The platforms and tools we build websites with
We build on three platforms only: WordPress with custom themes, WooCommerce and Shopify. Here is why, and the standards every build follows.
Which platforms do we build websites with?
We build on three open, widely supported platforms: WordPress with a theme we write for the project, WooCommerce, which sits inside WordPress, and Shopify, the hosted commerce platform. Another competent developer can pick any of them up later.
If you are an IT manager or a technical founder checking what a Bangkok agency will leave behind, that is the short answer. We deliberately keep the list short: a small stack that we know in depth serves a business site better than a long list of frameworks used once each.
Business and company sites run on WordPress; online stores run on WooCommerce or Shopify. Everything else on this page is about how we build on those three.
WordPress with custom themes
WordPress is open-source software released under the GPL licence, which matters to a buyer for a practical reason: no single vendor owns your site's platform, and developers who know it are easy to find in Bangkok and everywhere else. If you are new to it, our plain explainer on what WordPress is and how it works covers the basics.
Why a custom theme
The theme controls how every page is laid out and what code the browser has to download. Most off-the-shelf themes and visual page builders ship large amounts of code for features your site will never use, and they wrap content in layers of nested markup. That makes pages heavier and harder to keep tidy over the years.
We write the theme for your site instead. It contains the templates your pages need, clean semantic HTML, and the fields your staff will actually edit. Your team still updates text, images, blog posts and Thai translations in the normal WordPress editor; they just cannot accidentally break the layout while doing it. The trade-off is honest: you give up drag and drop page building. For most companies that is a benefit, not a loss, and our comparison of Elementor versus a custom WordPress theme sets out when each makes sense.
Plugins, kept few
We add plugins only where they do a job well and are maintained, such as forms, security and the consent tool, and we avoid stacking several plugins that overlap. Fewer plugins means fewer updates to manage and fewer conflicts after launch. If you want the build itself scoped, the page on hiring a WordPress developer in Bangkok explains what the service includes.
WooCommerce and Shopify for stores
For online shops we choose between two platforms, and the choice depends on how you want to run the store rather than on which one is fashionable.
| Question | WooCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Who hosts it? | You choose a host; the store lives on your WordPress site | Shopify hosts it as part of the subscription |
| How much control? | Full access to code, data and server | Control within Shopify's platform rules and apps |
| Who looks after updates? | You or a maintenance provider | Shopify updates the platform itself |
| Fits best when | Content and shop sit together, or you need unusual product logic | You want the store to run with little technical upkeep |
Either way, a store selling in Thailand needs the same local pieces: PromptPay and card payments, cash on delivery where your customers expect it, delivery through Thai couriers such as Thailand Post, KEX Express (formerly Kerry Express), Flash Express or J&T, and e-Tax invoice setup where your business issues them. Those are set up and tested before launch, along with product import and staff training.
The detail of each build is on our pages for WooCommerce store development and for working with a Shopify developer in Thailand. If you are unsure which suits you, bring your product count, how often stock changes and who will run the shop day to day to the first call; those three answers usually decide it.
How we build
The platform is only half the story. These standards apply whichever of the three a project uses, and they are what a technical reviewer should check when a site is handed over.
On speed, we judge pages against Google's Core Web Vitals rather than a lab score on one fast laptop. Google's published thresholds for a good experience are a Largest Contentful Paint of 2.5 seconds or less, an Interaction to Next Paint of 200 milliseconds or less and a Cumulative Layout Shift of 0.1 or less, measured at the 75th percentile of real visits. We build towards those, but real results also depend on hosting, content and third-party scripts you add later, so we do not promise a score or a load time. When an existing site is slow, our website speed optimisation work starts by measuring which of those three is failing and why.
Thai text deserves a mention. Thai fonts carry many more glyphs than Latin ones, so loading them carelessly slows pages and causes text to jump as it renders. We load Thai and Latin fonts from the site's own server, only in the weights the design uses.
- Semantic HTMLReal headings, lists, buttons and labels, so browsers, screen readers and search engines read the page correctly.
- Mobile-first layoutsDesigned for a phone screen first, since that is how most Bangkok customers will meet the site.
- Modern image formatsImages served as WebP at sizes matched to the screen, with alt text where they carry meaning.
- Self-hosted fontsThai and Latin fonts served from your own site, no external font calls.
- Structured dataSchema markup as JSON-LD, describing the business, pages and FAQs for search engines.
- English and ThaiEach language on its own URLs, correctly marked, with links between versions.
- PDPA consent toolingCookie consent before non-essential tracking, a privacy notice and consent checkboxes on forms.
- Core Web Vitals checksPages tested against Google's thresholds before launch.
What we do not build
Being clear about limits saves you a wasted call. We do not build or offer:
- web applications, customer portals or custom software built on frameworks such as React, Next.js or Laravel;
- mobile apps for iOS or Android;
- standalone hosting plans;
- headless or decoupled setups, where WordPress only stores content and a separate front end displays it.
Booking and enquiry flows inside a website are a different thing, and they are part of our Business package. What we mean is software whose main job is the application itself, such as a customer dashboard or an internal system. That needs a software team, and you should hire one.
Headless WordPress comes up often in technical reviews, so if you are weighing it, our article on how headless WordPress works and when it is worth it explains the idea and its costs. For a typical company site, it adds a second codebase to maintain without much gain.
If you want to know who actually writes the themes and sets up the stores, you can read about the people behind the builds. When you are ready to talk about your own project, send your current site address or a short brief by WhatsApp or email and we will tell you which platform we would use and why.
Common questions
Do you build with React, Next.js or Laravel?
No. We build websites on WordPress with custom themes, and online stores on WooCommerce or Shopify. Frameworks like React, Next.js and Laravel are mostly used for web applications and custom software, which we do not offer. If your project is really an application, such as a customer portal or an internal system, a software development team is the right hire. If it is a company website or a store, our three platforms cover it well.
Why WordPress for most business sites?
It is open source, so you are not tied to one vendor, and developers who can maintain it are easy to find if you ever change provider. Its editor is familiar to many staff, it handles English and Thai content well, and it supports blogs, forms and booking or enquiry flows without custom software. With a custom theme instead of a page builder, it also stays lean and fast.
Which hosting do you recommend?
We do not sell hosting, so we have no package to push. For a WordPress or WooCommerce site, look for a host with current PHP versions, daily backups you can restore yourself, SSL included and servers in or near Southeast Asia, since most of your visitors are likely in Thailand. Shopify stores are hosted by Shopify, so the question does not arise. We can review a host you are considering during the project.
Do you use page builders?
Not on Business sites: the Business package gets a custom theme written for the site instead of Elementor, Divi or similar builders, and a Starter site is a custom design on WordPress, with the build approach set in your quote. Builders make layout changes easy but add a lot of code to every page and tie your design to the builder's future. Your staff still edit text, images, posts and Thai translations in the standard WordPress editor. If you have a strong reason to keep a builder, tell us early and we will discuss the trade-offs.
Related pages
Tell us about your website
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