Theme and plugin development
Custom WordPress themes that define your site’s look and functionality, and custom plugins that add new features. The code follows WordPress’s official coding standards.
WordPress websites from a Finnish developer
I build fast, custom WordPress websites for companies in Finland on a custom quote, with up to two language versions, for example Finnish and English. If you want a website that’s easy to update yourself without coding skills or crafting prompts for AI, WordPress is the solution for you.
Case: Muuttohaukat.com
In Google’s top 3 in Finland
muuttopalvelu Top 3
Custom WordPress theme
Quote requests go straight into the CRM.
In Google’s top 3
6+
of the moving industry’s biggest search terms
Case: Asuntopehtoori.fi
Third on Google in Finland
vuokravälitys #3
Custom WordPress theme
Super fast and works on every device.
Visitors
100,000+
visits a year
Case: Energio.fi
Rose to #1 on Google in Finland
aurinkopaneelit #1
From Shopify to WordPress
The whole site was rebuilt.
The #1 spot brings
1,000+
visitors and dozens of quote requests a month
Case: Jerryketola.fi
First on Google in Finland
osteopaatti helsinki #1
Custom theme
Built on Tapio’s own Mestari starter theme.
Conversions
+223%
compared with the previous site
Happy clients since 2012
What do WordPress websites mean?
WordPress websites means building sites on top of the WordPress content management system.
WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system. An estimated over 40% of all websites are built with WordPress.
WordPress is an open-source CMS first released in 2003 and developed by thousands of professionals since then. That means it is:
- Completely free
- Continuously updated
- The result of millions of work hours (thousands of the world’s top developers have worked on it for over 20 years)
For these reasons, WordPress is hard to beat.
Common concerns about using WordPress
And the answers.
“WordPress is slow and relies on too many plugins”
This is a very common issue, but it’s caused by how the site is built, not by WordPress itself.
WordPress gives you complete freedom to build sites with any approach. Sometimes users slow their sites down by installing too many performance-hitting plugins.
When I build WordPress sites, I use a very small set of high-quality plugins so your site loads and performs excellently.
“WordPress is outdated”
WordPress is written in PHP, which some consider old-fashioned, but that doesn’t affect how a website performs.
WordPress is a content management system: it manages the site’s content. The actual site can be built with any technology.
I build WordPress websites using the latest, Google-recommended techniques to ensure the best search visibility. The results speak for themselves.
“WordPress sites are easier to hack”
Since an estimated over 40% of all websites run on WordPress, it’s logical that attackers focus heavily on WordPress sites.
Properly built, however, WordPress can be very secure. Open-source software is often more secure than closed, proprietary alternatives.
Sites I build are protected against all kinds of attacks.
Tapio Kauranen: (maybe) Finland’s best WordPress developer
Hi there. I’m Tapio Kauranen, a Finnish WordPress developer and SEO specialist.
I have built websites since 2012. I know WordPress inside out, and over the years I have built and managed hundreds of sites, both for my own clients and as a subcontractor for large advertising agencies.
- Websites since 2012
- Several WordPress themes, including the Mestari starter theme
- Kansleri Cookie Consent, a cookie notice used by over 600 websites
- Hundreds of sites built and maintained
As your WordPress developer I can help with the following.
Design
I design the site’s look to match your brand: clear typography, colors and layout that work on every device. I focus on user experience, and you can see the results in my WordPress references.
Site maintenance and optimization
Technical health, security and performance: updates, backups and SEO. See the maintenance price plans, or measure your site’s speed with PageSpeed Insights.
Coding skills
Features in PHP, JavaScript and HTML/CSS. As a WordPress developer I know the core inside out and take an active part in the developer community. I have also made plugins of my own, such as Kansleri Cookie Consent, which you can download from wordpress.org.
Security
I keep your WordPress site secure and prevent threats following WordPress’s hardening guide. I also take care of the GDPR requirements with a free cookie notice.
