Custom WordPress Plugin Development in South Africa
Plugins built exclusively for your website. Owned by your business. Supported by the team who built them. 10+ Years WordPress Experience.
Welcome to New Perspective Design – South Africa’s Foremost Web Design Expert
When creating this web design page dedicated to our website design services in South Africa, we thought: what can we, as a website design company, write on this page that will be most helpful to our clients and users in general?
And so, we came to our first point to address: education.
Educating clients on website design is integrally important. After all, they need to know what they are buying—whether it is a website design package, a standard brochure website, or an e-commerce online store website. Educating clients on the different websites available to them, their pros and cons, and how to manage their website has always been a part of our process when working with clients.
What is a website?
A website is a collection of web pages hosted on a server and accessible through the internet, typically via a domain name. It can serve many purposes—sharing information, selling products, offering services, or providing entertainment. Websites can be static (showing fixed information) or dynamic (interactive and regularly updated). In today’s world, a website is often the main point of contact between a business and its audience.
Is a website important for business in South Africa?
The numbers would say yes:
Approximately 237,400 websites in South Africa are currently powered by WordPress
As of 2025, there are approximately 18,626 live Shopify stores in South Africa
Having a website isn’t just a nice extra anymore—it’s essential. When someone hears about your business, the first thing they’ll do is look you up online. And what they find really counts. If your site feels outdated, takes forever to load, or isn’t mobile-friendly, you might be losing potential customers without even realizing it.
A well-designed site builds trust with visitors. On the flip side, a poorly designed one can send leads running away. It really is that straightforward.
If your website frustrates users, they’ll just click away. If they can’t quickly find what they’re after, they’ll go elsewhere. And if it looks shady or cheap, they won’t reach out to you. That can hit your bottom line, whether you rely on ads or word of mouth.
A solid website does three things well:
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Establishes credibility: Clean, organized, professional-looking sites tell visitors you’re serious.
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Boosts search visibility: Fast, mobile-friendly sites with good layout help you rank higher on Google.
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Guides visitors effectively: Every page should serve a purpose—whether it’s getting a quote, booking, or contact info.
If your site isn’t doing these, you’re not just missing out on sales—you could be actively losing them.
The role of web hosting in website design
Think about the website that we design as a flashy sports car—your hosting is the tires of that car. It’s where the website will live on the internet, how fast your website serves to visitors, how secure it is—and it’s all greatly determined by your hosting.
It doesn’t help getting a flashy car and putting on trashy old tires; it won’t perform. The same can be said for a website. If you have a CPU-intensive or memory-intensive e-commerce website, we can implement better coding and some caching, but ultimately your server needs a good amount of RAM, a great TTFB, CPU, and a solid base to work from.
What is a CMS and which is the best to pick in South Africa?
A CMS (Content Management System) is software that allows you to create, manage, and modify content on a website without needing extensive coding knowledge. There are hundreds—if not thousands—of CMS platforms in the world.
In South Africa, a few CMS systems are particularly popular.
WordPress websites
WordPress usage in South Africa (WooCommerce/WordPress) → 46%
WordPress is incredibly flexible when it comes to website design and development. Originally a blog platform, WordPress as a CMS can now be altered to create simple business websites, RFQ websites, and, with WooCommerce, is incredibly popular for e-commerce.
The advantage of WordPress is its flexibility and cost. You can do pretty much anything you want on WordPress with a massive developer community behind it and thousands of plugins for just about anything you need your website to do. It is by far the most flexible option.
The massive amount of documentation available online on WordPress development and its API make it developer-friendly and allow all this flexibility. However, WordPress has a bit of a steeper learning curve, requires more website maintenance than other CMSs, and, if not looked after, can become unsecure.
Wix websites
Wix runs about 11% of South Africa’s websites.
Wix is another CMS platform. It’s great if you want to get a basic website up quickly, need a drag-and-drop builder, and want a company to handle hosting for you. However, if you intend on scaling your website as your business grows, you will soon hit the limitations of the platform.
Vendor locking with Wix is also a problem—your site is on their platform, and if you want to move it, you’ll need to rebuild it completely. Being another highly controlled environment, Wix websites are generally safe and pretty fast, but this comes at a cost—you can’t tweak everything to perfection like you can on WordPress.
Shopify websites
Shopify is a CMS on a platform. Shopify runs about 30% of the e-commerce web in South Africa.
