Service / 02
WooCommerce is a strong fit when you need WordPress-native editorial control alongside ecommerce, or a complex catalogue Shopify charges you handsomely to handle. Our default is a bespoke theme that performs like Shopify (Lighthouse 95+) and bakes SEO in from the start.
What it unlocks
Built for businesses that want WordPress ownership, editorial flexibility for content alongside catalogue, and a store that holds its performance as the marketing stack grows.
Capabilities
Engagement rhythm
Free scoping call and fixed-price quote
Discovery and IA
Design and build
Launch and post-launch growth
What we do
Our default is a custom theme written from scratch, using WordPress's native block editor (Gutenberg) plus bespoke WooCommerce templates. It keeps the plugin layer light, which matters more on WooCommerce than on a brochure site. When a client genuinely needs the compositional freedom of a page builder (Elementor, Bricks, Breakdance, Divi) for ongoing landing-page work, we set one up with the discipline that makes it work: tight block library, performance budget, opinionated defaults, and training for your team. We talk you through the trade-offs in the scoping call rather than pushing a single answer.
Lighthouse 95+ on mobile is the floor we aim at. Optimised images via Imagify or ShortPixel, lazy-loaded media, deferred third-party scripts, server-side caching tuned. WooCommerce already carries a plugin layer, so performance discipline matters; we keep an eye on it whether the front end is a bespoke theme or a page-builder build. Performance affects rankings, conversion, and ad quality scores, so it gets treated as a build target rather than a post-launch tweak.
Product pages designed around buyer questions: sizing, fit, returns, lead time, social proof. WooCommerce's native PDP structure extended with custom tabs, FAQ accordions, urgency components, review aggregation. Checkout decluttered, fields trimmed to what is actually needed, payment gateways prioritised by what your buyers actually use.
Schema (Product, Review, Breadcrumb, FAQPage) deployed natively without relying on Yoast or Rank Math to render it. Sitemap structure that scales to 10,000+ products. Internal linking patterns, related products, and content cluster architecture built in. Rank Math or Yoast for editorial workflow, but the schema and structured data are not left to plugin defaults.
Payment gateways (Payfast, Yoco, PayGate, Stripe, PayPal), courier integrations (Bob Go, Shipper, The Courier Guy, Pargo for click-and-collect), CRM webhooks, Klaviyo or Mailchimp sync, ERP integrations for inventory and order flow. Wired up cleanly with REST API or WP Hooks, not duct-taped via Zapier when a direct integration is faster and more reliable.
Most build clients keep us on for paid media, SEO, or CRO. The same team that built the store knows where the optimisation surface is. We are happy to hand off cleanly too: full source code in your Git repo, full WordPress admin transfer, full documentation. No theme licence in our name, no agency-as-gatekeeper. Whatever stack you land on, the keys stay with you.
How an engagement runs
30-minute call to understand your catalogue, team workflow, current setup, and what success looks like. This is also where we talk through bespoke versus page-builder for your situation and agree the right call together. Within 48 hours: fixed-price quote and timeline. Scope-creep is handled by agreeing new line items before any work begins on them; no surprise invoices.
Catalogue audit (simple, variable, grouped, subscription products). Workflow audit (who edits what, which roles need which capabilities, how much page-composition freedom the team actually needs). IA design: navigation, taxonomy, PDP structure, blog or content section integration. Wireframes signed off before pixel work.
Design in Figma. Theme build using the native block editor plus WooCommerce template overrides, or a page-builder setup with a tight block library if that is the agreed route. Custom blocks for the editorial team. Payment gateways and couriers integrated. Schema and SEO foundations deployed. Staging walkthroughs at the 50 and 100 percent marks.
Migration weekend if needed. 301 redirects across the full URL structure. Search Console and Google Merchant Centre re-verified. First 30 days bug-fix included. Optional retainer kicks in for ongoing CRO, content programme, or maintenance plan.
The lay of the land
A lot of the WooCommerce stores we inherit are built on Elementor, WPBakery, or Divi, and many of them were set up without much performance discipline. The result is often a Lighthouse score in the 40s or 50s, which has a real cost: every 100ms of load delay tends to knock 1 to 2 percent off conversion, and slower PDPs push CPCs up via Google Ads quality score. It is not that page builders are inherently bad; it is that on WooCommerce, where the plugin layer already adds weight, sloppy setup compounds quickly. When we recommend bespoke as the default, that is the reason.
The trade-off marketing teams worry about is editorial flexibility, and it is a fair concern. WordPress's native block editor (Gutenberg) has matured a lot. With custom blocks built for your brand (hero, feature row, FAQ, CTA, testimonial, product carousel, and so on), the editorial team gets genuine composition tools without much of the page-builder weight. For many teams that lands in the sweet spot. For others, especially marketing teams that build new landing pages weekly and want full canvas-level control, a properly configured page builder is the better fit, and we will say so. When that is the call, we set it up with a tight block library, a performance budget, and training so the long-term result holds up.
