• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Store
  • Support
  • Theme Documentation
  • My Account
  • Cart

9seeds

Building Custom WordPress Solutions | Plugin Development

 
  • Custom Development
  • Themes
  • Plugins
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog

9seeds

Custom Theme Design Offers More Choice in WordPress

Posted on August 22, 2017

Clients often come to us with ideas and excitement requesting certain website functionality. We believe virtually everything is possible with WordPress. Due to this, defining our scope of work is really about determining the development hours necessary to accomplish the client goals. Clients may not understand the complexity of their requests and explanation and education is required for us to work together.

We strive to provide flexible, high functioning websites that deliver maximum value.

Achieving our clients’ business goals is always at the forefront. That means that while we present options in website development, sometimes the best solutions is custom theme design, while others times the best solution may be to use an existing theme with some slight tweaking to suit.

Regardless, we start any website development project the same with the following considerations:

  • What is the overarching goal and purpose of the website?
  • What are the functional requirements to achieve those goals?
  • What is the available budget?
  • How long is the timeline?

Once we’ve determined the answers to those questions, we delve a little deeper.

  • How can we achieve the stated goals while being good stewards of the project budget?
  • Will making modifications to an existing theme deliver the desired result?
  • If so, which theme should we choose? There are 10’s of thousands but we have favorite starter themes for these types of projects.
  • Will the ultimate solution meet all of the needs of the client?

When an existing theme is not the answer, we discuss custom theme design.

Custom Theme Design – What Is It?

In a word, flexible.

Functionality, design and features are limitless in custom website development. If you can think it, we can create it. We outline the project, define the specifics, determine the cost and happily get to work putting it all together to serve your needs.

However, on a practical note, time equals money, so budget is often a reason that custom theme design may not be the answer that best meets the need of the client.

Another reason custom theme design can be challenging from a cost and timeline perspective is that we are often not using an “out-of the-box” solution for site features and functions as well. We will always try to keep costs down by leveraging existing open source software. Asking detailed intake questions is critically important as these features must be specifically determined during the project outline phase. Bespoke custom functionality can always be added, but it will increase the overall cost of the website.

If the budget is limited, it may make sense to discuss the possibility of using an existing theme to achieve a goal that closely meets client expectations.

This method can reduce the amount of time needed in development and therefore reduce the overall cost of the new website. Functionality requests may require custom coding, even when using an existing theme. However, the total hours needed are fewer than the requirements for custom theme design.

The biggest drawbacks to non-custom theme use include:

  • Theme Bloat – Existing themes may utilize less efficient code and reduce the speed of your website. Every switch and toggle a theme includes adds some overhead that can result in longer load times that affect the overall health of the site.
  • Overwhelm – While it may be possible for your website to have a switch and toggle to be adapted to every whim, it is never advisable. We prefer to keep both the code and interface minimalistic to avoid confusion and conflicting functions.
  • Limited Options – Adapting an existing theme to specific requirements can be even more work than having created it from scratch. The chosen theme may use a methodology that is not intuitive to the end user and is difficult for developers to customize.

The bottom line boils down to a satisfying end user experience and remaining within budget requirements. Our job is to deliver a website that meets the vision of our client using the best technology. When a website vision is achievable through an existing theme, we determine a workable solution. Otherwise, we move to custom theme design and guide clients through the process.

Either way we meet our clients’ business goals by providing flexible, high functioning websites that deliver maximum value to our clients. In the end, that is the best fit for all involved.

Do you want to talk more about your theme design needs?  Reach out to us. We’d be happy to talk further.

Continue Reading

9seeds

    More by 9seeds
    Sponsoring WordCamps like Lehigh Valley.

    Sponsoring WordCamps in Leigh Valley and Worldwide

    Posted on August 17, 2017

    Sponsoring WordCamps is one of our favorite ways we give back to the greater WordPress community. With so many WordCamps happening ALL around the world, we can’t sponsor them all. We generally focus on sponsoring the ones where 9seeds has someone attending or speaking. However  there are times when someone reaches out and asks us to sponsor. In these cases, we gladly pitch in.