Shopify is an e-commerce platform only. It has a strict environment that doesn’t allow for too much flexibility, but this ensures that their sites remain secure and fast. Secure and fast means user-friendly, and generally, Shopify sites are clean and come with hosting integrated.
Shopify can be customized with developers and also has an app store similar to the WordPress plugin repository. The cost of Shopify, especially for South Africans, can be a bit of an issue as you will pay in dollars. Almost every plugin and every function will be another add-on subscription, which can amount to thousands of dollars very quickly—an incredible amount in South African rands.
The last thing about Shopify is that the website you create on their platform is not yours—it’s theirs. They have the right to terminate it whenever they feel like it, and you cannot move it away, so beware of vendor lock-in here.
In South Africa’s e-commerce sector, WordPress (via WooCommerce) powers nearly half of all online stores, with Shopify holding about a third, and Wix just over a tenth.
What is the cost of a website in South Africa?
The cost of a website can depend on various factors. These include the number of pages, the functionality of the site, the language it’s written in, and the platform it’s designed on.
In South Africa, most websites are HTML, WordPress, Wix, or Shopify, and most website designers or web design companies generally sell websites at between R5,000 – R50,000 once-off. The average website designer in South Africa charges R275 per hour for work.
Of course, some of these platforms and agencies have monthly fees instead of once-off websites. Other considerations also include third-party tools often needed with websites, hosting and maintenance, and lastly, digital marketing.
What are considered affordable website design packages in South Africa?
Now that you know what website design is and the different types of websites that there are, you will find these are often bundled in packages with features commonly required by businesses.
You might get a 5-page basic package with basic SEO and hosting, or an online store website design package. There are also custom packages when businesses require more complex functionality such as listing websites.
In South Africa, you can look at the following averages for website design packages:
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A typical small-business 5-page site runs between R6,000 and R16,000.
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A business website (typically 8–16 pages) averages R14,000, ranging from R7,500 to R20,000.
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An e-commerce site costs between R13,000 and R25,000, averaging R19,000.
Patent web design process
Step 1: Consultations
Our web design process always starts with a consultation. We take the time to understand your business and, more importantly, what you require your website to do and how it fits into the bigger picture of your business.
Step 2: Scoping
After the consult, we create a scope of the project. This makes sure our team and yours are aligned in terms of what is required and when it should be delivered.
Step 3: Drafting your website
We issue a content requirements folder in which you place all your website content. If you have made use of our website copywriting services, we will write the content for you. Images and media provided will be prepped by our graphic design team, and we will design the draft of your website.
Once complete, this draft website will be deployed on one of our test servers where it will wait for your review.
Step 4: Review website
This is where you get to see the full working prototype of your website from your own devices. We will meet and discuss any revisions that are required. While we do in-house testing, we often find that when clients run through their website on their own devices, a broader set of testing helps us iron out all the wrinkles.
Step 5: Go live
This is where we deploy your site on its live web hosting server. We also perform all the other tasks that can only be done once a website is on its live server, such as:
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Setting up web application firewalls
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Submitting your site to Google
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Setting up mail SMTP and forms
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Implementing caching
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Connecting any APIs that your website requires
You are then also provided with a basic training video on how to use, edit, and work with your website. Lastly, we hand over your web server credentials and any other logins that you will require.
Step 6: Post web launch support
New Perspective Design is unique in that, even if you don’t have a website maintenance or SEO package with us, we provide support for 30 days post-launch. We create websites that we want to see around for a long time, and so we are just as invested in their success as you are.
And if a year down the line you find yourself in need of some new features or SEO work, feel free to get hold of us. We love working with clients we have worked with before and establishing long-lasting relationships.
Our web design recognition & awards
We have industry recognition for our work in the web design space in South Africa and abroad:
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TechBehemoths Top South African Web Designers – Winner 2024
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TechBehemoths Top South African Web Developers – 2024
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TechBehemoths Top South African WordPress Developers – Winner 2024
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98 five-star reviews on Google My Business
How we prepare websites for the future
At New Perspective Design, we take a proactive approach in our design and development work.
As enthusiasts of everything happening on the internet, we keep a keen eye on developments in the web space, SEO world, and even Google. We do this by reading and regularly contributing in community forums and discussions on social media. While no one can predict the future, we have a pretty good idea of where things are heading, and we often share these thoughts in our blog.