WooCommerce has caught up to Shopify on most fronts, and beats it on three: editorial flexibility (because it lives inside WordPress), B2B and complex pricing logic (without the Shopify Plus tier jump), and ownership (no platform transaction fees, no usage tiers, no theme licence in someone else's name). The trade-offs are performance discipline (Shopify enforces it; WooCommerce asks you to maintain it) and hosting (Shopify is managed; WooCommerce needs managed WordPress hosting like Kinsta or Cloudways). For the right business, both trades are well worth taking.
FAQ
Similar mechanics to Shopify. The scoping call ends with a fixed-price quote within 48 hours, line-itemed by scope and timeline. B2B pricing tiers, subscription, and ERP integrations move the timeline and budget; we are specific in the quote about what is included and what is not.
Yes, when it is the right fit. Our default for WooCommerce is a bespoke theme because the plugin layer already adds weight, and a tight, code-first front end is the most reliable way to hold Lighthouse 95+ over the long term. That said, if your team needs canvas-level editorial control (for example you ship new landing pages every week and want to compose them without a developer), a properly configured page builder can be the better answer. When we go that route we set it up with discipline: a focused block library, a performance budget, image and script hygiene, and training so the build keeps its shape. We will walk you through the trade-offs in the scoping call and recommend the path that fits your team.
WooCommerce native plus extension stack: B2B for WooCommerce, Wholesale Suite, or custom-built role-based pricing depending on what fits. Variable product structures, hidden products by role, custom shipping rules per customer group, and approval workflows. We have done R50m+ B2B sites entirely on WooCommerce; it is more flexible than Shopify (and Shopify Plus B2B) once configured properly.
Managed WordPress hosting is the right home: Kinsta, Cloudways, WP Engine. We can advise on the right tier based on traffic and catalogue. Shared hosting or low-tier WordPress hosting will undo the performance work we do at the build level; we will be direct about that in the scoping call.
Depends on catalogue complexity, B2B vs B2C mix, editorial needs, and how much you value owning the platform vs paying Shopify's transaction fees. Both work for most businesses. We are platform-agnostic in the scoping call; the recommendation follows your business model, not our preference.
Yes. On a bespoke build, custom Gutenberg blocks built for your brand mean your editorial team can compose new landing pages, add product collections, and update marketing content without a developer. On a page-builder build, we set up a scoped block library and naming conventions so the team has freedom without the build drifting. Either way, we train your team during handover. Optional retainer covers anything more complex than a content edit.
Yes. Product, customer, and order data migrated cleanly. 301 redirects across the full URL structure to protect organic traffic. Schema and structured data re-deployed. Migration weekend scheduled to your lowest-traffic window.
Everything we do
Pick any other engagement that fits your business, or take the whole stack from one senior team.
Custom Shopify themes, performance-tuned from launch, conversion-led PDPs, SEO and Merchant Centre wired clean.
Custom WooCommerce themes that perform like Shopify, with the editorial flexibility and ownership of WordPress.
Custom WordPress sites built code-first as the default, with the option of a properly configured page builder when your team needs ongoing editorial freedom.
We update, back up, monitor, and patch your WordPress site every week so a stale plugin never takes your business offline.
Technical SEO, content, local, schema, and Search Console health, run as a retainer and measured against revenue.
Most Shopify SEO is left to an app that emits duplicate or invalid schema. We do the work in Liquid, where it belongs.
WooCommerce SEO done at theme and plugin level, not delegated to the Yoast WooCommerce add-on.
WordPress SEO done at theme, plugin, and hosting level, not delegated to a Yoast or Rank Math settings page.
We build Google Ads accounts around conversions: tight structure, clean tracking, landing pages that match the query.
Paid search, paid social, SEO, content, and analytics run by the same senior people, with reporting tied to pipeline.
Most PPC agencies run Google only. We run Google plus Microsoft Ads in parallel, with cross-channel tracking and audience strategy.
Shopping and Performance Max are the start, not the strategy. We run the full funnel for ecommerce accounts, with margin context, not just ROAS.
Shopify-specific Google Ads work: native Merchant Centre integration, customer-list sync, Shopify Audiences, and PDP-level CRO.
Service businesses optimise to form fills. We optimise to sales-qualified leads and closed-won revenue, wired into your CRM.
We run Facebook and Instagram Ads with senior account managers, server-side tracking, and continuous creative testing so spend earns its keep.
No templates. No page builders. Bespoke websites with Lighthouse 95+, SEO foundations baked in, and CMS controls that make sense.
Custom-built ecommerce, sized to your catalogue and ops. Shopify, WooCommerce, or custom-built; the platform follows the business model.
Cape Town-focused SEO: local pack and Google Business Profile, technical foundations, content, and GSC discipline, run as a retainer and measured against revenue.
Cape Town web design agency. Bespoke builds, Lighthouse 95+, SEO foundations baked in, CMS controls your team can actually use. In-person discovery meetings across the city.
Bespoke website builds engineered around your stack, your integrations, and how the site has to perform under real load. Custom code, headless where it fits, observability and security treated as deliverables.
Continuous CRO: diagnose where the funnel leaks, run hypothesis-led tests, measure against revenue, not vanity engagement metrics.