About me

I'm Warren.
I build WordPress
sites properly.

I’m a freelance WordPress designer and developer based in Toronto. I’ve been building websites for a living since 2005 and hand-coding custom WordPress sites since 2008. Most of my work is with agencies and growing companies who want a WordPress developer they can hand things to and stop worrying about, and who’ll still be there long after launch.

I care about craft. The sites I build are fast, clean and easy to maintain, not because a brief says so, but because I wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing I’d shipped something sloppy with my name on it.

Based in Toronto, Canada
Originally from Norwich, UK
Building websites 2005, 20+ years
Custom WordPress since 2008, 15+ years
Speciality Custom themes, no page builders
Works with Agencies & growing companies
Currently Researching how AI systems choose what to cite

How I got here

From Photoshop
in Norwich to
WordPress in Toronto

It started in my teens, when I got my hands on Photoshop and discovered a new passion for digital artwork and photo editing. I paid a friend to build me a simple website to show off my work and was disappointed enough with what came back that I reverse-engineered the code myself to try and fix it.

That was the moment. I’ve been coding ever since.

By the time WordPress became the dominant platform, I was already deep into custom theme development, building sites by hand in a way that most “WordPress developers” still don’t do. No page builders, no pre-built themes, no shortcuts. Just clean, purpose-built code that does exactly what it’s supposed to do and nothing else.

In 2009, I met someone rather wonderful on holiday and made what turns out to have been a very good decision: I flew to Canada to be with her. We got married, had two kids, and I’ve called Toronto home ever since. I still like her.

The business has grown naturally from there. Direct clients first, then more and more agency work, which is where most of it sits today, alongside a handful of companies I’ve worked with for years. I like the variety, and I like the long-term relationships that form when you consistently do what you say you’ll do.

Early 2000s
Photoshop, digital art, and a broken website
Discovered Photoshop in my teens. Got a basic site built to showcase my work. Hated it. Reverse-engineered the code. A new obsession was born, I was now a web developer hobbyist.
2005
Registered as self-employed and sold my first website
My first commercially sold website was for an Estate Agent company in Norwich, UK.
2008
First custom WordPress site, hand-coded from the start
Started building custom WordPress themes the way I still build them today. No page builders, no off-the-shelf themes, no compromises on code quality.
2009
Norwich to Toronto, a very good decision
Met someone wonderful on holiday, got on a plane, and moved to Canada. Married, two kids, still very happy about the whole thing.
2010s
Building a client base across the UK, Canada and US
Grew a steady roster of direct clients and agency partnerships across three countries. Developed the white-label workflow that most of my agency partners rely on today.
2020s
Long-term partners, AI visibility, still learning
Focused the business on long-term relationships with agencies and growing companies. Added AI visibility and GEO to what I do, and it's now most of what I'm researching.
Now
20 years in, I still care about every line of code
Based in Toronto, working with agencies and companies across Canada, the US and the UK. Building WordPress sites the way they should be built, for clients who notice the difference.

The work

20 years of craft.
Not 20 years of shortcuts.

There's a version of this job where you install a theme, drag some blocks around and call it done. That's not this. Every site I build is hand-coded, purpose-built, and designed to be fast, easy to maintain, and something I'm proud to have made.

2008

Building custom WordPress since

Every year since has added depth: new browser standards, changes in how WordPress is built, shifting SEO signals, and now how AI systems read a site. I've never stopped learning and the work shows it.

0

Page builders. Ever.

Not Elementor. Not Divi. Not Avada. Every site I've ever built is hand-coded custom PHP, CSS and JavaScript. The code is clean and the sites are fast, and when I open a site I built five years ago I know exactly what I'll find.

∞

Always researching something

It's rare that I'm not deep in something. Right now it's how AI systems decide what to cite, which is less a course than constant research, testing and iteration on real sites. The web moves fast and keeping up is part of the job I take seriously.

Always learning

The web moves fast.
I move with it.

Web development is one of those rare fields where standing still is the same as falling behind. Browser standards shift, WordPress architecture evolves, search algorithms change, and now AI is reshaping how websites get found entirely.

I’ve always treated learning as part of the job rather than an optional extra. I follow the people thinking hardest about where the web is going, contribute to the community where I can, and make sure every site I build reflects what’s current, not what was best practice five years ago.

The clients I’ve worked with longest tell me this is one of the things they value most: they don’t have to wonder whether the advice they’re getting is current. It is.

Currently researching

AI visibility & GEO
How AI systems choose what to cite: llms.txt, entity clarity, content structure, tested on live sites
Active
Core Web Vitals & INP
Interaction to Next Paint, the newest performance signal
Active
Modern WordPress architecture
Block themes, Full Site Editing, and where the CMS is heading
Ongoing
Accessibility standards
WCAG 2.2, ARIA patterns, and inclusive design in WordPress
Ongoing
"I love what I do, I have a great relationship with my clients, and my work gets better every year that passes."

I know that sounds like something you’d read on any freelancer’s website, but I mean it. I don’t get the Sunday dread. I look forward to opening the laptop. The problems are interesting, the clients are good people, and there’s something deeply satisfying about building something fast and beautiful and handing it to someone who’s excited to use it.

Paragraph about family, cars and Norwich City: unchanged.

If you care about quality, communicate clearly, and want a long-term technical partner rather than the cheapest option, I’ve got you.

Based in Toronto, Ontario, Eastern Time
Married, two kids, originally from Norwich, UK
Working globally since 2005, Canada, US, UK
Car enthusiast. This comes up more than you'd expect

From clients and partners

What it's like
working with me

"He really knows his stuff, but is very patient with less technical people and very good at explaining what he is doing and why."

"His service is exceptional, attention to detail and the response times to queries and changes, are just the best!. We’ve used him for multiple sites and I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking for website work "

Think we might be
a good fit?

The best way to find out is a short conversation. No pitch, no pressure, just an honest discussion about what you need and whether I can help.

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