How long does it take to build a website?
This would depend on what type of website it is, and there are factors that also weigh into how long it takes—such as whether you have your content ready or if we need to produce it.
Most website drafts are completed 7–21 days after content has been finalised. We then also allow for 7 days of testing and revision, so most websites are completed in 28 days.
What types of websites do you design and develop?
New Perspective Design develops most types of websites for most industries. Some of the industries we’ve worked for—whether by doing SEO, creating new websites, or rebranding old ones—are:
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Home Services Website Design
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Agriculture & Farming Website Design
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Nonprofits, Foundations & Church Website Design
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Fitness & Gyms Website Design
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Event Planning & Entertainment Website Design
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Restaurants & Food Service Website Design
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Professional Services Website Design
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Manufacturing & Industrial Website Design
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Tech & Software Website Design
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Beauty & Wellness Website Design
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Education & E-Learning Website Design
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Automotive & Car Dealership Website Design
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Real Estate & Property Website Design
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Construction & Contractor Website Design
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Financial Services Website Design
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Hospitality & Travel Website Design
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Medical & Healthcare Website Design
When we talk about types of websites, we develop basic brochure business sites, e-commerce websites, booking sites, CRM websites, landing page websites, directory or listing websites, personal blog websites, and of course custom-developed websites tailored to client needs, which may involve marketplace websites and API integrations.
Who are the top website design companies in South Africa?
South Africa has become a pretty competitive hub for web design firms—and that’s actually a good thing for clients. It pushes the quality of websites up, making sure you get better results. As they say, a little competition never hurts.
Here’s a look at some of the best website design companies you’ll find in South Africa:
Websites 360
From the company:
“At Websites 360, we craft custom & template-based web designs tailored to your brand and audience. Our designs are visually stunning, user-friendly, and SEO-optimized to boost your online visibility and engagement.”
Address: 1000 Timbavati Street, Pretoria, 0181, South Africa
Pros:
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Additional services besides website design, such as video production
Cons:
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Lack of reviews
Verdict:
Websites 360 is a young, mid-range web design company in Johannesburg/Pretoria. With limited experience, they’re suited for starter sites with a bit of customization.
SA Website Designer
Address: 11 23rd St, Menlo Park, Pretoria, 0102
Pros:
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SA Website Designer has a lot of great Google reviews
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Their websites are on the more affordable side compared to other companies in Johannesburg
Cons:
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Small team, run by a single website designer named Stephan
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Limited capacity and slower turnaround times
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Portfolio shows many templated designs that don’t stand out
Verdict:
Great if you’re looking for extremely affordable, quick websites that don’t require custom development or graphic design.
StarBright
Address: 80 Sovereign Dr, Route 21 Business Park, Pretoria, 0157
From the company:
“Our team of website designers, fueled by caffeine and motivated by praise from our long list of satisfied clients, are top-notch experts in their field. With over 70 years of combined experience, we’re highly skilled in multiple programming languages and web technologies, ensuring proficiency and excellence in every project we undertake.”
Pros:
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Very good average rating from 97 clients on Google
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Quick turnaround times
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Additional services like hosting and SEO
Cons:
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Portfolio leans heavily on templated designs
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Pricing is higher compared to other web design companies in Pretoria
Verdict:
If you’re looking for something that’s been vetted and offers more than just website design, StarBright is a safe go-to in Pretoria.
Web Devine
From the company:
“Sick of automated and AI-powered responses received from large companies? At Web Devine, you collaborate with real people—passionate professionals who genuinely care about you and your business.
In an era where digital expertise is essential, we are the trusted online advertising partner you’ve been searching for.”
Address: 354 Braam Pretorius Street, Magalieskruin, Pretoria (H/O)
Pros:
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82 reviews on Google with a 4.9 average
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Offers graphic design, website design, SEO, and hosting
Cons:
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Expensive: R11,500 for a 5-page website; e-commerce starts at R14,850 for 3 pages
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Hosting costs R240 for a 5GB server with 8 email accounts—on the higher side
Verdict:
Great design work, and if you want to be sure you get quality, this Pretoria website design company delivers. But you will be overcharged.
CRM Integration Plugins
Connect your WordPress site directly to Zoho CRM, HubSpot, or any CRM platform. Custom field mapping, form-to-CRM routing, and lead automation built to your workflow.
