WordPress Development
Custom WordPress Development — When Plugins Don't Cut It.
Most WordPress problems have an off-the-shelf solution. But when they don’t, custom WordPress development is the answer — a piece of code built for your specific requirement, connecting to the systems you actually use, working cleanly inside your WordPress site without fighting with everything else.
This is the work I find most interesting — problems that require proper thinking, not just configuration. If you’ve got a specific technical challenge and you’re not sure whether it’s solvable, get in touch. I’ll give you an honest view.
Does this sound familiar?
- You've bolted together five plugins to do something one piece of code should handle cleanly
- You've been quoted £20,000 for a development project that sounds like two weeks' work
- You're maintaining a manual workaround because you can't find a plugin that does it right
- A plugin that was supposed to solve the problem breaks every WordPress update
That's what we're for.
What we build
What we build
01
Custom WordPress Plugins
Custom plugins built for your specific requirements.
If you know what you need but aren’t sure whether a plugin or a different approach is the right answer, that’s worth a conversation first.
Includes
- Booking and reservation systems with custom business logic
- Custom post types and data structures for specific content workflows
- Licence and subscription management systems
- Custom admin interfaces and dashboards for non-technical site managers
- Automated content workflows and publishing tools
- Custom e-commerce functionality outside WooCommerce’s standard scope
- Reporting and data export tools
02
API Integrations
Connecting WordPress to the systems your business actually runs on.
WordPress API integration work covers everything from CRM connections to payment gateways, logistics platforms to government APIs.
If the API exists and is documented, we can almost certainly build the integration.
If you’re not sure whether what you need is achievable, a brief conversation usually answers that quickly.
Includes
- CRM integrations — Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, and others — connecting forms, user data, and purchase history
- Payment gateway integrations beyond WooCommerce’s standard options
- Logistics and fulfilment API connections for WooCommerce stores
- Accounting software integrations — Xero, QuickBooks, Sage
- Email and marketing platform connections — beyond standard form-to-list setups
- Booking and scheduling platform integrations
- Government and regulatory API connections
- Custom webhook handlers and data pipelines between systems
- Single sign-on (SSO) and authentication integrations
03
WooCommerce Extensions
WooCommerce doing things it doesn’t do out of the box.
Sometimes you need business logic that no plugin supports.
Includes
- Custom pricing rules and discount logic
- Bespoke checkout flows for specific product types or customer groups
- Integration between WooCommerce orders and external fulfilment or ERP systems
- Custom order status workflows
- Subscription and membership logic beyond standard plugins
- Product configurators and custom product types
- B2B functionality — trade accounts, tiered pricing, purchase order workflows
No surprises. No scope creep by stealth.
How a project works
Custom development projects follow a straightforward process. No surprises, no scope creep by stealth, no disappearing after the brief is signed.
1
Discovery conversation
We start with a call or email exchange to understand what you’re trying to achieve. Not a formal discovery process — just enough to understand the problem properly before anyone commits to anything.
2
Scope and fixed quote
Once we understand the requirement, we’ll provide a written scope of what we’ll build and a fixed price. If something is genuinely too uncertain to price at this stage, we’ll tell you that and suggest a time-and-materials arrangement for an initial phase instead. We don’t give fixed quotes for things we can’t reliably estimate.
3
Build and delivery
Work is done in stages with check-ins along the way. You won’t go weeks without hearing anything and then get handed a finished product. Code is clean, documented, and built to work with future WordPress updates rather than against them.
4
Handover and support
On completion, you get the plugin code, documentation covering what it does and how it works, and a handover call if needed. Ongoing support and maintenance can be handled as part of a care plan, or as a separate retainer if the project warrants it.
Start the conversation
You don't need a full brief.
A plain description of the problem is enough to start. We'll come back with an honest view on whether it's something we can help with and what the next step looks like.
Get in touch about your projectIs this the right service for your project?
Good fit
Custom development is the right answer when:
- The problem is clearly defined but no adequate off-the-shelf solution exists
- You need WordPress to connect reliably with another system via its API
- You’ve tried plugins and they’re not working well enough
- You need business-specific logic that general tools can’t accommodate
- You want clean, maintainable code rather than a stack of third-party plugins
Not so good
It's probably not the right answer when:
- The requirement is vague or still evolving — better to define it before building
- An existing plugin would do the job with minor configuration — we’ll tell you if that’s the case
- The project scope is better suited to a full agency engagement with design, strategy, and project management
We’re straightforward about this. If a custom plugin isn’t the right solution for what you’re describing, we’ll say so and suggest what is. We’d rather have that conversation early than take on a project that isn’t the right fit.
About Xinc
Who's doing the work
Xinc Digital is led by Mark Benewith. With over 20 years building and maintaining WordPress sites — across hosting infrastructure, custom plugin development, WooCommerce, security, and performance — the technical work is handled by someone who’s seen it all.
When you’re on a care plan, you’re not dealing with a junior developer or an overseas helpdesk. You’re working directly with the person who knows your site, handles your updates, and responds when something needs attention.
For operational continuity, we work with a trusted group of developers we’ve collaborated with over the years — so there’s always cover if something requires additional capacity. Your site won’t be left unattended.
We’re straightforward about scope. Care plans cover technical work — updates, security, fixes, performance.
Common questions
FAQ
How do you price custom development?
Fixed price where the scope is clear enough to price reliably. Time and materials for exploratory or iterative work where the requirements are likely to evolve. We’ll tell you upfront which applies to your project and why.
How long does a typical project take?
It varies enormously depending on complexity. A focused API integration might be a week’s work. A complex custom plugin with a bespoke admin interface might be four to six weeks. We’ll give you a realistic timeline as part of the quote — and we stick to it.
Do I own the code?
Yes. On completion of the project and payment, the code is yours. We retain the right to reuse generic patterns and approaches, but the specific implementation built for your requirements belongs to you.
Can you maintain and update the plugin after it's built?
Yes — ongoing maintenance can be incorporated into a care plan, or handled as a separate arrangement if you’re not hosting with us. WordPress updates occasionally break custom code; we build to minimise this but ongoing maintenance catches it when it happens.
What if my requirements change during the build?
Minor scope changes are usually absorbed without issue. Significant changes to requirements mid-build are handled as a change request — we’ll agree the impact on price and timeline before proceeding. We don’t silently bank scope creep and invoice it at the end.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, where the project requires it.
Can you work with our existing developer or agency?
Yes — we’ve worked as a specialist contractor alongside in-house developers and agencies who needed specific WordPress or PHP expertise they didn’t have internally. Get in touch and we can discuss how that would work.
Get in touch
Describe the problem.
You don't need a detailed brief. Tell us what you're trying to achieve and we'll tell you honestly if we can help.
Start a conversationTell us about your project
If you have a technical problem that off-the-shelf WordPress plugins aren’t solving, get in touch with a description of what you’re trying to achieve. You don’t need a full brief — a plain description of the problem is enough to start the conversation.
We’ll come back to you with an honest view on whether it’s something we can help with, roughly what it might involve, and what the next step looks like.