WordPress Agency: How We Build Sites That Perform
I run a WordPress agency in Melbourne that’s a little different. We don’t just build good-looking websites — we build platforms that convert, load fast, and are easy for your team to manage. Since 2009, I’ve worked hands-on in WordPress, starting out building blog themes for mates and slowly growing into what’s now a full-service development and design team.
Over the years, I’ve learned that every business is different, and so is every build. Some businesses need tight control over content. Others want pixel-perfect design with total layout flexibility. And some need a full custom build built to scale from day one. That’s why we don’t stick to just one way of doing things. Instead, we use the right tool for the right outcome.
The Way We Work as a WordPress Agency in Melbourne
Every website starts with a conversation — not a quote. We talk about what you’re selling, who your customer is, and how your site needs to work for your team. Then we figure out the best tech stack for that job.
We work with five main approaches to WordPress development, depending on what you need: Gutenberg, Elementor, ACF, Roots Sage, and Bootstrap.
Let me break each one down.
Gutenberg: WordPress’s Native Editor
For most content-heavy businesses — think service providers, agencies, consultants — Gutenberg is the best tool. It’s the native block editor built into WordPress and gets better with every release. The benefit? You don’t need a page builder plugin or custom code to update your content.
As a WordPress agency we build custom blocks and patterns that look sharp and are dead simple for your team to update. Everything is fast, clean, and built right into WordPress core. We’ve even created full sites using only Gutenberg and native patterns that outperform page builder setups in both load speed and SEO.
If you want a clean site that loads fast and is easy to manage — and you don’t need flashy animations or layouts — Gutenberg is perfect.
Elementor: For Full Creative Control
Sometimes, you want more control. You want animations, hero sliders, sticky headers, or product grids that just feel right. That’s where Elementor comes in.
We use Elementor Pro when design flexibility is a priority — especially for ecommerce stores, landing pages, or visually driven brands. It lets us create advanced layouts without writing custom front-end code, which can speed up your project and make ongoing edits easier for your team.
Elementor is ideal when marketing teams want to build and test their own pages. It gives you freedom to design, without waiting on a developer.
ACF: Advanced Custom Fields for Structured Content
ACF is a WordPress plugin that lets us build complex layouts and structured content. It’s the glue between design and data — and we use it on nearly every custom project.
With ACF, we create flexible content layouts for things like:
- Team profiles
- Service modules
- Feature blocks
- Case studies
- Resource libraries
Your team gets a clean backend view that’s easy to fill in — no guesswork, no broken layouts. This is the sweet spot for businesses that care about brand consistency and want to avoid layout drift.
Roots Sage: Our Developer-Focused Framework
For high-performance builds, we use Roots Sage. This is a developer-first theme framework that gives us total control over your site’s structure, speed, and security.
It’s not for everyone — it’s more advanced and takes longer to build — but for sites with serious traffic or custom backend requirements, Sage is perfect. We use Blade templating (the same used in Laravel), SCSS, and modern JavaScript tools like Vite or Webpack. It means faster page loads, cleaner code, and fewer headaches down the line.
If you’re running an enterprise site, membership platform, or fast-scaling ecommerce store, Sage gives you the reliability and performance edge.
Bootstrap: For Consistent, Responsive Design
We often pair Roots or custom themes with Bootstrap — a CSS framework that helps us build responsive, mobile-friendly layouts quickly.
We use Bootstrap when your site needs to follow strict UI consistency or when we want to get you to MVP fast. It’s ideal for SaaS sites, documentation pages, or anything that needs a tight layout grid with familiar styling patterns.
Bootstrap also makes your site more maintainable. If your in-house team wants to make future changes, they’ll be working with something familiar and widely supported.
How We Choose the Right Approach
Every business we work with is different, so we don’t lock ourselves into a single tool. Instead, we match the right approach to your goals.
Here’s how we typically decide:
| Requirement | Our Go-To Tool |
|---|---|
| Fast-loading marketing site | Gutenberg + ACF |
| Lots of custom content blocks | Gutenberg + ACF |
| Beautiful landing pages | Elementor Pro |
| Structured backend + flexible design | ACF |
| Large-scale custom themes | Roots Sage + Bootstrap |
| Consistent, responsive layout | Bootstrap |
Real Examples From Our Clients
- Trades business: We rebuilt their site using Gutenberg + ACF. Now they can update all content in seconds without touching a layout, and their site loads in under 1 second.
- Ecommerce brand: Built out a full product landing ecosystem using Elementor, tied in with WooCommerce and custom tracking. Result? Doubled their conversion rate within 60 days.
- Legal firm: Created structured templates using ACF for staff profiles, service areas, and case studies. Their team can now create new content without breaking design.
- B2B SaaS: Fully custom Roots theme with Bootstrap for UI consistency. We integrated custom APIs, dashboards, and user accounts — all on WordPress.
We’ve tested every setup, every plugin, and every method in the real world. That’s what makes us a reliable WordPress agency Melbourne businesses can count on.
SEO and Performance Built-In
It doesn’t matter how pretty your site is if it doesn’t load fast or rank well.
