Custom PHP web development for business tools and systems
Some jobs are too specific for a ready-made plugin: a calculator that works from your own figures, a tool that imports a supplier's data, a screen where your staff can edit hundreds of items at once. We build these as custom web tools in PHP, inside your WordPress site or on their own, so the software fits the way your business works. Tell us what the tool needs to do and we will quote from your brief.
Situations we can help with
A job done by hand today
Figures are copied between spreadsheets, emails and web pages. A small custom tool can do the job in one place.
A plugin almost fits
Nothing off the shelf does exactly what you need, or it does far more than you need and is hard to keep up to date.
Data arrives from somewhere else
A supplier, a registry or another system holds the data, and your site has to import it, match it or stay in sync with it.
Your team needs an admin screen
A place to review information, edit many items at once and export what you need.
Customers need a way in
For example an access code that lets a customer reach what they bought.
What we build
The custom work we have done falls into a few kinds. Each is written in PHP and JavaScript around your requirements:
- calculators that work from your own figures
- multi-step forms with a review stage for your staff
- import tools that read a supplier feed or another data source, with a bulk editor for the items they bring in
- sync tools between your site and a registry or another system, and exports of users or other data
- access-code systems that give customers the files or pages they bought
- scripts and admin screens for specialised shops, such as an auction shop
If your idea is not on this list, describe it. The list shows what we have built, not the limit of what we will consider.
Inside WordPress or on its own
A custom tool can be part of a WordPress site or run on its own. We choose by what the tool needs to do. When your team already edits content in WordPress, or the tool is a feature of the site, it belongs inside WordPress. When the job does not belong in a content site, a standalone PHP tool is the cleaner answer.
We check for an existing plugin before we write code, and we recommend it if it does the job. If a simpler set-up would serve you better, we say so. Our guide to choosing between a WordPress plugin and custom code explains how we think about it.
How a custom build runs
- Brief. You tell us what the tool must do, what data it touches and who will use it.
- Estimate. We split the work into tasks with hours for each. Paid plugins and third-party fees are listed separately. See how we quote.
- Build and test. We build on a private copy and test it there.
- Review. You review it, we make one agreed round of revisions, and you approve it before go-live.
- Handover. We deliver it with editing instructions and training.
The same sequence runs every Bro Media project: see how a project works.
Who builds it
Conor Campbell, our web developer, writes the code and is your contact from the first brief to handover. We work remotely, so where you are does not matter.
We can keep the code in a GitHub repository with a clear history of changes: see version control and GitHub setup.
After launch
Custom work can be covered by a maintenance retainer, or we change and fix it when you ask. See website maintenance. If the tool depends on another system, our page on website and API integrations explains what that connection needs.
Useful answers
Do you only build inside WordPress?
No. A custom tool can sit inside a WordPress site or run on its own. We choose by what the tool needs to do.
Can the tool connect to our other systems?
Often, yes. It depends on the other system giving access to its data. See website and API integrations.
What do you need from us to start?
A short brief: what the tool must do, what information it uses, who will use it and what you already have. We reply by email and take it from there.
Who looks after it afterwards?
We can, either when you ask or on a monthly retainer. Your tool is delivered with editing instructions and training so your team can use it with confidence.
Do you check for a plugin first?
Yes. If an existing plugin does the job, we recommend it. We write custom code when none covers the need, or when you would rather not pay for a licence.
Tell us what the tool needs to do
Describe the job, the data involved and who will use it, and we will quote from your brief. There are no fixed packages.
Related services
- A project in practice: a conference event page the team can update without a developer.
- WordPress development for building, extending and taking over WordPress sites.
- Website and API integrations for connecting your site to the systems you use.
- Ecommerce website development for shops on WooCommerce.
Have a project in mind?
A new website, a shop, a design refresh or a feature your site is missing: tell us a little about what you need and we will talk through the options.