Expert WordPress developer,
Newcastle & across the UK

Custom plugins, integrations, fixes and site rescues from a developer who has been building on WordPress for over 20 years. If your site needs something a theme or page builder can’t do, that’s the work I take on.

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WHY BALTIC DESIGN

Engineering, not decoration.

25+

Years building for the web

Building websites since 2001 and running Baltic Design since 2009, most of it inside WordPress and WooCommerce.

15+

Custom plugins

Plugins I've written and maintain, running on live stores: finance calculators, stock alerts, order tools and a full staircase configurator.

14 Years on one store

I've built and run the same WooCommerce store for 14 years. I build things to last, because I'm usually the one still maintaining them years later.

Recent Work

Sites I've shipped

View all work →

Oak World

Mowbray Advisory: Built on Trust

Mowbray Advisory is an OISC-regulated immigration adviser in Newcastle city centre. It helps individuals, families and businesses with UK visas, settlement and British citizenship, through to urgent bail cases.

What sets it apart is the personal service. Clients deal directly with their adviser from the first conversation to the final decision.

Hollinside Construction

Hollinside Construction had over 100 reviews and decades of combined experience, but a website that said the same thing on every page and pitched to landlords and small repair jobs.

The Tanning Shop: nearly tripling traffic across 90+ salons

The Tanning Shop, part of The Feel Good Group, is one of the UK’s largest tanning salon chains, with over 90 locations across the UK and Northern Ireland. As a franchise business, it has to balance a consistent national brand with the flexibility each salon needs locally. I was hired as a Senior Consultant in August 2022.

Local SEO Website for Dent Repair North East

Dent Repair North East, needed to increase local customer inquiries. Despite offering high-quality services, they struggled with visibility in local search results, which hindered their ability to attract potential clients. To address this, Dent Repair North East decided to invest in a new, locally optimized website to improve their search engine rankings and drive more traffic.

Local SEO Website for LMB Residential

LMB Residential, led by Lewis Boakes, operates in the competitive field of chartered surveyors. As a new business without a prior website, LMB Residential struggled with online visibility and lead generation. Recognizing the need for a strong online presence, they aimed to establish their digital footprint and improve local search rankings to attract potential clients effectively.

Cambridge Research Biochemicals Ltd Website Integration

Cambridge Research Biochemicals Ltd (CRB) is a prominent producer of custom-made peptide and antibody tools, catering to researchers in the pharmaceutical, life science, and academic sectors globally. CRB sought to consolidate three existing websites into one WordPress/WooCommerce site to streamline operations, enhance SEO, and improve user experience.

Key Stakeholders:

Emily Humphrys: Managing Director (now former owner)
Ling-I Su: Technical Sales Manager

Initial Goals and Objectives:

Integrate three websites into one to improve SEO.
Reduce administrative complexity and costs.
Increase sales through a unified platform.
Enhance marketing and communication tools.

Web Development Billingham | Baltic Design

Epicurium’s Digital Transformation

Epicurium is a UK wholesaler of healthier snacks. It started in 2005 as a small distributor of ambient pouched meals. By 2012 it had become a go-to supplier for innovative, healthier snacking. Today it stocks over 900 products from more than 130 brands, supplying around 2,500 trade customers from a 25,000 sq ft warehouse.

Ecommerce Design & Development | Baltic Design

A removals calculator that sizes the job before the phone rings: over 150 household items, each with real dimensions, totalled into a load volume and sent through with the quote request.

Custom Development

Need WordPress to do something it doesn't?

Custom plugins, WooCommerce extensions and connections to the other systems your business runs on. Built as proper plugins, kept under version control and documented, so you’re never locked in.

Day rate £400
Projects from £2,500
Best for businesses with a specific job the website needs to do

Let's Talk

Rescues & Takeovers

Inherited a site nobody wants to touch?

Half-finished builds, developers who’ve disappeared, plugins fighting each other, updates nobody dares run. I start with a fixed-price audit so you know exactly what you’ve got, then fix it properly, or tell you honestly if a rebuild would cost less.

Starts with a fixed-price audit
Fixes from £400 a day
Best for sites that just about work, and worry you

Let's Talk

Agencies: I also take on WordPress and WooCommerce development under your brand, from single features to full builds. Ask about white-label work.

Speed & Performance

Slow site, failing Core Web Vitals?

Most slow WordPress sites are slow for fixable reasons: bloated page builders, heavy plugins, weak hosting, oversized images. I find the actual causes and fix them, rather than stacking another caching plugin on top.

Priced by the day, from £400
Fixed quote after a first look
Best for sites losing visitors or rankings to load times

Let's Talk

WooCommerce & Integrations

Store outgrowing its setup?

Stock and orders keyed in twice, products too complex for a standard product page, a platform you’ve outgrown. I connect WooCommerce to your stock and accounts systems and build custom product tools, without disrupting the sales you already have.

