Platforms · WordPress Development
We build WordPress sites from scratch: custom themes, clean content models and only the plugins you actually need. No bloated multipurpose themes, no lock-in. You own the code, the accounts and the licences, and your team keeps control after launch.
You own the code and IP Weekly demos Reply within one business day
OlDevs is a full-stack technology studio in Vancouver, British Columbia that designs, builds and maintains WordPress sites for organisations across Canada.We write custom themes from scratch instead of reselling multipurpose themes, model content with the block editor or Advanced Custom Fields, and deliver WooCommerce, multisite and headless WordPress projects through the REST API or WPGraphQL. Every build is tuned for speed, hardened for security, tested against WCAG 2.2 AA and documented so your own editors can run it. Request a quote to talk through your project.
Key facts
WordPress specialists since 2014
We build themes from scratch in PHP, modern CSS and the block APIs, with only the code your site needs. No page builder bloat inherited from a marketplace theme, no dead options panels, and a template structure your developers can read and extend.
Editors get a curated set of blocks, block patterns and theme.json styles that match your design system, so pages stay on brand without a developer. We use full site editing where it fits and classic templates where it does not.
When a team prefers Elementor, we build it carefully: a lean child theme, reusable templates and global styles rather than a thousand one-off widgets. We keep the markup accessible and watch what the builder costs you in page weight.
We model your content before we style it: custom post types, taxonomies, and Advanced Custom Fields groups that mirror how your organisation actually works. Editors fill in clear fields instead of wrestling with a blank canvas.
WooCommerce stores with custom product data, Canadian tax and shipping rules, payment gateways and a checkout that works on a phone. We also run multisite networks for brands, regions or campuses that share one codebase and separate content.
Keep WordPress as the editing tool and render the front end elsewhere. We expose content through the REST API or WPGraphQL, feed it to a React, Next.js or mobile client, and handle previews, caching and revalidation so editors still see their work.
Process
Fit and discovery
We look at your content, your team and your integrations, then say plainly whether WordPress is the right platform. If it is not, we tell you what would serve you better before anyone signs anything.
Content model and design
We map post types, fields, taxonomies and templates, then design against real content. Editors see the field structure early, so the site is shaped around how your organisation actually publishes.
Build with a weekly demo
One accountable team builds the theme, blocks and integrations in short cycles, with a working demo every week on a staging URL you can click through and comment on.
Testing and launch
Accessibility, performance, cross-browser and content entry testing, plus redirect mapping and analytics checks. We rehearse the launch on staging, then move to production during a quiet window.
Handover and care
You receive the code, accounts, documentation and a recorded walkthrough. From there we can stay on for updates, monitoring and new features, or step back while your team takes the wheel.
How we work
We measure first, then fix: query and asset audits, image handling, caching layers, and a hard look at anything the browser downloads. Core Web Vitals are treated as a build requirement, not a report you read after launch.
Least-privilege user roles, file permissions and disabled file editing, HTTP security headers, two-factor login, rate limiting and monitored backups you can actually restore from. We patch quickly and keep an inventory of what is installed and why.
Every plugin earns its place or gets replaced with theme code. Versions are pinned, changes land on staging first, and updates run on a schedule with backups in front of them so an ordinary Tuesday never takes your site down.
We help you choose managed WordPress hosting or your own infrastructure on the merits, then set up local, staging and production environments with version control and deployments, so nothing is edited live and every change is reversible.
Semantic markup, keyboard paths, focus states, colour contrast, form labels and sensible headings, checked with automated tools and by hand. Editors get patterns that stay accessible even when they change the words and images.
Language switching, translated slugs, hreflang, localised dates and currency, and an editing workflow that does not force your French content through a second, worse interface. Planned with the content model, not retrofitted.
Who it's for
Marketing and IT teams who need a WordPress estate that passes security review, supports multiple brands or regions, and connects to the CRM, marketing automation and single sign-on tools you already run.
Member organisations and public bodies with accessibility obligations, bilingual English and French content, committee approval cycles and archives that must stay findable for years.
Multi-location brands running a multisite network or a location content type: shared design and templates at the centre, with local pages, hours and offers that franchisees can edit without breaking anything.
Founders who need a fast, credible marketing site or WooCommerce store now, built so it can grow into a headless front end or a full web app later instead of being thrown away.
Weekly
Working demo cadence
1 business day
Reply time to enquiries
WCAG 2.2 AA
Accessibility target
FAQ
We build custom themes. A marketplace theme ships with code for hundreds of layouts you will never use, which slows the site down and makes upgrades risky. We write a theme for your design only, with the block patterns and templates your editors need. If you already own a premium theme, we audit it before recommending a rebuild.
Both work well when used deliberately. The block editor and full site editing keep everything inside core WordPress, which is the lighter long-term choice. Elementor suits teams who want visual control and already know the tool. We recommend one, explain the trade-offs in plain language, and build to whichever you decide on.
WordPress is a strong content platform, not a universal answer. If you need a real-time application, complex user dashboards, heavy custom business logic or a mobile app back end, a purpose-built web app is usually cheaper to run and safer to maintain. We say so rather than force the project into WordPress.
Yes, that is the point. We ship clear field labels, block patterns and editor documentation, plus a recorded walkthrough for your team. You own the code, the designs, the hosting accounts and the domain. Keep us on for updates and support, or take the whole thing in house. Both paths are supported.
We keep the plugin list short and justify every entry. Plugins are pinned, tested on a staging copy and updated on a schedule rather than at random, with a backup taken before each run. Where a plugin exists only to add one small feature, we usually write that feature into the theme instead.
Yes. We migrate from Wix, Squarespace, Drupal, Joomla, static sites and older WordPress installs, and we move sites off WordPress when that is the better call. Migrations include a full content audit, redirect mapping so your search rankings survive, and a staging site you approve before we switch DNS.
Yes. We build bilingual sites with proper language switching, translated URLs, correct hreflang markup and a workflow your French editors can actually use. We plan the translation approach during content modelling, so the second language is part of the build rather than something bolted on afterwards.
Let’s connect
Tell us what you’re building. We’ll reply within one business day with next steps and a tailored quote — no obligation.