New Theme Builds

A safer way to rebuild your WooCommerce theme

A theme rebuild is a commercial decision. It is usually triggered when the current theme slows down shipping, creates avoidable errors, or makes performance work harder than it should be.

When a new theme build fits

• Your theme is difficult to change without breaking layouts or WooCommerce templates.
• Performance improvements keep stalling because the theme is heavy, inconsistent, or overly customised.
• You need a cleaner template system that supports ongoing conversion rate optimisation work.
• You want safer releases, clearer quality assurance, and fewer surprises during peak trading.

What we build

• A maintainable theme foundation with a clear structure and predictable templates.
• Core WooCommerce templates and components for product listing, product pages, cart, checkout, and key account screens.
• WooCommerce customisation that uses hooks where possible, keeps template overrides minimal, and never modifies core plugin files.
• Tracking and measurement checks so reporting remains reliable, using Google Analytics 4 (GA4) as the source of truth.

StrategyFive Platform and governance

Both pathways require StrategyFive Platform. It is the managed WordPress and WooCommerce environment that underpins delivery. It is a delivery system for performance, stability, safe releases, and measurable optimisation.

• Managed hosting, maintenance, security hardening, and updates.
• Staging environments for quality assurance and controlled releases.
• Daily backups and tested restore procedures.
• Monitoring and alerting, with clear incident response routines.
• Caching and performance tooling tuned for WooCommerce behaviour.
• A standardised approach to Core Web Vitals improvement and technical hygiene.

How delivery works

1. Confirm scope and constraints. We review the current theme and critical site flows so we know what must be kept working.
2. Plan the build in safe increments. We agree priorities, sequence, and a definition of done for releases.
3. Build and test on staging first. All meaningful changes go through staging, with quality assurance across checkout and tracking.
4. Release within an agreed window. We use controlled releases and, for higher risk changes, we plan rollback readiness.
5. Run post release checks. We verify tracking, performance, and checkout flows after each release.

How the Development retainer works

New theme builds are delivered through the Development pathway. It is a collaborative monthly retainer with a time budget. You choose priorities and StrategyFive advises on impact, risk, and sequencing.

• Time can be used for CRO analysis, development, quality assurance, releases, and reporting.
• Time is tracked in 30 minute increments and billed monthly in arrears.
• You receive weekly updates and a monthly time report.
• Unused hours can roll into the next month only. You can borrow up to one month of hours forward by agreement. On termination, unused hours are refunded.
• Any work beyond the monthly budget is only done with explicit written approval.

What this is not

• It is not a Performance Gateway project and it does not include an uplift guarantee. If you want a managed CRO roadmap with proof before payment, the correct pathway is the CRO Programme.
• It is not uncapped delivery. The monthly time budget is the cap unless you approve overage work.
• It is not a creative redesign studio engagement. We focus on the engineering and delivery system that makes performance work reliable.

Common questions

Is StrategyFive Platform required?

Yes. Both pathways require StrategyFive Platform because it standardises staging, backups, monitoring, and release safety.

Do you guarantee results from a new theme build?

No. Development does not include an uplift guarantee. We still report what shipped, what changed, and what the data suggests, but it is provided as insight rather than a contractual success threshold.

What happens if something you build breaks?

StrategyFive guarantees the quality of its own work. If something StrategyFive built breaks, StrategyFive fixes it.

What access do you need to start?

We need access to the site and GA4. In the first week we confirm access, environments, and the staging workflow, then agree month one priorities and the monthly cap.

What support do you provide?

Support is provided during UK business hours, Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:30, excluding UK public holidays. For priority one incidents, clients can escalate via email and telephone.