Every build we launch is:
- Lightweight and bloat-free
- SEO-optimized out of the box
- Mobile-friendly
- Schema‑enabled (for rich results)
- Google Analytics and Tag Manager ready
- Core Web Vitals compliant
We don’t just hand over a site and wish you luck. We stay involved post-launch with performance checks, content tuning, and technical SEO audits. The goal is always the same: make your site work harder.
Why Choose a Local WordPress Agency in Melbourne?
Because we understand your market. We’ve worked with local service providers, ecommerce brands, NFPs, and consultants across Australia — and we bring that experience to every new build.
We know the tools you use. We know the goals you have. And we don’t outsource overseas or hand you off to juniors. You get straight-talking, technically-skilled locals who care about your business.
You don’t need a giant agency. You need a nimble, experienced team who knows how to build it right the first time.
Book a Free Strategy Call
Whether you’re planning a redesign or starting from scratch, we can help you:
- Choose the right WordPress build method
- Map out your content and design structure
- Launch a fast, SEO‑friendly site
- Get ongoing support that actually supports you
Book a call today and let’s make your WordPress site work harder for your business.
Projects
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Hydraulic Online
Custom WordPress Build with Ecwid integration Custom WordPress Build with Ecwid integration Category Development Client Hydraulic Online Publish Date 14th April 2025 Designer Jane James [ TRAUMA AND EMDR] Australia’s largest hydraulic store. Hydraulic Online is a wholesale direct to public Hydraulic store. Their previous site needed rebuilding from a structure and design point of…
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Enlightenment Psychology
Custom WordPress Build with pracsuite integration Custom UX, and custom WordPress Build with Pracsuite integration Category Development Client Enlightenment Psychology Publish Date 12th May 2025 Designer Jane James [ TRAUMA AND EMDR] Compassionate care for your mental wellbeing Enlightenment psychology is a start up psychology and counselling practice specialising in ADHD, Autism, cognitive decline, anxiety…
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Lindsay Munyard
Custom WordPress Build with pracsuite integration Custom UX, and custom WordPress Build with Pracsuite integration Category Development Client Lindsay Munyard Publish Date 14th April 2025 Designer Jane James [ TRAUMA AND EMDR] Supporting growth, connection and a path forward Lindsay is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker who works with children, families and adolescents through…
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Commonality
Custom Shopify Build from brand design Custom Shopify development with profit margins, colour variants and payment gateway setup. Category Development Client Commonality Publish Date 14th April 2025 Designer Jane James [ SOLUTIONS] A store that puts sustainability before fast fashion. Commonality is a radically transparent online marketplace, offering a curated collection of high-quality, beautiful products…
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Mod Living
Custom WordPress with gated content Custom WordPress development with gated content. Category Development Client Mod Living Publish Date 19th March 2025 Designer Jane James [ MODULAR HOUSING] The pursuit of adaptable,high-quality and sustainable livingsolutions to meet life’s evolving needs. Mod Living presents a unique solution to the housing crisis- modular homes that can be constructed…
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State of Soul
Custom WordPress with Mindbody integration Custom WordPress development with Mindbody to handle payments and bookings Category Development Client State of Soul Publish Date 12th December 2024 Designer Jane James [ SOLUTIONS] A designer yoga studio with big dreams. State of Soul is a boutique yoga studio in Melbourne. As a start up business, they needed…
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Elissa Hill
Custom WordPress with gated content Custom WordPress development with gated content. Category Development Client Elissa Hill Publish Date 07th October 2024 Designer Jane James [ COPYWRITING] Communicating with clarity, purpose and impact. Elissa Hill is a Melbourne copywriter who works with non profits and charities to help them communicate with clarity and impact. Her previous…
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Mental Health Australia
Custom WordPress Build with marketing automations. Custom WordPress development with Mailchimp integration. Category Development Client Mental Health Australia Publish Date 30th September 2024 Designer Jane James [ SOLUTIONS] Meaningful connections matter to your mental health. Mental health Australia does it’s annual World Mental health day each year to raise awareness and provide support to Australians…
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Natural Comfort
Custom WordPress with Woocommerce and twilio Custom WordPress development with Woocommerce to handle payments and twilio call forwarding. Category Development Client Natural Comfort Publish Date 12th April 2024 Designer Jane James [ SOLUTIONS] Australia’s premium adjustable beds and low-tox mattresses. Natural comfort is a premium latex bedding manufacture making custom made beds out of their…
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Megan Jordan
Custom WordPress with Photo gallery Custom WordPress development with photo gallery. Category Development Client Megan Jordan Publish Date 19th December 2023 Designer Jane James [ MODULAR HOUSING] Celebrating life at every occasion. Megan originally designed her own website, using a non code page builder that left her short on many functions.She wanted a design similar…
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Roshe gallery
Custom Shopify Build with klaviyo Integration Custom Shopify development with profit margins, colour variants and payment gateway setup. Category Development Client Roshe Gallery Publish Date 12th December 2023 Designer Jane James [ SOLUTIONS] A high end store for a designer brand. Roshe Gallery is where art meets functionality, and they needed a modern contemporary site…
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Cinemotive
Custom WordPress with photo gallery embed Custom WordPress development with photo gallery embed. Category Development Client Cinemotive Publish Date 12th December 2023 Designer Jane James [ SOLUTIONS] Award winning photography and videography to capture your special day. Cinemotive is an award winning wedding photographer and videographer in the Southern highlands of New South Wales. they…
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