebuild, keeps the ones that work and sets 301 redirects for anything that changes, then checks them after launch.
Do we need a developer to add new pages?
No. With custom blocks and patterns, editors build new pages from approved sections in the block editor. A developer is only needed for new layouts or features.
Related WordPress reading
What should your editors
be able to do alone?
Tell us about your site, your editors and your plugins. An engineer replies within one business day.
What happens next
- An engineer replies Within one business day, by email.
- A free 30-minute audit On a call with an engineer.
- A fixed quote It follows the audit. Nothing is billed before you agree it.