# Custom WordPress themes

> A custom WordPress theme built for your business instead of a bought template, fast, easy to edit and free of the bloat that slows template sites down.

- Includes: Every page your site needs, CMS for easy edits, SEO & analytics setup, Support after launch
- Typical timeline: 3 to 5 weeks
- Price: quoted per project after a free email conversation
- By: Crashielab (https://crashielab.com/)

## Who it’s for

A custom WordPress theme is for businesses that want WordPress, or already have it, but have outgrown a template.

Typical signs: the site looks like many others, it loads slowly, small changes break the layout, or it relies on a page builder and a stack of plugins nobody quite understands any more.

If you are not set on WordPress, the guide to [Astro or WordPress](/guides/astro-vs-wordpress/) explains when each one is the better choice.

## What you get

- A design made for your business, which you see and shape before any code is written
- A theme coded from scratch, with only the features your site uses
- Editable content through the block editor or Elementor, plus settings for headlines and contact details
- Fast pages, with optimised images and very little code sent to the browser
- Responsive on every device, and tested on real phones
- Forms, such as quote or contact forms, shaped around what you need to know
- A handover so you know how to edit the site and keep it up to date

## How it works

We start by email with what the site is for, who visits it and what isn’t working today. From that comes a written scope with the pages, features, timeline and price.

You then see the design and can shape it before the theme is built. The site is tested on real devices, and you check a proof of the finished build before anything goes live.

## Faster than a template

Most of the weight in a template site comes from features it doesn’t use: sliders, animations, layout options and plugins loaded on every page. A custom theme leaves all of that out, so pages load faster and are easier to keep working when WordPress updates.

## Examples

[Secret Technologies](/projects/secret-technologies-connected-home/) is a connected-home services website built as a custom WordPress theme, with editable headline and contact settings and support for the block editor and Elementor.

The [Engraved Wood & Glass Shop](/projects/engraved-wood-glass-shop/) pairs a custom WordPress theme with a WooCommerce plugin for engraved products.

## Why work with an independent developer

The person who designs your theme is the person who codes it. When you need a new page type or section later, you are talking to someone who knows exactly how the theme is put together.

## Questions

### What is a custom WordPress theme?

The theme controls how a WordPress site looks and behaves. A custom theme is designed and coded for your site alone, instead of bought ready-made and adjusted.

### Why not use a premium theme?

Premium themes try to suit everyone, so they carry features you will never use, which makes them slower and harder to change. A custom theme only includes what your site needs.

### Can I still edit my site myself?

Yes. Pages stay editable in WordPress, and the theme can support the block editor or Elementor, with your headlines, contact details and settings editable from the dashboard.

### Can you rebuild the theme on my existing WordPress site?

Usually, yes. Your content stays in WordPress and the new theme replaces how it is displayed. The scope covers what moves over and what needs rework.

### Do we need to have a call?

No. Everything happens by email, at a pace that suits you.