Portland, OR
Custom Development
Custom dev solutions
Sometimes a plugin or a SaaS tool gets you 80% of the way there. But that last 20% likely requires custom work. We can help with that.
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WordPress development
- Custom plugin development
- Theme customization
- Gutenberg block development
- WooCommerce extensions
- Performance optimization
Integrations & APIs
- CRM & marketing tool integrations
- Payment system connections
- Third-party API development
- Data sync & migration
- Webhook and automation setup
AI & automation
- AI-powered features & tools
- Workflow automation
- Custom dashboards & reporting
- Chatbot & assistant development
- Data processing pipelines
Build what you need, not what a vendor sells you
You don’t need a subscription for everything. In fact, the speed of coding has been so accelerated by AI that you can often replace expensive tools with custom ones and save money in the process.
Custom development isn’t always the right answer, and we’ll tell you that upfront. But when it is, it can save you money, reduce complexity, and give you something that fits your business like a glove.
Marketing meets engineering
Most development shops build what you tell them to build. That’s fine if you know exactly what you need. But a lot of the time, especially with marketing technology, the real challenge is figuring out what to build — not just how to build it.
Because Diviner sits at the intersection of marketing strategy and web development, we can help you think through the problem from both sides. What does the business need? What does the user experience look like? What’s the simplest technical approach that gets us there? These are the questions we ask before writing a single line of code.
Our development approach
- Start small — We build the simplest version first, test it, then iterate. No six-month projects that deliver something nobody asked for
- Stay practical — We use proven technologies and avoid over-engineering. The goal is a solution that works and is easy to maintain
- Think long-term — We write clean, documented code and plan for future needs without building for every hypothetical scenario
- Communicate clearly — You'll always know what we're building, why, and where things stand. No disappearing behind a curtain for weeks
What we’ve built
Having run a web development team for a number of years, and a web strategy team before that, I’ve seen it all. Everything from custom WordPress plugins and WooCommerce integrations to standalone web applications, automated reporting systems, and AI-powered tools. Every project is different, and that’s what keeps it interesting.
If you have an idea or a problem that needs a custom solution, let’s talk. We’ll give you an honest assessment of what it will take and whether it makes sense to build.
Frequently asked questions
What technologies and frameworks do you build with?
Most of our work is in WordPress and PHP — custom plugins, Gutenberg blocks, WooCommerce extensions, and themes. For modern front-end work we use Astro, React, and TypeScript. For automation and integrations we work with Node, Python, and platforms like Zapier and Make. We pick the simplest stack that fits the problem.
When does custom development make sense versus an off-the-shelf tool?
If a SaaS product or plugin already does what you need at a reasonable price, use it — we will tell you that honestly. Custom dev makes sense when off-the-shelf tools have hard limits, when subscription costs balloon as you scale, or when your workflow is genuinely unique. AI has made custom builds dramatically faster and cheaper than they used to be, which has changed the math on a lot of projects.
Do you do discovery and scoping before quoting a build?
Yes. Every custom build starts with a discovery phase to define the problem, the user, the success metrics, and the simplest path to a working version. We deliver a written scope and estimate before any code is written. That way both sides know what we are building, why, and what done looks like.
What do I actually get when the project is done?
You get the working solution, source code in a repository you own, documentation covering setup and key functionality, and a handover walkthrough. If we built a plugin, theme, or integration on your site, it is yours — not licensed back from us. We can stay on for maintenance and iteration, but you are never locked in.
Can you take over a stalled or half-built project?
Often, yes. We have rescued plenty of projects where a previous developer disappeared, left messy code, or missed the strategic picture. We start with a code and project audit, give you an honest assessment of what is salvageable, and propose the cleanest path forward. Sometimes that means picking up where the last team left off; sometimes it means a focused rebuild.
Have a project in mind?
Whether it’s a quick integration or a full custom build, let’s start with a conversation. We’ll figure out the right approach together.
Get in touchMore ways we can help
Let’s schedule a quick call and see if we’re a good fit.
- Brand strategy & positioning
- Marketing strategy development
- SEO & Gen Engine Optimization (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews)
- AI-powered tech stack optimization
- And more