Technical SEO
Sites are built to Google’s guidelines so that they load fast and show up in search results for the most important searches. Read more about technical SEO.
WordPress websites I’ve built
References: sites built for clients, and their SEO.
Search Engine Optimization WordPress websites
Search Engine Optimization WordPress websites
Case Espina Oy: a modern WordPress site and maximum search visibility
Search Engine Optimization WordPress websites
Case Kylälääkärit: a new medical center at the top of Google from day one
Search Engine Optimization WordPress websites
Case Piiraisen Viherpalvelu: page one of Google for “kuntta” (forest-floor turf)
Search Engine Optimization WordPress websites
Case Muuttohaukat: top of Google for the moving industry’s biggest searches
Search Engine Optimization WordPress websites
Case Suomen Jätevesisuunnittelu: to the top of Google with an SEO-optimized website
Search Engine Optimization WordPress websites
Case Yogabear.net: an SEO-optimized WordPress site at the top of the results
Search Engine Optimization WordPress websites
Case Energio: #1 on Google for “aurinkopaneelit” (solar panels)
Search Engine Optimization WordPress websites
Case Jouni Ovaska: website and SEO for “kansanedustaja Pirkanmaa” (MP for Pirkanmaa)
Search Engine Optimization WordPress websites
Case Take Two Studios: WordPress website and SEO for “tuotantoyhtiö” (production company)
Search Engine Optimization WordPress websites
Case Suomen Kolibri: WooCommerce online store development and SEO
Search Engine Optimization WordPress websites
Case Avalon Nordic: website renewal, SEO and digital marketing
WordPress websites that score 100/100 on Google’s tests
My WordPress sites are coded to a very high technical standard. There are a million ways to build a WordPress site. Here’s how I do it:
The theme is hand-built
Off-the-shelf themes include lots of features you don’t need. By coding the theme myself I remove those extra features and speed up the site’s loading. This site was hand-coded too.
As few plugins as possible
If a needed feature can be implemented in the theme, it saves effort and makes the site faster.
An excellent server
I prefer the French host Alwaysdata: high quality and inexpensive (€5/month). It beats all Finnish providers on value for money. My own sites are hosted on Alwaysdata as well.
WordPress and the Gutenberg editor
The site is built on WordPress and its own Gutenberg editor. Blocks of your own are coded into the theme for your content, so editing pages is easy and nothing breaks by accident.
- A custom theme (Mestari starter): no needless features
- Blocks of your own for your content
- No heavy page builder, so the page loads fast
- Easy to update yourself or with AI
- A typical site is up in under 20 hours of work
Price of WordPress websites
A new website on a custom quote, and its maintenance in the Coding SEO Consultant monthly price. Everything a good WordPress site needs to show up on Google and in AI recommendations.
Recommended
Coding SEO Consultant
Website maintenance and development, SEO and Google Ads for one monthly price.
€760/month
typically 8 hours a month
The price includes
- Search engine optimization
- Website maintenance and development
- Google Ads
- A check-in meeting every month
Terms
- No start-up fee
- Cancel any time
- The ad budget is paid straight to Google
Need only one thing? Custom quote
A new WordPress website
A custom quote: tell me what kind of website you need. Its maintenance is part of the monthly price.
€95/h
hourly rate, custom quote
Website
- Built on Tapio’s Mestari starter theme
- A typical site is up in under 20 hours of work
- A new look
- Unlimited pages
- Up to 2 language versions, e.g. Finnish and English
Content management
- Custom blocks for the Gutenberg editor
- Everything you need: forms, bots, integrations, you name it
- Easy to update yourself or with AI
Visibility
- Technical SEO
- Content SEO
- Off-page SEO (5+ external links)
- Shows up well on Google for the searches you want
- Optimized for AI: AI recommends you
- Agent-ready: information as text, and forms that work for an AI agent too
- Accessible structure and forms (WCAG)
- A redesign without losing rankings: 301 redirects and an SEO check
A large site with hundreds or thousands of pages? Read how to buy a large WordPress website
Request a quote for a WordPress website
Book a free consultation or send me an email. After the call you can decide whether you want a quote from me.
