A WordPress website for an orthopaedic surgeon: how I build sites

I built a website for an orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in joint replacement. The brief was to build it on WordPress, and I'll use it to share how I approach development.

1. I write the theme by hand, from scratch

No page builders: clean native markup, clear semantics and a tidy structure of styles and components. That means fast loading, faster indexing and a project that's easy to manage.

2. No third-party plugins

On principle I don't use other people's add-ons: they're clunky, heavy, paid and insecure. And simply because I can do without them.

3. As many admin sections as it takes

So the client can manage content comfortably in a friendly interface. I never hand over a project where the client can't even change a phone number without a developer.

4. A section for enquiries from the site

A simplified CRM right inside the admin. Receiving enquiries only by email is unreliable: the mail can stop working, a message can land in spam, an integration can break.

5. A solid SEO foundation

• an SEO manager to set the title, description and keywords for every page
• a well-planned URL structure
• auto-updating structured data so search engines understand the content better
• Open Graph content for social networks and favicons for different devices
• auto-updating sitemap.xml and robots.txt with Clean-param settings to prevent duplicates

6. I fill the site with content myself

I don't leave the client alone with the content: I gather information from social media and public sources so they get a finished, working product straight away.

7. I account for geography and the law

The site has visitors from Russia and abroad, so I added two video players, YouTube and VK, for different regions because of restrictions and blocking.

With AI my hands are finally free, and I can bring even the most meticulous ideas to life in my projects.