I’m Dean, a freelance WordPress developer based near Brighton. I work with businesses and agencies across Brighton, Hove, and the wider Sussex area, building bespoke WordPress sites, developing custom themes and plugins, and rescuing projects that haven’t gone to plan.
If you need a developer rather than a design agency, someone who will write actual code rather than bolt together a page builder template and call it done, let’s talk.
Want to talk it through? Get in touch and let's figure out what's going on.
Sound familiar?
Most people who get in touch have run into one of these situations:
- You’ve had a site built but it’s not doing what you need it to do, and the developer who built it is unresponsive or no longer available
- You’re working with a Brighton agency but their developer resources are stretched, and they need someone they can bring in for specific projects
- You need something custom (a plugin, a theme, a specific piece of functionality) that an off-the-shelf solution won’t cover
- You’re running an older site on an outdated platform and you need to migrate it properly, not just copy and paste the content
- You want a WordPress developer who actually picks up the phone and knows what they’re talking about
What working with me looks like
Bespoke WordPress Development
Custom WordPress builds designed around what your business actually needs. That means a bespoke theme built to your specification, the right plugins for the job rather than whatever is most popular, and a site that performs well and is straightforward to manage. No page builder bloat, no themes picked off a shelf.
Custom Plugin and Theme Development
If you need functionality that doesn’t exist as a plugin, or a theme that genuinely reflects your brand rather than approximating it, I build both from scratch in PHP. I’ve built everything from simple admin tools to complex custom post type systems, client portals, and third-party API integrations.
Site Rescues and Migrations
Whether your current site is broken, slow, or built on a platform you need to move away from, I can assess what’s there and work out the best route forward. I handle Drupal to WordPress migrations regularly, including the complex content and functionality migration work that most off-the-shelf tools can’t manage properly.
Agency Overflow and White Label Development
If you’re a Brighton or Sussex agency with more work than your in-house team can handle, I work with agencies on a white label basis. You manage the client relationship, I deliver the development work. Straightforward, reliable, and discreet.
Why work with a freelance developer rather than an agency?
When you work with me, you’re working with the developer directly. There’s no account manager relaying your brief to a junior developer you’ve never spoken to. If something needs changing, you tell me and it gets changed. If something isn’t working, I’m the one who fixes it.
I’ve been building WordPress and Drupal sites for over a decade, working with clients ranging from small local businesses to large organisations with complex technical requirements. I’ve built bespoke plugins and themes for clients including Kashflow and Tesco, and I carry that experience into every project regardless of size.
Being based near Brighton means I’m available for in-person meetings when that’s useful, and working across UK time zones as standard.
This is probably a good fit if you're...
- A Brighton or Sussex business that needs a reliable WordPress developer without the overhead of an agency
- A local agency looking for a developer you can bring in on specific projects or when your team is at capacity
- A founder or business owner who’s been let down by a previous developer and needs someone to take the project forward properly
- An organisation with an older site that needs to be moved to WordPress and done correctly, not just exported and imported
Let's talk about your project
I offer a free 15-minute call to find out what you need and whether I’m the right fit. No sales pitch, no obligation.
Phone: +44 (0) 7368 343596
Email: dean@deanainsworth.dev
DA Marketing Ltd t/a Dean Ainsworth
Registered in England and Wales
Company Number: 16984460
VAT Number: GB511589785
Email: dean@deanainsworth.dev
DA Marketing Ltd t/a Dean Ainsworth
Registered in England and Wales
Company Number: 16984460
VAT Number: GB511589785