Free consultation
A 30-minute Google Meet call: we look at what shape your current website is in and what a redesign would cost.
Send a message
Fill in the form and your message goes straight to Tapio.
- A reply by email
- No sign-in
- No phone calls
Tapio’s websites vs. other makers
When you buy from me, you don’t pay several people’s salaries, and the service has no limits.
| Tapio’s websites | Other makers | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | A custom quote, hourly rate €95/h | Varies, and extra work is billed separately |
| Time to launch | A typical site is up in under 20 hours of work. | The schedule varies, and projects often take weeks. |
| You pay only for the work | The work of one experienced maker. You don’t pay several people’s salaries. | The price includes the salaries of a project manager, a designer, a developer and a salesperson, and the office’s costs. |
| Direct contact with the maker | You talk directly with the person who builds the site. | Messages usually go through a project manager. |
| Unlimited pages | Make as many pages as you need. | The package limits the number of pages, and extra pages cost more. |
| 2 language versions included | Up to 2 language versions are included in the price, e.g. Finnish and English. | Language versions are often priced separately. |
| Custom theme | Built on Tapio’s Mestari starter theme, just for you. | Often a ready-made theme or a heavy page builder, customized. |
| Custom blocks for the Gutenberg editor | Blocks of your own for your content, easy to use. | Usually ready-made blocks or the page builder’s own elements. |
| Easy to update yourself or with AI | The admin is designed so that nothing can be broken by accident. | Updating works, but a heavy page builder can make it awkward. |
| Forms, bots and integrations | Everything you need: forms, bots, integrations, you name it. | Usually possible as extra work at an extra price. |
| A new look | A new look is included in the price. | The look is designed, often at a designer’s hourly rate. |
| Responsive on every device | The site adapts to every screen, from a phone to a TV. | Usually fine nowadays. |
| Technical SEO | The site is built to Google’s guidelines. | The basics are done; more is sold as a separate service. |
| Content SEO | The content is optimized for the searches you want. | Usually a separate service with its own price. |
| Off-page SEO (5+ links) | At least five external links to your site. | Links are rarely included. |
| AI optimization | The site is optimized so that AI recommends you. | Rarely included. |
| Loads in under a second | The custom theme loads only the code it needs. | Heavy themes and many plugins slow the site down. |
| Load speed guarantee | At least 90/100 on Google’s mobile test, and loads in under 2.5 seconds. | Speed is usually not guaranteed. |
| As few plugins as possible | Features are coded into the theme whenever possible. | Features often come from plugins, which slows the site down. |
| No monthly plugin fees | Features are custom-built, so there are no third-party monthly fees. | Licenses for paid plugins are paid every year. |
| An agent-ready site | Information as text, forms without needless sign-in, and spam protection without reCAPTCHA. | Rarely included. |
| Accessibility (WCAG) | The page structure and forms work with a screen reader. | Varies, and fixes are often extra work. |
| A redesign without losing rankings | 301 redirects and an SEO check are part of the work. | Redirects are often skipped, and rankings can drop. |
| Security | The site is protected against attacks and kept up to date. | Usually fine if the site is maintained. |
| No limits | AI-boosted work makes a service without limits possible. | Packages and extra prices limit what you get. |
How is this possible? AI has made the work so much more efficient that one experienced maker now does what a whole team used to. That’s why the service has no limits.
How does the way I build websites differ from others?
| How others do it | Tapio Kauranen | |
|---|---|---|
| Theme | Pick a pre-made theme from a theme shop or use a heavy page builder. | Your site is built custom for you on WordPress’s Gutenberg editor, with blocks of your own. |
| Features | The site has too many features that slow down loading speed. | Thanks to customization, the site includes only the features it needs. That makes the site lightning-fast. |
| Visibility | A slow site scores poorly with Google and won’t show up in search results. | The site outperforms competitors in visibility and climbs to page 1 on Google. |
| Sales | You’ll lose more than half of potential sales from the website due to slow performance and poor search visibility. | The site loads in under a second and scores over 90/100 on Google’s mobile test. |
53% of visitors won’t wait more than 3 seconds for a page to load (source: Google).