Pricing Calculator Plugins
Interactive, logic-driven quote WordPress plugin tools built around your specific pricing model. Let visitors get an indicative price before they make contact.
Custom Post Type Plugins
Register content types specific to your business outside of WordPress defaults. Team members, case studies, properties, stock items, courses — structured your way.
WooCommerce Extension Plugins
Custom shipping rules, product configurators, checkout logic, and discount structures that WooCommerce websites dont support natively. Built for your store, not the next one.
Booking and Scheduling Plugins
Appointment systems, resource booking, and availability calendars built around how your business actually operates, not a generic template.
API and Third-Party Integration Plugins
Connect your site to payment gateways, accounting platforms, property portals, or any external API. If it has an API, we can connect it.
Need a WordPress Plugin not listed here? Describe your requirement and we will tell you if it can be built.
Why a Repository Plugin Is Not Built for Your Business
The WordPress plugin repository gives developers access to millions of users. That works well for the developer. For your business website, it creates a specific set of problems that are easy to overlook until they matter.
- Repository plugins run on a GNU (GPL) licence. The code is never truly owned by your business — it can be redistributed, forked, or modified by anyone.
- Free support is limited to community forums. Meaningful support is reserved for premium subscribers, often managed overseas across thousands of tickets.
- Publicly listed plugins are publicly scannable. Known plugins are targeted by automated vulnerability scanners before patches are even released.
- Repository plugins are built to work across thousands of different environments. They carry compatibility layers, fallback logic, and features you will never use — all of it adding weight to your site.
- Most commercial plugins are built to upsell. Locked features, add-on subscriptions, and in-dashboard advertising are the revenue model. You pay to use something you thought you already bought.
WordPress Plugins Built for Your Website. Owned by Your Business.
When New Perspective Design builds your plugin, it is built around your hosting environment, your WordPress setup, and your existing plugin stack. There is no generic compatibility layer. No dead code for features you will never use. Just clean, lightweight functionality that does exactly what your site needs.
Your plugin is yours at handover. Full licence. Full code. It does not sit in the WordPress repository, it is not GPL licenced, and it is not shared with anyone. It belongs to your business.
We write plugins using core WordPress hooks, filters, and PHP functions that are stable and infrequently updated. This extends the lifespan of your plugin between maintenance cycles and reduces the risk of breakage when WordPress core updates ship.
There are no in-dashboard ads, no locked features, and no subscription required to access something you already paid to have built just like our website design services, its yours.
When it comes to responsive web designers east london we are simply the best service.
responsive web design East London
When it comes to logo design east london we are simply the best service.
Why South African Businesses Choose NPD for Custom Plugin Development
A Straightforward Development Process With No Surprises
We start every plugin project with a proper scoping session. Your requirements are documented, your environment is assessed, and a clear spec is agreed before a single line of code is written. Development is handled by the same team from start to finish, and handover includes full code access and documentation. No handoffs, no outsourcing, no grey areas.
Over a Decade of WordPress Development Experience
New Perspective Design has been building on WordPress since 2016, working with businesses across South Africa from East London to Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Pretoria. As a certified Google Partner and 2024 TechBehemoths award recipient, our development work sits within a broader technical capability that covers everything from custom WordPress builds to CRM integrations and business automation. Plugin development is not a side service — it is a natural extension of the WordPress work we have been doing for over ten years.
Your Plugin Is Private, Secure, and Legally Yours
Plugins distributed through the WordPress repository are publicly accessible, publicly scannable, and licenced under the GNU GPL — meaning the code is never truly owned by your business. A custom plugin built by NPD is not listed anywhere publicly, is not shared with other clients, and is handed over under a private licence that belongs to your business outright. We also write against stable core WordPress functions that change infrequently, reducing your exposure to compatibility issues as WordPress evolves. If you are on one of our maintenance retainers, plugin updates are managed as part of your existing package.
Our Client Stories
Helping our clients suceed
New Perspective Design | Websites | Marketing | Graphics | Branding
1 Salisbury Rd, Berea, KuGompo City
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Excellent service from Juan and the team. They handled the development and deployment … More of our website professionally. The site was delivered smoothly, security measures were implemented and everything was tested before going live.
I would gladly recommend their services to anyone looking for reliable website development and hosting support.
