Platform and build
25 years of builds and replatforms that hold up under real-world load.
Built for the next decade, not just the next launch
The decisions that make or break a website don't sit on the surface. They sit underneath: the platform choice, the architecture, the integrations, the infrastructure, the security model, the path to maintain it later. Get those right and the rest follows. Get them wrong and no amount of redesign will save you.
25 years means we've watched which technical decisions age well and which don't. We bring that experience to every build, whether we're starting from scratch, replatforming, or untangling someone else's work.
What "platform and build" actually means
The website itself is the visible bit. Underneath sits the work that decides whether it lasts five years or five months.
Platform selection
The honest answer about which platform fits your business, your team and your roadmap. Sometimes it's the one you already have.
Architecture and integrations.
The connections to your CRM, ERP, ATS, payment gateways, marketing automation, ad servers. The plumbing that turns a website into a system.
Infrastructure and DevOps
Where the site runs, how it scales, how it fails, how it recovers. The work that decides whether the site is there when the campaign hits.
Build quality and longevity
Clean code, sensible documentation, a path for your team to take on later if you want. Builds we hand over with pride, not embarrassment.
Web development clients
The disciplines that make a build last
These are the parts of the job that compound over years and are the things AI can describe but not yet do well, and they're where the real engineering value lives.
Platform selection
Vendor-agnostic advice. We run live WordPress, Drupal and Shopify sites. We'll recommend the one that fits you, not the one that fits us.
Solution architecture
Mapping the system before writing the code. Where does the data live? Where does authentication sit? What's the dependency tree?
Custom development where it earns its keep
Off-the-shelf where it works, custom where it must. No over-engineering, no under-engineering.
Integration design
CRMs, ATS platforms, ad servers, HubSpot, Salesforce, ERPs, payment and shipping providers. Designed to fail gracefully and recover cleanly.
Performance built in from day one
Core Web Vitals, caching strategy, asset optimisation, sensible data fetching. Not bolted on after launch.
Security and compliance
Dependency management, patching cadence, OWASP basics taken seriously, sensible secrets handling.
Accessibility
WCAG 2.2 AA as standard, not an afterthought. Easier when designed in, expensive when retrofitted.
Hosting and DevOps
AWS or managed environments, CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, alerting, backups. The boring infrastructure that keeps you online at 3am.
Documentation and handover
Code your future team (or your future agency) can read. We build to be handed over, not held hostage.
How we work
1. Discover
Understand the business, the team, the technical landscape, the integrations, the roadmap. Then we recommend a platform.
2. Architect
Map the system before we write code. Data, authentication, integration points, environments, deployment, backup and recovery.
3. Build
Sensibly scoped sprints, regular demos, code your future team can read.
4. Integrate
The connections to other systems, designed to fail gracefully and recover cleanly.
5. Launch
Carefully, with rollback plans and monitoring in place from day one.
6. Run
Hosting, patching, security, monitoring. The site stays alive because someone owns it.
What it looks like in practice
When clients come to us for platform and build work
- A new website build, from greenfield through to launch.
- A replatform from a system that's not earning its keep: Magento to Shopify, a custom CMS to WordPress or Drupal, an ageing build to a current one.
- A migration to better-managed hosting or a different infrastructure model.
- A site that's accumulated technical debt to the point that change feels risky.
- A growing site that needs serious integrations: CRM, ERP, ATS, marketing automation, ad serving.
- An in-house team that wants senior technical backup rather than another vendor adding to the queue.
Common questions
Which platform will you recommend? The honest one. We run WordPress, Drupal and Shopify sites every day, and we'll tell you which one fits your business, your team and your roadmap. If your current platform is the right answer, we'll tell you that too.
Do you build custom or off-the-shelf? Both. Off-the-shelf where it works (most of the time). Custom where it earns its keep. We aim for the simplest build that will do the job for the next five years, not the cleverest one.
Will my in-house team be able to maintain it after launch? That's the standard. Code, configuration and documentation built to be handed over. Most of our long-running clients have their own dev or marketing-tech teams, and we work in support of them, not around them.
Do you handle hosting and support after launch? Yes. AWS, managed environments, monitoring, patching, security, and a UK-based team to call when something needs human attention. Most of our clients stay with us for hosting and support after the build, but you're never tied to us.
Let's chat. Tell us a bit about your project.
If you prefer to speak with someone, call 01202 203160 or if you'd like to book a 30 min meeting to see if we can help just let us know and we'll arrange a call with one of our Directors.