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We take on WordPress sites that another developer built, including sites with custom themes, custom plugins or a page builder. Updates go to a staging copy before the live site, problems are traced to their cause, and new pages and features follow the conventions in the existing code. Every change is written down, so whoever works on the site next can see what was done and why.
A few clients we’ve worked with
Norml takes over development of a WordPress site you already have: keeping it current, fixing what breaks and building on the code already there. A one-off catch-up, recurring upkeep and a continuing developer for your backlog are separate options, and any of them can be taken alone.
These parts can be combined as your site needs them. Whichever you start with, the first step is a review of the site as it stands.
We record the WordPress, PHP, theme and plugin versions, review Site Health, hosting and access, and confirm that a recent backup exists and can be restored. You get a short list of what needs attention first and the pages, forms and connections to other apps to check after each change. On a membership site, that list also covers signing in, members-only pages and the sign-up checkout.
Updates are applied on a staging copy first and checked on the agreed pages, forms and admin screens before release. Theme and page-builder updates also get a visual check, because they can shift layouts. Before the hosting PHP version moves, the staging copy runs the new version with its other server settings matched to the live site, and plugins and custom code are checked there for compatibility.
Broken layouts, menus, forms, plugin conflicts and admin errors are reproduced, traced to their cause and fixed. When the cause is not obvious, we rule out one layer at a time: caching, plugins, the theme or page builder, hosting and PHP settings, and the domain's DNS records and SSL certificate. Each fix is logged in plain language with what changed, how it was tested and anything still waiting for a decision.
Service descriptions, prices, photos and calls to action are changed inside the page builder or custom fields your site already uses. New landing pages are built from your copy and mockups in the current brand, then checked on desktop, tablet and mobile.
When visitors have trouble finding a service or the next step, we rework menus, page order and internal links, and point buttons at the right forms and booking links, then click through each changed route as a visitor would. Titles, meta descriptions and headings can be updated in the same pass.
We add new page types, such as location or service pages, along with custom fields, form logic and connections to CRM or marketing tools. Custom plugins and theme functions are extended following the conventions already in the code, and larger features are scoped and approved before they are built.
When technical debt makes small changes slow, we propose cleanup in small steps that run alongside the regular work, each approved separately. If the site has no version control or staging copy, we set them up first.
A change log, notes on configuration and known issues, a list of plugins and licenses, and a review of who has admin access and with which role. If your site's code is kept in a Git repository, changes can also go through branches and pull requests with the review and approval steps you require, each linked to the request behind it. The record is yours and stays with the site when our work on it ends.
The Farm Soho
A New York coworking brand whose WordPress code carried a decade of changes, which made each text, layout or feature update slow. Alongside nine months of product, analytics and SEO work, we added Git, QA, CI/CD and staging, and began refactoring in stages.
Polaclub
An instant photography store with steady revenue and loyal customers. Over an 18-month partnership across development, marketing and operations, we rebuilt the site piece by piece, and the new version went live gradually.
“Norml Studio's professionalism and responsiveness were impressive.”
“They were proactive in suggesting improvements we hadn't considered.”
“They delivered what they said they would, on time.”
“They focused on how to make our daily operations easier, not just on building features for the sake of it.”
“They understood that the app needed to be practical for someone sitting in a car, not just look good on a desktop.”
“Their level of dedication to the success of the project and GoPetZen's business as a whole is unique.”
Invitations to the WordPress admin, the hosting account and any CDN, staging site or code repository, created for each person on our team so you can remove them at any time.
Who manages the hosting account, where backups are kept, and the current WordPress and PHP versions if you know them.
The theme and custom plugin code or its repository, licenses for paid plugins and page builders, and anything previous developers left behind, such as notes or a change history.
Problems you already know about, with screenshots or the pages where they appear, any earlier audit report or issue list, and the first changes you want made.
For page work: copy, images, mockups and brand rules for the pages being added or updated.
For feature and form work: where each enquiry should go, which tools are connected and who owns the data in each.
A named person who sets priorities and signs off releases, so it is clear whose decision is final.
The baseline review comes first, and its findings decide which problems are handled before the rest.
We agree what recurs, how requests reach us, which changes need separate approval and how quickly urgent problems are answered.
Updates and code changes are made on a staging copy or in a version-control branch before anything reaches the live site.
The affected pages, forms and admin tasks are checked on desktop and mobile, a fresh backup is taken, and the change is released, then checked again on the live site. If the site uses a CDN or a caching plugin, the changed pages are cleared from its cache before that live check.
Each release is logged. Recurring problems and cleanup ideas go into the plan for the next round of work. On a monthly plan, the month's log is also summed up in a short report: the updates applied, what was checked after them and the problems fixed.
No account layer between you and them. These are the Norml specialists this work runs through.
Founder & Architect
Co-founder · Design & Strategy
Full-Stack Developer
Full-Cycle SEO Specialist
QA Engineer
“I've spent 10 years working across development and marketing. I started as a developer, but design, SEO and advertising were already part of the job. That taught me to treat a website as one system: the business, the content, the design and the code have to work together. At Norml, I lead the architecture behind our work and stay involved wherever strategy, design, development and search meet.”
Max TymoshynFounder & Architect