Engineering & Software Development

CMS Developer

WordPress and Drupal sites break down when themes, plugins, and content structures get built ad hoc instead of as real code, updates become terrifying, and every new content type requires a workaround. We do code-first WordPress and Drupal development: themes, plugins and modules, and content architecture designed properly from the start, version-controlled like the rest of your codebase. This is for organizations whose CMS site has become fragile through years of point-and-click configuration, or who're building a new site and want it maintainable from day one. You get a CMS build your team can actually update without holding its breath.

This is a capability we deliver for you as a service, not a role we’re hiring for.

How We’d Approach This

A clear, staged plan, not a black box

These are the service-specific steps inside our six-step process.

1
Audit the existing theme, plugin/module set, and content architecture for fragility and technical debt.
2
Build the core content types and theme structure as version-controlled code, piloted on one section of the site.
3
Review the pilot section with your content team to confirm the editing experience actually works for them.
4
Complete the remaining site build with a deployment process that keeps future updates safe.

What You Get

Deliverables from this engagement

Version-controlled CMS theme and plugin/module code
Documented content architecture and content types
Safe deployment/update process for the CMS
Editor training or documentation for the content team

Six Ways We Could Architect This

Different engagement, different build, pick the shape that fits

There’s more than one way to deliver on this service. Browse a few of the ways we’d structure the work, depending on your speed, budget, and integration needs.

Read all 6 architectures as text

Lean Fast-Start Architecture

Content Layer

Content Editor
CMS Admin Panel

Code First Build

Version Controlled Theme Repo
Version Controlled Plugin Repo
Custom Content Type

Simple Deploy

Git Push Deploy Hook
Staging Preview Check
Single Hosting Server
Pre Deploy Backup Snapshot

Output

Published Page
Basic Editor Documentation
Short Editor Training Session

Cloud-Native / Managed Services Architecture

Version Controlled Source

Theme and Module Code Repo
Content Type Definitions

Managed CMS Hosting

Managed WordPress or Drupal Platform
Managed Staging Environment
Managed Content Preview Links
Managed Production Environment

Managed Content Delivery

Managed CDN
Managed Image Optimization
Managed Traffic Analytics

Managed Operations

Managed Automated Backups
Managed Uptime Monitoring
Managed Security Patching
Managed Editor Role Permissions

Event-Driven & Automation-First Architecture

Automated Triggers

Git Push to Main
Scheduled Plugin Update Check
Content Publish Event

CMS Automation Engine

Automated Build Pipeline
Automated Content Migration Runner
Automated Plugin Compatibility Test

Automated Deploy Actions

Auto Deploy to Staging
Auto Deploy to Production
Automated Post Deploy Smoke Test
Automated Cache Purge

Feedback Loop

Slack Deploy Notification
Automated Rollback Trigger

Enterprise-Grade & Compliance-Ready Architecture

Content Governance

Editorial Governance Policy
Role Based Editorial Workflow
Accessibility Compliance Standard

Approval Workflow

Draft Content
Editor Approval Gate
Legal and Brand Review

Redundant Infrastructure

Multi Site Content Network
Primary Hosting Region
Redundant Hosting Region
Documented Disaster Recovery Plan

Audit and Compliance

Immutable Content Audit Trail
Automated Accessibility Scan Report
Compliance Sign Off

AI-Augmented, Human-in-the-Loop Architecture

Input Layer

Content Model Request
Existing Site Structure

AI CMS Development Assistant

AI Generated Content Type Schema
AI Generated Migration Code
AI Accessibility and SEO Suggestions

Human Approval Checkpoint

Developer Code Review
Approve Merge and Publish

Output Layer

Merged Into Theme Repo
Shareable Preview Link
Content Lead Final Signoff
Published to Live Site
Sent Back for Revision

Integration-Heavy / Ecosystem-Connected Architecture

Existing Marketing Stack

Marketing Automation Platform
CRM System
Web Analytics Tool
Digital Asset Management System

CMS Platform Core

Custom Theme and Modules
Existing E Commerce Plugin
Content API Layer

Two Way Integrations

Lead Form Sync
DAM Asset Connector
Analytics Tag Integration

Output Layer

New Lead Record
Published Media Asset

Ready to get started?

Tell us what you’re trying to get done and we’ll help you find the highest-leverage place to start, scoped small enough to prove itself before you commit to anything bigger.

Talk to us about CMS Developer

Most engagements like this start as a $500–$2,500 pilot, see full pricing.