Thank you again for the great work. -
Needed an urgent logo to be designed. Aimee and team were able to understand the … More requirements only via email and had the logo finalized within 1 business day. Super efficient and reasonably priced.
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A big thank you to Juan at New Perspective Studio for the great, friendly service. … More He made the whole process super easy for us, and we really appreciated his positive attitude and professionalism. Highly recommended.
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New Perspective Design is a highly recommended company if you need any assistance … More with websites/marketing. They are professional and offer quick and fast services. Juan and his team designed our school's website "Wysneusie kleuterskool" which we are very proud of. They are very thorough and helpfull with step by step instructions of what is needed from the client.
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I work since 8 years with New Perspective Design. Their Design and service is always … More excellent. Thank you.
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I reached out to NPD looking for a clean, professional and grounding website. I was … More extremely overwhelmed due to the Vision I had, and the amount of work we needed to put into the Website.
Juan is exceptional and gifted at what he does! He listens, advises, recommends, and he has a great attention to detail!
He went over and above to deliver an absolute beautiful Website !!! And his sense of humor is EVERYTHING! We are looking forward to a long working relationship with NPD and I would definitely recommend him for Website designs.
Everything works. Paystack, Bookings, and and the Website flows seamlessly.
Working with you has been a breath of fresh air, Juan and thank you for your patience.
I will never thank you enough. 😊🙌🏾🎉
The Aura & Growth Learning Hub Website is Officially Live! -
Outstanding professionalism and exceptional technical skill. He delivered exactly … More what I envisioned with precision and clarity. Highly recommended
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I had the pleasure of working with Aimee at New Perspective Design, and I am extremely … More impressed with the service I received. She designed my flyers and business cards with a professional and modern look that perfectly matched my business needs. Aimee was attentive, creative, and efficient throughout the process, and she ensured that I was completely satisfied with the final designs. I highly recommend New Perspective to anyone looking for quality design services and excellent customer support.
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If you ever need a developer who won’t fire you for creating scope creep… speak to … More Juan from New Perspective Studio.Juan’s been helping me build my coaching website, integrate Paystack payments, connect calendars, and set up Google Ads — all while I keep changing my mind, asking for “just one more thing”, and missing my own deadlines.He keeps on showing up with patience, professionalism and a very dry sense of humour that I’ve come to appreciate almost as much as his technical skill.If you’re looking for someone who can handle the full stack and your executive functioning chaos — Juan’s your guy. Grateful for the partnership and very happy to recommend him.Cannot sing his praises enough!
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100% impressed with their work! The team delivered a sleek, professional website … More and went above and beyond to help with every detail. Their eagerness to make everything perfect was top-notch.
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I would most definitely recommend them. They are such an amazing company. If I had … More to put it in any way I would say it way less for way more. They are so fairly priced and you get so much!!! Definitely do business with them. Did our vertical graphics website.
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Aimee Behrens was extremely helpful throughout the entire design process. She understood … More my requirements and the product that was delivered was beyond my expectation. I am extremely thankful and very happy with the designs. Thank you to Aimee and the NPD team for your professional service.
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Aimee from New Perspective Design helped us with our Company Logo design and company … More stationary on more than one occasion.The designs were always exactly what we wanted! Great Service.
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If I could, I would give 6 stars.Great final product service, and great customer … More care. Going the extra mile to meet and exceed our desires and request with the website design. Highly and gladly recommend New Perspective Design, and a special gratitude to Juan and Aimee.
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Juan built the daisa.co.za website for me. From the start he was very professional … More and open. he kept to the time line he gave me and I never had to doubt his ability to do what I expected. After the website was built, I required minor changes and I got more than what I expected. I will recommend New Perspective Design any time to any Company that needs a website. My site is now running for four years now and I never had an issue that caused my site to broke down.Thank you Juan for grate service and especially after sales service.
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New Perspective Design has hosted my website for a few years now, and I have received … More excellent service and outstanding results, from their suggestions and advice. They tailor make to your requirements as you grow.
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We recently had the pleasure of working with New Perspective Design for several design … More projects, and we cannot speak highly enough of their professionalism and work ethic. From start to finish, their team demonstrated an impressive commitment to excellence, consistently delivering beyond our expectations. The end product was not only professional but also surpassed what we had envisioned. Their attention to detail and creativity truly set them apart.If you are in need of design work or a website, we wholeheartedly recommend New Perspective Design. Their dedication to quality and customer satisfaction ensures that you will receive exceptional service and a final product that stands out.
