A website is a working asset, not a brochure. It has to load fast on a mid-range phone, behave under traffic, stay compliant with data protection law, and keep earning long after launch. That is the standard we build to. Themewaves develops web platforms for SMEs and scale-ups, and every project starts from the same question: what does this site need to do for the business in twelve months, not just on day one?
How we approach a build
We write code that the next developer can read. We measure performance before we ship, not after a client complains. And we treat accessibility and GDPR as design constraints, not bolt-ons. The result is a platform you can extend without rewriting it every two years.
That discipline shows up in small decisions. Lean markup. Sensible component structure. A CMS your marketing team can actually use without raising a ticket for every edit. We have seen too many agencies hand over a site that only the agency can maintain. We do the opposite.
The services in this practice
Web development at Themewaves splits into focused disciplines. Each one is run by people who do it every day, and they connect cleanly when a project needs more than one.
- eCommerce development. WooCommerce and Shopify storefronts tuned for checkout speed, multi-currency, and VAT.
- Website build. Discovery through launch — design-to-code, CMS setup, accessibility, and a clean handover.
- Website optimisation. Core Web Vitals, page speed, and conversion work on sites that already exist.
- Web maintenance. Updates, security, backups, and support plans that keep a live site healthy.
- WordPress theme development. Custom themes and child themes engineered for performance and easy editing.
Why market focus matters
Selling across borders is rarely simple. You are juggling languages, currencies, VAT rules, and a consent regime that does not forgive shortcuts. We build for that reality from the start. Cookie handling is consent-first. Data flows are documented. Translation and locale switching are planned into the information architecture rather than patched on later.
It saves money. Retrofitting compliance and multi-market support into a site that ignored them is slower and riskier than designing for them up front. If you operate in more than one country, this is the part where corners cost the most.
Our stack, and why we choose it
We are not religious about tools. We pick the platform that fits the team who will run the site. For content-led businesses that need editorial control, WordPress with a custom theme is hard to beat. For product-led teams, a headless front end with a modern framework gives more room to grow. For commerce, the choice between WooCommerce and Shopify depends on margins, catalogue size, and how much control you want over checkout. We explain the trade-offs in plain language before any code is written.
Good architecture is invisible until you try to change something. Then it either helps you or fights you. We build the kind that helps.
FAQ
How long does a typical web development project take?
A focused marketing site usually runs four to eight weeks from discovery to launch. Commerce builds and multi-market platforms take longer because there are more moving parts. We give a realistic timeline after discovery, not before.
Do you only build WordPress sites?
No. WordPress is a frequent choice for content-led clients, but we also build headless front ends and Shopify stores. We recommend the platform that suits your team and goals, then tell you honestly why.
Can you take over a site another agency built?
Often, yes. We start with an audit of the existing code and infrastructure so we know what we are inheriting. If you want to discuss a takeover, get in touch and we will assess it before quoting.