Discovery + design
2-3 week design phase. Wireframes, then full design comps in Figma. We design the system (color, typography, spacing, components) not just individual pages. Each component documented for handoff.
Web Design & Development
Websites that
Websites that
actually convert.
Custom WordPress, no page builders, no Elementor lock-in. Built for performance, conversion, and the kind of edit access that does not require an agency ticket every time you want to change a headline.
What is web design and development at Critical Marketing? We build custom WordPress websites with hand-written PHP templates, consolidated CSS, lean JavaScript, and full schema markup. No Elementor. No Divi. No WPBakery. No page builders. The result: 100/100 Lighthouse SEO scores, Core Web Vitals passing on mobile, 3-plugin stacks instead of 16-plugin stacks, and complete edit access via SSH + WP-CLI for the autonomous SEO routine. The same playbook we used to rebuild Critical Marketing's own site (Ygency + Elementor → custom theme, 16 plugins → 3, 50+ MB → 5 MB).
Why custom over page-builders.
Most agencies build websites in Elementor, Divi, WPBakery, or Beaver Builder. Page builders are popular because they let agencies hire less-technical staff and ship faster. The tradeoffs are real:
- Performance. Elementor adds 21+ MB of unzipped JS / CSS overhead on every page load. Mobile Core Web Vitals fail predictably. INP > 200ms is the rule, not the exception.
- Plugin bloat. Page builders require add-on plugins (Essential Addons, Crocoblock, etc.) that compound the performance cost AND increase the security surface area.
- Edit-experience lock-in. Once a site is built in Elementor, the entire content lives inside Elementor's UI. You cannot autonomously edit it through code without breaking the UI's serialized data. We learned this the hard way on Critical Marketing's own old site.
- Vendor lock-in. If you stop paying Elementor Pro, half your features stop working. The same applies to Divi, WPBakery, Crocoblock, and most "premium" plugin stacks.
We build the opposite. Custom PHP templates. Consolidated CSS. Lean JavaScript. WordPress core + minimum-viable plugin set. The result is faster, more maintainable, more SEO-friendly, and edit-accessible via code (which lets the autonomous SEO routine do its work without depending on a UI).
What we ship in a typical build.
Theme architecture
Custom WordPress theme with hand-written PHP templates. One `style.css` for the whole site. Lean `main.js` for interactivity. Full schema markup stack (Organization, LocalBusiness, Service, BreadcrumbList, Article, Person, FAQPage). Performance-budget enforced (LCP < 2.5s, INP < 200ms, CLS < 0.1).
Page templates per content type
Homepage. Service pillar template. Location page template. Industry hub template. Case study template. Author bio template. Blog index + single. Default page. 404. Each template optimized for its specific purpose (service pillar ≠ location page ≠ case study).
Mailgun + WPForms (or similar)
WPForms for the contact form. WP Mail SMTP configured for Mailgun (or whichever transactional email provider you prefer). Tested end-to-end before launch. No silent form failures.
Hosting + CDN
Plesk hosting on the Critical Marketing server (where appropriate) or your hosting of choice. Cloudflare in front for edge caching + DDoS + SSL. Full backup strategy (full site + database, retained 30 days).
SEO foundation at launch
Semantic HTML5 markup. Full schema markup. Yoast SEO configured. XML sitemap submitted to GSC. GA4 + GTM event tracking. Core Web Vitals passing on launch day. Lighthouse 100/100 SEO score.
Handoff documentation
Editorial style guide. Brand guidelines. Component documentation. WP admin guide. Where to update what. How to add new content. How to roll back if something breaks. You own the source. You own the credentials. You can fire us anytime without losing the site.
Recent web design work.
Critical Marketing — this site
Ygency + Elementor (16 plugins, 50+ MB overhead, broken contact form) → custom WP theme (3 plugins, lean PHP/CSS). Full schema stack, Lighthouse 100. Done in one focused work session, fully dogfooded.
Read the rebuild case study →masLabor Iberia — international subsidiary
Custom WordPress build for masLabor's Iberian subsidiary based in Baiona, Galicia, Spain. 218 ACF-wired content fields for editor self-serve. Hand-written Spanish localization (no Google Translate). Multilingual toggle. Live April 2026.
Case study comingDown Home Properties — real estate
Page-by-page Elementor → custom theme conversion. Custom mu-plugin with `dhp-data/properties.php` as the single-source-of-truth data file (no DB overhead per listing). Properties page launched April 2026; homepage queued.
Case study comingMoore Farms Manor — agritourism
Custom WordPress with Shortcoder-based produce status system. 20 produce shortcodes (one per produce item) with READY / COMING SOON / dated availability states. Farm staff updates produce status via WP-CLI in seconds.
Case study comingWhat we do NOT build.
- Elementor / Divi / WPBakery / Beaver Builder sites. If you specifically want a page-builder build, we are not the right shop.
- Shopify / Squarespace / Wix builds. Hosted platforms have a place but they are not what we specialize in.
- Cheap brochure sites. We cannot do real custom work at fast-food prices. There are shops that can; we are not one of them.
- Theme-flip-and-rebrand jobs. Some agencies sell "custom" builds that are actually purchased themes with the logo swapped. We do not.
- Sites with no maintenance plan. Every site we build comes with a maintenance retainer for security updates, plugin updates, and SSL/DNS monitoring. If you do not want maintenance, hire someone else.
Pricing.
Engagements are scoped to your specific business, goals, and budget. Get a real proposal with real numbers — we respond within one business day.
Frequently asked questions.
Single-page: 3-4 weeks. Multi-page custom: 8-16 weeks. Custom with integrations: 12-24 weeks. We do not rush builds because rushing produces tech debt that you pay for over the life of the site.
Yes. You can host on Bluehost, SiteGround, WP Engine, Kinsta, your own VPS — whatever you prefer. We will set up the hosting and document the credentials. For clients without strong hosting preferences, we host on the Critical Marketing Plesk server.
Yes, with WooCommerce. We have shipped product + service-booking + course-based e-commerce. Larger e-commerce projects scope separately.
Yes. Page-by-page migration is our specialty. The Down Home Properties build is the active proof point — Elementor → custom theme one page at a time, keeping the site live throughout.
Yes. Our builds use WordPress core editing (Gutenberg blocks for text content, Advanced Custom Fields for structured content). Less flexible than Elementor for visual editing; more performant; more SEO-friendly; more maintainable. We document what you can edit and how.
Yes. All builds target WCAG 2.1 AA compliance: semantic HTML, ARIA labels where needed, keyboard navigation, color-contrast checks, alt text on every image. Full WCAG audit costs scope separately depending on site size.
Almost never for marketing sites. React / Next.js adds significant complexity and (often) hurts SEO without delivering visible user value for marketing content. We use them only when the project is genuinely an app, not a marketing site.
Get in touch
Let's design your
Let's design your
next site.
Tell us about the project. We respond within one business day with a scoped proposal and clear next steps.