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I recently had a website created by New Perspective, and I’m really impressed with … More their one-on-one consultation process. They took the time to sit down with me, really listen to what I wanted, and ensured the final design reflected my vision perfectly. Throughout the project, they maintained excellent communication, keeping me informed and engaged in each step of the process. I highly recommend New Perspective for anyone looking for a personalized, attentive approach to web design!
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I must admit, reading through all their reviews being 5 stars, I thought something … More was fishy. But Boy was I wrong, contacted New Perspective Design and spoke to a gentleman by the name of Juan. I organized a meeting with him, told him what I was wanting. With in no time everything I asked for was done and it was done properly as well which is very rare in East London. I can now see why companies all over S.A use them.They are definitely best in what they do, and highly recommend them for anyone needing the type of work they offer. As the saying goes you have tried the rest now use the best, and honestly New Perspective is definitely the best at what they do. I highly recommend them, a true gem for East London.
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AMAZING! creative, efficient, helpful and excellent client service - my website for … More ZZK ATTORNEYS INC exceeds my expectations. 10/10 recommend
WordPress Plugin Development FAQ
Ownership & Licensing
Who owns the plugin once it is built?
The plugin and its code belong to your business at handover. It is not listed in the WordPress repository, not distributed under a GPL licence, and not shared with any other client. You hold the licence outright with no ongoing fees required to maintain access to something you already paid to have built.
This is one of the key differences between a custom plugin and a repository plugin. Under the GNU General Public Licence used by WordPress.org plugins, the code is never truly owned by your business. A custom plugin built by NPD operates under a private licence that belongs to you.
What is the GPL licence and why does it matter?
The GNU General Public Licence (GPL) is the licence that governs all plugins distributed through the WordPress.org repository. Under GPL, the plugin code is open source and can be freely redistributed, modified, or forked by anyone. This means that even if you paid for a premium version, the underlying code is not exclusively yours and the developer cannot prevent others from distributing it.
A custom plugin built by NPD is not bound by GPL. The licence is private, the code is not publicly accessible, and ownership transfers to your business on handover. No other business receives the same plugin or has access to its code.
Is a custom plugin more expensive than buying a premium repository plugin?
The upfront cost is higher. The total cost of ownership is often lower. Premium repository plugins carry ongoing subscription fees to maintain access to updates and support, licence restrictions that limit usage to a fixed number of sites, and upsell pressure toward add-ons that should have been included from the start.
A custom plugin has a single development cost, a private licence with no annual renewal, and no features locked behind a subscription tier. If you are on one of our maintenance retainers, plugin updates are included in your existing package.
Can we use the plugin on multiple websites?
This depends on the scope agreed at the time of development. Most custom plugins are built for a specific website and environment, so deploying on additional sites may require additional development work if the environments differ. If multi-site use is a requirement, we factor that into the specification and build accordingly from the start.
Unlike repository plugin licences that charge per site, there are no per-site licence fees on a custom plugin. Any additional deployment cost is a development cost only, not a licensing cost.
Development & Process
How does the plugin development process work?
We start with a scoping session to document exactly what your plugin needs to do, how it needs to interact with your existing WordPress setup, and where it fits within your broader site architecture. Your requirements are agreed in writing before any development begins — no guessing, no scope creep.
Development is handled by the same team from start to finish. We build using native WordPress hooks, filters, and PHP functions, and test across your specific environment before deployment. Handover includes full code access and documentation.
How long does it take to build a custom WordPress plugin?
Timeline depends entirely on the complexity of the requirement. A simple shortcode, display, or content-type plugin can be scoped and built quickly. A complex CRM integration, multi-logic pricing calculator, or API connection will take longer and requires thorough scoping before a timeline can be confirmed.
We scope every project before quoting, which means you receive a realistic delivery estimate alongside the quote — not an optimistic number that shifts once development starts.
Can you add functionality to an existing plugin?
In some cases, yes. If the existing plugin is well-structured and extensible, we can extend it without touching the core plugin files — which means updates from the original developer will not overwrite our changes. If the plugin is poorly built or not designed to be extended cleanly, it is often more practical to build a targeted replacement.