    WordCamp Leigh Valley was an example of that. Ken Kramer whom has long helped out in the Web Savvy Marketing theme support forums, and now 9seeds theme support forums. He is one of the organizers for WordCamp Lehigh Valley. He reached out to ask if we would sponsor and I jumped at the opportunity!

    “We started sponsoring WordCamps when they were all “small camps,” and those are still my favorites to sponsor. First, small camps tend to have the most trouble finding sponsors, but also I’m nostalgic and miss the intimate community feel one can get at a smaller camp. ” – Jon Brown, Founder, 9seeds

    Review the schedule or click on a session title to review the information shared at this special WordCamp.

    We weren’t able to attend the actual WordCamp Leigh Valley, but I’m hoping to stop by their local meetup group the next time I’m in Pennsylvania visiting friends in the area.

    Continue Reading

    9seeds

      More by 9seeds

      Sponsoring Another WordCamp, Orange County 2017 #WCOC!

      Posted on June 10, 2017

       

      Once again 9seeds is honored to be one of the many awesome sponsors of WordCamp Orange County 2017 happening this weekend in Orange County, California.

      At 9seeds we’ve all long been avid attendees, speakers, sponsors, and even organizers of  WordCamps around the world, from Las Vegas to Bangkok. WordCamp Orange County, however, has a very unique and special place in all our hearts and in particular Jon Brown’s WordPress history.

      For 9seeds there are a lot of first and milestones that have occurred at this long-running cornerstone of the WordCamp Community.

      9seeds sponsored the first ever WordCamp Orange County in 2010 and it was where Jon Brown first met John Hawkins and Todd Huish!

      9seeds sponsored WordCamp Orange County again in 2011 and this year, 2017, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been involved in every WordCamp Orange County in between!

      Jon Brown and John Hawkins have both spoken at WordCamp Orange County multiple times over the years: 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016 (both of us taking a turn in 2016).

      WordCamp Orange County was huge for me personally as well.  As mentioned above it was the first camp I ever attended and that years organizers Brandon Dove and Jeff Zinn of Pixel Jar have been friends and mentors ever since. It was where I did my first talk on my journey from freelancer to agency owner while being a remote worker and digital nomad in 2014.

      Oh, and Jon Brown is helping organize this year as well.

       

       

      Continue Reading

      9seeds

        More by 9seeds

        Footer

        Get in Touch

        • New Project Inquiry
        • Product Support and General Inquiry
        • Store Purchase Terms and Conditions
        • Store FAQ
        • Cookie Policy
        • Privacy Policy

        Our Services

        • Custom WP Development
        • Theme Store
        • Plugin Store

        WordPress Plugins for Sale

        • Time Tracker
        • Authorize.net SIM Gateway

        WordPress Plugins for Free

        • Simple Calendar
        • WP Chargify
        • Facebook
        • Twitter
        • LinkedIn
        • WordPress
        • GitHub

        Copyright 2025 | 9seeds, LLC

        Like nearly all websites this one uses cookies too. Like most users we think consent banners like these are a dumb solution, but it's what we've got until new laws are passed. We use cookies on our website for remembering your preferences, for example if you're logged in or what is in your cart. We also use 3rd party cookies for analytics so we know what pages on the site are most popular. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
        Do not sell my personal information.
        Cookie SettingsAccept
        Manage consent

        Privacy Overview

        This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience and may even preclude you being able to login to the website.
        Necessary
        Always Enabled
        Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
        CookieDurationDescription
        __stripe_mid1 yearThis cookie is set by Stripe payment gateway. This cookie is used to enable payment on the website without storing any patment information on a server.
        __stripe_sid30 minutesThis cookie is set by Stripe payment gateway. This cookie is used to enable payment on the website without storing any patment information on a server.
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Analytics" category .
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-others1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Others".
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Performance".
        Functional
        Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
        Performance
        Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
        Analytics
        Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
        CookieDurationDescription
        _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
        _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
        CONSENT2 yearsYouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
        Advertisement
        Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
        CookieDurationDescription
        VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysA cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
        YSCsessionYSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
        yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
        yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
        Others
        Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
        CookieDurationDescription
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
        SAVE & ACCEPT
        Powered by CookieYes Logo