From £7,500
Starts with a paid audit (£750, credited if you go ahead)
Best for stores already taking regular orders

See ecommerce work

WP StairBuilder is my staircase configurator plugin, built for WooCommerce and running on live stair company websites.

HOW IT WORKS

How I work.

Six habits that separate code that works on launch day from code that still works in five years.

Understand first

I look at the existing code, plugins and hosting before quoting, so estimates are based on what's actually there.

Version control

Custom code lives in Git, so every change is tracked and can be rolled back.

Staging first

Changes are built and tested on a staging copy, never on your live site.

Proper plugins

Custom features are built as standalone plugins, not buried in a theme, so they survive redesigns.

Documented

You get written notes on what was built and how it works, so another developer could pick it up. No lock-in.

Looked after

Once it’s live, care plans keep WordPress, plugins and custom code updated and backed up.

FREQUENTLY ASKED

Questions I get a lot.

Can you take over a site another developer built?
Yes, it’s a big part of my work. I start with an audit so you know what you’ve got: how it was built, what’s out of date and what’s at risk. Then I fix what needs fixing, or tell you honestly if a rebuild would cost less in the long run.
Do you work with agencies?
Yes. I take on WordPress and WooCommerce development for agencies, under your brand if needed, from single features to full builds.
Which page builders and stacks do you work with?
Mostly Bricks, WooCommerce, ACF and custom plugins. I’m comfortable in older builds too, including Oxygen, Beaver Builder and classic themes. For applications outside WordPress, I also build with Laravel.
Will I be locked in?
No. Custom work is documented and handed over, so another developer could pick it up. Where a feature is built on one of my existing plugins, you get a licence to use it on your site.

How much does WordPress development cost?
My day rate is £400. Most custom features and fixes are quoted as a fixed price once I’ve looked at your site. Larger projects start from £2,500.
Can you speed up my WordPress site?
Usually, yes. I find the actual causes, such as heavy plugins, page builder bloat, hosting or images, and fix those rather than adding another caching plugin.
Do you only work in the North East?
No. I’m based in Gateshead and work with businesses across the UK. Development work happens remotely, with calls when they’re useful.
What about ongoing support?
Once the work is done, care plans keep your site updated, backed up and looked after.

What Clients Say

Client Reviews

Adeyanju Adeleye

Excellent experience working with Dan. He was highly knowledgeable and really took the time to understand our requirements before getting started. Communication was clear throughout the process, and he was patient in addressing our questions and feedback. The final result met our expectations, and we’re very pleased with the outcome. Would definitely recommend his services.”

Paul Briggs

I've worked with many developers over the years but Dan is by far the most gifted. With skills ranging from web design to in depth security measures and server configuration, his problem solving ability is second to none. Unlike many in his field, he is also able to communicate complex technical issues and logic to those who are unfamiliar with technical jargon. I highly recommend Baltic Design for your website needs

Alan McGuire

Active Tiling services was having a problem with the Google account and the web site needed to be profiled and updated.

Dan was able to sort out both issues which has made a significant difference to our business, greatly appreciated, would recommend Baltic Design highly.
Emily Humphrys

We have been working with Dan from Baltic Design for over a year now. He is extremely knowledgeable and quick to respond to requests. He rebuilt our wordpress (back-end) website and amalgamated 2 catalogue sites (magento) to woo-commerce to integrate with our wordpress (main) site. Now its a case of monthly maintenance to keep our website up and running, user friendly and allowing us to be self-sufficient with adding new content and product pages. Thanks alot Dan!

Gavin Dowd

Dan has done a fantasic job on the redesign of my wordout.co.uk website. Dealing with Dan is straight forward and he is open to design ideas. The whole process from initial consultation to site launch and sign off was stress free. I highly recommend Baltic Design.

Gary Reed

Dan @ Baltic Design went over and above our expectations for our new website.We’re already planning another project for him…
Side By Side Arts

We asked Baltic Design to give our website an overhaul. Working with our designer Dan was able to fully create a really well put together, user friendly and functional site. Any queries were dealt with really quickly and we are so pleased with the finished outcome - thank you so much for our really professional looking site!

David Fyfe

I first started working with Dan a few years ago on a pitch project my agency was involved in. When our website needed totally re-developing I had no hesitation in picking the phone up to Dan. What I like about Dan is that he is open and personable and doesn't keep developer "secrets"/ He wants you to learn and to be able to develop your own site. So he's a mine of information. Very technical when he needs to be, and very approachable.
I look forward to working with Dan on more site designs.

Clare Albans (HelloHoorayBlog)

I have worked with Baltic Design for many years now, and have always been extremely happy with my hosting. Dan is super helpful and knowledgeable, and the hosting is very solid with a great software stack. Dan also moved my hosting to a better host when I needed it for my growing e-com business, and I would highly recommend his services.