We review the existing plugin before advising. We will not recommend a full rebuild if an extension is the right solution, and we will not extend a plugin that will cause ongoing maintenance problems.
Can you build a plugin that connects WordPress to an external system?
Yes. API and third-party integrations are a core part of our plugin development work. We have built integrations connecting WordPress to Zoho CRM, accounting platforms, booking systems, and custom APIs. If the external system exposes an API, we can build a plugin that connects to it.
Integration complexity varies significantly depending on the external system, how well its API is documented, and what data needs to pass between the systems. We assess this during scoping and flag anything that may affect timeline or cost before development begins.
Support & Maintenance
Do you provide support after the plugin is delivered?
Yes. If you are on one of our WordPress maintenance retainers, plugin updates and compatibility checks are managed as part of your existing package. As WordPress core evolves, your plugin is kept current without requiring a separate support request or additional cost for routine updates.
If you are not on a retainer, we are available on an hourly basis for post-delivery support, modifications, and updates as needed. Either way, you deal directly with the team who built the plugin — not a generic support queue.
Will my plugin break when WordPress updates?
We write plugins using core WordPress hooks, filters, and PHP functions that are stable and infrequently changed. This approach extends the lifespan of your plugin between update cycles and significantly reduces the risk of breakage when WordPress core updates ship.
We deliberately avoid building on WordPress internals or undocumented functions that tend to shift between versions. Where updates are required, clients on maintenance retainers have this managed automatically as part of their package.
What happens if something goes wrong with the plugin after handover?
If an issue arises from a bug in our code, we fix it. The distinction we draw is between defects in the plugin we delivered versus new requirements or environmental changes outside the original scope. A bug we introduced is our responsibility to resolve. A new feature request or a conflict introduced by a third-party plugin update is scoped separately.
This is one of the practical advantages of working with a local South African development team rather than an overseas plugin developer. You have direct access to the people who built it, and there is no language barrier or timezone gap when something urgent needs attention.
Can you support a plugin that NPD did not originally build?
Yes, in most cases. We start with a code review to understand how the plugin is built and identify any structural issues before taking on ongoing support or modifications. If the existing code is clean and maintainable, we take it on. If it has significant technical debt that would make ongoing support unreliable, we will advise on whether a rebuild makes more sense.
We will give you an honest assessment rather than agreeing to support something that will cause problems down the line.
Security
Are custom plugins more secure than repository plugins?
From a threat exposure standpoint, yes. Repository plugins are publicly listed and their code is publicly accessible, which means automated vulnerability scanners can identify and target known weaknesses before a patch is even released. A custom plugin is not listed anywhere publicly. Its code is not accessible to anyone outside your business and NPD, which significantly reduces your exposure to opportunistic attacks.
Beyond obscurity, we write to WordPress security best practices — input sanitisation, output escaping, capability checks, and nonce verification — so the plugin is built securely from the ground up, not just hidden from view.
My current plugin has a known security vulnerability — what should I do?
Update or deactivate it immediately. If a security update is available from the plugin developer, apply it as soon as possible. If no patch exists, deactivating the plugin until one is released is the safer option — leaving a known vulnerability active on a live site is a significant risk.
If the vulnerable plugin is providing functionality your site depends on and there is no patch available, contact us. In some cases we can build a replacement plugin that replicates the functionality without the vulnerability, or implement a temporary mitigation while a permanent solution is developed.
How do you ensure the plugin does not slow down my website?
Custom plugins built by NPD load only what is required for the specific functionality they provide. There are no bundled libraries, no unused feature sets, and no code running on pages where the plugin has no function. Repository plugins frequently load scripts and stylesheets site-wide regardless of whether they are relevant to a given page — which adds unnecessary weight to every page load.
We also test plugin performance as part of the build process, checking for unnecessary database queries, unoptimised loops, and any code that could create bottlenecks under normal traffic conditions before handover.
Do you conduct security testing on the plugins you build?
Security is built into the development process rather than tested as an afterthought. We follow WordPress coding standards for security throughout — validating and sanitising all input, escaping all output, verifying user permissions before executing any privileged action, and using nonces to prevent cross-site request forgery on all form submissions and AJAX requests.
For plugins handling sensitive data, payment information, or user authentication, we conduct additional review before handover and can discuss third-party security auditing if your business requires it.
