Skip to content

Since 2003Our team has helped over 20,000 UK businessesCollection from Unit 3, 116 Bury New Road, Manchester M8 8EB

Call 0161 315 1151WhatsApp 07737 902425hello@webprintsigns.co.uk

Web Print & Signs 0161 315 1151 Basket0 Get a free quote
WEB 100 · Web

WordPress Plugin Customisation Manchester

When a WordPress plugin or theme does almost what you need, we change the last part properly. Our Manchester developers use child themes, hooks, filters and template overrides so your changes stay in place after updates. It is for site owners who have lost edits before, or who have been told “the plugin cannot do that”.

  • Since 2003trading in Manchester
  • 20,000+UK businesses helped
  • Collect M8Unit 3, 116 Bury New Road
  • A personchecks every file
Get a free quote Call 0161 315 1151 WhatsApp us
WEB 100

Fix and extend

Every job is a fixed quote, agreed in writing before any work starts. No obligation.

All 45 web servicesOr tell us what you need and we will quote it.Get a website quote

Changing WordPress without losing work on the next update

WordPress plugins and themes update often, and each update replaces their files. If someone edited those files directly, the change disappears the moment you click update. Owners are then stuck with an unpatched old version or lose features.

The fix is to keep custom code outside the files that get replaced. WordPress is built for this. Hooks, known as actions and filters, let code run at set points or change values before they are used. A child theme holds style and template changes on top of the parent theme. WooCommerce lets you copy its templates into your theme and edit the copies, and it flags when an override is out of date after a WooCommerce release.

Where a change is larger, we write a lightweight custom plugin that does one job. That keeps your logic independent of any theme, so a future redesign does not wipe it out.

Sites that usually come to us

Most requests involve sites that already work but need one behaviour changed.

  • WooCommerce shops wanting checkout fields, product tabs or email wording changed.
  • Membership and booking sites needing a plugin to send data to another system.
  • Businesses whose previous developer edited plugin files, leaving updates switched off.
  • Agencies and freelancers who want a second developer to handle the PHP side.

How we make a change

1

Read the plugin first

We look at the plugin’s own hooks, settings and documentation, because the change you need is sometimes already supported.

2

Copy to staging

All work happens on a staging copy of your site, never on the live one.

3

Write code in Git

Code goes into a child theme or custom plugin and is tracked in version control, so every change can be traced or rolled back.

4

Compatibility checks

We test against your current PHP version, WordPress version and the other active plugins.

5

Deploy and document

Once you approve on staging, we deploy to live and note what was changed and where.

What you get

  • The requested behaviour working on your live site.
  • Code held in a child theme or custom plugin, not in plugin core files.
  • A version-controlled copy of the custom code.
  • Notes on each hook, filter or template override we added.
  • Advice on which updates may need the change rechecking.

Hook, override or new plugin: choosing the right tool

Each method fits a different kind of change.

  • Actions and filters: best for changing text, prices shown, query results or adding content at a set point. They survive updates as long as the plugin keeps the same hook.
  • Template overrides: best for layout changes to WooCommerce pages or emails. After major WooCommerce releases we compare overrides against the new templates.
  • Child theme: best for styling and theme template changes. Parent theme updates still apply underneath.
  • Custom plugin: best for new features, integrations or anything that must survive a theme change.

We avoid forking a whole plugin. A forked copy no longer receives security fixes, which creates the risks our WordPress maintenance service exists to prevent.

Frequently asked questions

Can you change a premium plugin we bought?

Usually, yes. Most premium plugins offer hooks and template overrides like free ones. We work through those and keep your licence active so updates and support continue. If a plugin offers no way in, we tell you before starting rather than editing its files.

Our last developer edited plugin files directly. Can you fix that?

Yes. We compare the edited files against a clean copy of the same version to find every change. Then we rebuild those changes as hooks, overrides or a custom plugin, update the original plugin and check nothing is lost.

Will the customisation break when WordPress updates?

Hooks and child themes are designed to survive updates, so in most cases nothing breaks. A plugin author can rename or remove a hook, though. Our notes list each dependency so a developer can check quickly after major releases.

Do I own the custom code you write?

Yes. The code is yours once paid for and stays on your site and in a repository you can access. Any developer can read and maintain it, because we follow standard WordPress coding practices and comment the code.

Is it better to find a different plugin instead?

Sometimes. If the change fights against how a plugin works, switching plugins can be cleaner. We look at both options and say which one leaves you with less to maintain over time before quoting.

Related services

Tell us what you want the plugin to do differently through our WordPress development quote, speak to a developer on 0161 315 1151 or send screenshots on WhatsApp to 07737 902425.

Ready to get started?

Tell us what you need and we'll come back with an honest, fixed-price quote — no obligation.

Get a Free Quote → See Our Work