WordPress rescue from a failed agency: a senior developer checklist
Rescuing a WordPress site from a failed agency starts before any code is touched. This is the checklist a senior developer works through to take over an inherited site cleanly.
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Strategy, prototyping and implementation for businesses ready to use AI where it actually helps.
"Your team answers the same questions repeatedly"
I build trained assistants that handle routine enquiries using your own content, product data and policies. They escalate to humans when the conversation gets complex and improve over time as you feed back on their responses.
"Content production is slow and expensive"
I build workflows that shift the bottleneck from creation to editing. AI handles the first draft, humans refine and publish.
"Your data sits in systems nobody searches"
I build AI-powered interfaces that let your team ask plain-English questions across documents, databases and knowledge bases. Internal search that actually understands what people are asking.
"Your website treats every visitor the same"
Small changes that improve conversion without redesigning anything. AI works behind the scenes to personalise the experience based on what each visitor actually needs.
Technology and tools
I pick specific tools for specific jobs rather than defaulting to whatever is popular this week.
OpenAI and Anthropic for language tasks. OpenAI for structured output and function calling. Anthropic for nuanced analysis and long-context work. Most projects use both.
Pinecone for vector search. When your chatbot or internal tool needs to find relevant information from your own content, Pinecone stores and retrieves it fast.
n8n and Make for automation workflows. n8n when you need full control and self-hosting. Make when speed matters more than customisation.
Supabase, Vercel and Netlify for hosting AI tools. Supabase handles databases and auth. Vercel and Netlify deploy frontends and serverless functions with minimal infrastructure overhead.
You describe the problem. I assess whether AI is the right answer or whether a simpler solution gets you there faster.
A working proof of concept in days, not months. You see it work before committing budget.
Integration with your existing systems. Tested, documented and ready for real users.
Prompt tuning and edge case handling as real usage patterns emerge. AI tools improve with use.
Both. Some clients know exactly what they want and I build it. Others need help identifying where AI fits. The assessment step covers this — if AI is not the right answer, I will say so.
Start with existing APIs and services wherever possible. Custom tools make sense when off-the-shelf options do not fit your workflow or when you need control over the data. I will recommend the simplest approach that solves the problem.
Implementation is quoted as fixed-price project work. Ongoing API costs depend on usage volume — typically between a few pounds and a few hundred pounds per month. I estimate both before work begins.
Every project starts with a clear understanding of what data goes where. Some providers offer private instances. Some use cases work with anonymised data. I match the approach to your sensitivity and compliance requirements.
No. AI drafts faster but humans still review, edit and publish. The value is in reducing production time, not eliminating people. Fully automated publishing creates quality and accuracy risks that are not worth taking.
I build with flexibility in mind. Switching between language models is straightforward when projects are designed properly. You are not locked into a single provider.
Describe what you want to achieve. I will tell you whether AI is the right approach and what it would take to build.
Rescuing a WordPress site from a failed agency starts before any code is touched. This is the checklist a senior developer works through to take over an inherited site cleanly.
WordPress hosting reviews date fast. The principles do not. Here is what separates good hosting from bad, regardless of which vendor is fashionable this year.
WordPress maintenance pricing in the UK ranges from £15 a month to £2,000 a month for the same described service. The difference is what is actually being done.