Very good SEO: what is good and what is not
Good search engine optimization is technique, structure and content, not a single trick. Here is the difference in practice.
| Poor SEO | Good SEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Title and description | The same title on every page, or none. There is no description, so Google picks random text for the search result. | Every page has its own title (30–60 characters) and description (70–160 characters) with the page’s main keyword. |
| Page structure | Heading levels are chosen by looks: several main headings or none. | One main heading (H1) with the page’s topic, and subheadings in order. |
| Speed | A heavy theme and dozens of plugins. The mobile test score stays low. | A custom theme and few plugins: at least 90/100 on the mobile test and a load time under 2.5 seconds. |
| Mobile | The page is made for desktop and shrinks on a phone. | The page is designed for phones first, because over 70% of visitors come on mobile. |
| Content | A few sentences that don’t answer the customer’s questions. | The content answers the customer’s questions and is optimized for the keywords you want. |
| Images | Big uncompressed images without alt text. | Images are compressed automatically, and every content image has alt text. |
| Machine-readable data | Business details are only in running text. | The business, services and opening hours are marked up for machines (schema.org). |
| Indexing | A noindex tag stays on after launch, or there is no sitemap. | The sitemap and robots.txt are in order, and the pages are in Google’s index. |
| Redesigning a site | Old addresses stop working, and rankings drop. | Old addresses are redirected to the new ones with 301 redirects, and rankings hold. |
The free SEO test checks the same points: it looks at one page across 19 checks.
How I build WordPress websites
I aim to build very high-quality WordPress sites.
Quality first
Every site is built to the same goals:
- Fast loading speed
- Works on every device
- User-friendly design for visitors
- Easy content management for the site admin
- Accessible: works with a screen reader and an AI agent
- Visible on Google’s first page for key search terms
Site management
All content must be easy to edit without coding skills.
- Site styles load automatically
- The client has full control of the site but cannot accidentally break anything
- Images are optimized automatically
- Site compression is handled automatically
- Site updates are handled automatically
Usability
70% of your visitors come on mobile. Mobile pages must be excellent.
- All text is easy to read on different screens
- There are no full-screen-sized sections
- Balanced use of colors and shapes
- Blazingly fast page loads
- Visitors don’t have to click around too much: no dropdown menus on the desktop version and no overly deep site hierarchy
An agent-ready website
Google Search is starting to book appointments and fill in forms for the user. I build the site so that an AI agent can use it.
Check your site’s agent readiness with the free SEO test (in Finnish)
| An ordinary site | An agent-ready site | |
|---|---|---|
| Information as text | Prices and opening hours are in images or PDF files. | Prices, availability, opening hours and what the service includes are on the page as text. |
| A working path | The form needs an account, and the error message is just “Error”. | The form works without needless sign-in. Every field has a name, and the error message says what to fix. |
| Spam protection | A reCAPTCHA box stops the agent. | A hidden field, a time limit and a server-side check stop spam without a box. My own forms work this way. |
| Transparency | Delivery times, prices and cancellation terms are hidden or unclear. | Delivery times, prices and cancellation terms are visible. |
| Consistent information | The details on the site, in Google Business Profile and in Merchant Center disagree, and the agent may pick a competitor. | The details on the site, in Google Business Profile and in Merchant Center are checked to match. |
| Machine-readable data | The business details are only in running text. | The business, services, prices and opening hours are marked up for machines (schema.org). |
| Accessibility | Form fields have no names, and the structure is unclear. | The page and forms are built to accessibility guidelines (WCAG). Agents often read a page the way a screen reader does. |
Agents are only arriving, but the same things already help visitors and search engines.
