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Hire WordPress developers who build past the page builder.

Custom themes, plugins, and performance work for WordPress sites that have outgrown a drag-and-drop builder, engineers who write real PHP against WordPress's APIs instead of stacking another plugin on top of the last one.

48haverage match3%acceptance rate120+engineers placed, all roles
Custom theme development

Hand-built themes and Gutenberg blocks matched to your design system.

Plugin development

Custom functionality built as a maintainable plugin, not inline theme edits.

Performance & security hardening

Caching, query audits, and a patch cadence that keeps a site off breach lists.

Editorial workflow

Custom post types and ACF fields that make content editable, not fragile.

Skills & tools

What strong WordPress Developers know cold.

Core
PHPWordPress core APIsGutenberg / block editor
Plugins & data
Advanced Custom FieldsCustom post typesREST API
Headless
WPGraphQLNext.js front end
Ops
CachingStaging environmentsBackups
Why hire through Code Elevator
Doesn't reach for a plugin for everything. We screen for engineers who write a scoped custom plugin instead of installing a third general-purpose one on top of the last four.
Security-hardened by default. A real patch cadence, hardened admin access, and sanitized inputs, treated as baseline on every build, not billed as an add-on later.
Goes headless when performance actually demands it. WPGraphQL and a modern front end when the theme layer is the bottleneck, not as a default reach.
Typical rate

from $22/hr

A typical range. Your final rate depends on experience level, timezone overlap and how long you book for.

See engagement models
How we vet

Four stages. Three percent get through.

Floor 01 · pass rate38%Still standing after floor 01.
  1. 01Screening38%Résumé, background, and communication check, the fastest way to rule out a bad fit.
  2. 02Technical Deep Dive22%A senior engineer probes real system design and stack depth, not trivia.
  3. 03Live Build Test9%A timed, real-world task. We watch how they actually ship, not just what they claim.
  4. 04Client Fit Interview3%Ownership, reliability, and how they work inside your team on day one.
Every hire
  • Shortlist in 48 hoursProfiles, not a waiting list.
  • Free replacementWrong fit swapped at no cost.
  • No conversion feeHire them direct whenever you want.
  • IP yours from day oneAssigned in writing, not at handover.
  • Month to monthNo lock-in, and no notice period.
Proof

Shipped, not slideware.

What clients say

On camera, in their own words.

Client video

Why he brought his development work to Code Elevator.

MikePlays here
Related roles

Hiring for something adjacent?

Questions

Answered before you ask.

Rarely the core software itself. It's almost always plugin bloat, an unoptimized theme, or missing caching. We audit before recommending anything, including whether the honest fix is fewer plugins rather than more engineering.

Both, depending on the brief. A custom theme built against your design system usually outperforms and outlasts a heavily modified off-the-shelf one, but we won't force a rebuild when a targeted customization is the right-sized fix.

Keeping WordPress as the editorial backend while a separate front end (typically Next.js) renders the site via WPGraphQL, worth it when page speed or front-end flexibility is the real constraint, not a default recommendation.

Hardened admin access, a real update cadence for core and plugins, and sanitized inputs on any custom code, the same baseline we'd expect from any production web app, not treated as optional because it's WordPress.

What you're not risking

Every way out of this hire is already written down.

Two-week replacement

Not a fit? Replace anyone in the first two weeks. No questions asked, no replacement fee. We re-match from the same vetted pool.

No placement fee

You pay only for engineers who actually start. Seeing candidates costs nothing.

No lock-in

Dedicated and managed engagements run on a monthly rolling contract. Cancel with notice.

Rate agreed up front

You see the number before you commit. Nothing is added on top of it later.

Get started

Bring us the site. Three matched engineers in 48 hours.

Outgrowing a page builder, or inheriting a plugin-stacked mess. We'll scope what actually needs rebuilding versus what just needs cleaning up.

We reply within an hour during our working day in India and the UAE.

Chat with our team