Load speed guarantee
I guarantee you’ll get sites that score at least 90/100 on Google’s mobile test and load in under 2.5 seconds.
What the speed guarantee includes
A custom theme for you. The site won’t load any extra, slowing code.
- Blazing-fast server
- Minimal number of plugins
- Automatic image compression
- Automatic caching
- Automatic code minification
- And much more included in the price
Fast WordPress server
I can’t promise fast websites without the world’s fastest server. A powerful, reliable server keeps everyone sane: my work gets faster, you save money because sites don’t go down, and your customers enjoy the speed. Win-win-win.
On the AlwaysData server you get for €5/month:
- 10 GB storage
- SSL protection via Let’s Encrypt
- Automatic daily backups
- Unlimited number of sites, domains, mailboxes, etc.
- Built-in SSH and API access
- 99.99999% uptime (Equinix certification)
- The server is located in France and runs in a Linux Debian x64 environment
Works on phones, laptops, tablets — even TVs
Websites are always designed to be responsive. Responsiveness isn’t just filler in a quote. In practice it means that:
- The site adapts to the screen size
- Images resize based on the screen
- Fonts scale up and down with the display
- Sites work in both landscape and portrait orientations
- Menus and navigation are easy to use regardless of device
References in more detail
A few projects with their budgets and features.
Asuntopehtoori: massive WordPress sites
Asuntopehtoori is a Finnish property services company founded in 2018. The company offers a wide range of residential asset management services to both private and professional clients across Finland and in Spain.
Reference: Saliohjelma.com
Can you even list your own site as a reference? I created Saliohjelma.com to practice SEO. Within a few months it grew into Finland’s largest site listing gym workout programs. The whole site was hand-coded, which allowed for a much better user experience and faster load times than competing sites targeting the same searches. Strong search visibility was therefore easy to achieve.
- About 1,000 visitors per day on average
- Ranked #1 for all Finnish gym workout and program searches
Espina
Meticulous SEO work boosted the site’s visibility many times over.
- Handcrafted Gutenberg blocks
- Custom theme
- Sub-second load times
- Search engine optimization
Frequently asked questions about WordPress
Can’t find your answer? Send me a message, and we’ll work out together what kind of WordPress website would suit you.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is a free content management system. Developers build websites on top of WordPress and manage content using its built-in features.
WordPress is open-source software, which means anyone can read and understand how it’s put together. In short, WordPress is essentially a library of PHP functions that a developer can call when building a site.
Is WordPress the best content management system?
That depends who you ask. I believe WordPress is the best CMS because it has been developed for over 20 years by tens of thousands of professional coders.
WordPress is also used by more than 40% of all websites worldwide.
Is there a monthly fee for WordPress?
WordPress itself is free, so there’s no monthly subscription for the software. I’ll build the features you need as custom work, which means you won’t have third-party monthly fees either.
Can the website be in Finnish and English?
Yes. A website can have two language versions, for example Finnish and English. Finnish is my native language, and we can work in English.
How long does it take to build a WordPress website?
A typical site is up in under 20 hours of work. The calendar time depends on how quickly the texts and pictures are ready.
Bigger sites, for example hundreds of pages or an online store, take longer.
What is an agent-ready website?
An agent-ready website is one an AI agent can use on the user’s behalf, for example to book an appointment or fill in a form.
In practice the information is text, the form works without needless sign-in, error messages are clear, prices and terms are visible, and the details match in Google Business Profile and on the site.
Can a form be protected without reCAPTCHA?
Yes. A hidden field, a time limit and a server-side check stop most spam, and visitors don’t have to solve picture puzzles.
It also works for AI agents that fill in the form on the user’s behalf.
Will I lose my rankings if I redesign my website?
Not if the redesign is done right. Old addresses are redirected to the new ones with 301 redirects, and the site is checked before and after launch.