May 2026 – Present
Developer
Wade Digital, Remote
Create custom plugins and functionality across WordPress projects. Integrate forms, CRMs, analytics, and automation platforms.
About
Alex McIver
Independent WordPress and Shopify developer in London. Sites built with clear scope, a fixed fee, and the judgement that comes from doing this every day.
I build digital products with the same care as the business behind them.
I take on a limited number of WordPress and Shopify projects each year — enough to give each one proper attention, never enough to hand work down a chain.
By day I am a web developer at Wade Digital, a Salisbury performance marketing agency. Alongside that, I work directly with founders and marketers through Alex M Web Design.
Clients stay for the same reasons they hire me: plain English, considered decisions, and a site they can run without calling a developer for every change.
5+
Years of experience
30+
Projects completed
2
Platforms day-to-day
24h
Typical reply time
Experience
- Developer · Wade Digital
- Freelance · Alex M Web Design
- Developer · Hewitt Matthews
- Shopify Developer · Underwaterpistol
- WordPress Developer · Fat Beehive
- Junior Developer · Drew and Rose
- Based in Clapham, London
Expertise
What I work with, properly
Platforms
- WordPress
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- Divi 5
- ACF Pro
- Gravity Forms
Engineering
- PHP
- JavaScript
- Liquid
- HTML & CSS
- MySQL
- Git
Infrastructure
- WP Engine
- Cloudflare
- DNS & SSL
- CDN configuration
- Migrations
- Backups
Performance
- Core Web Vitals
- Technical SEO
- Structured data
- Search Console
- GA4
- Yoast
Background
How I got here
2020 – Present
Freelance Web Developer
Alex M Web Design, London
Independent projects for small businesses — WordPress redesigns, Shopify stores, SEO audits and ongoing care.
July 2024 – May 2026
Developer
Hewitt Matthews, Remote
Architect and maintain high-performance WordPress ecosystems, prioritising enterprise-grade security and page speed. Translate complex Figma/XD design systems into modular, scalable code that maintains pixel-perfect fidelity across all breakpoints.
January 2024 – April 2024
Shopify Developer
Underwaterpistol, Remote
Engineered full-stack features for Shopify Plus brands, optimising backend Liquid logic to handle high-concurrency traffic events. Audited and resolved significant technical debt in legacy Shopify themes, improving maintainability and reducing frontend load times.
November 2022 – August 2023
WordPress Developer
Fat Beehive, London
Lead developer for bespoke builds in the non-profit sector, focusing on W3C accessibility compliance and user-centric donor journeys. Owned the technical scoping and quoting process for new requirements, ensuring projects remained on time and within budget.
November 2020 – November 2022
Junior Developer
Drew and Rose, London
Accelerated from Intern to Junior Developer, taking full ownership of custom Shopify builds and complex WordPress theme migrations. Managed monthly maintenance cycles for 15+ clients and led regular demo meetings.
Approach
How I work
Plain English, always
No jargon, no acronyms without explanation. You should always understand what's happening and why.
No challenge is too big
If I don't know something, I'll find out. If it can't be done one way, I'll find another.
Transparent pricing
Fixed quotes before we start. No scope creep surprises. You know what you're paying and what you're getting.
Speed and reliability
I reply within one working day. I hit deadlines. You'll never be left chasing a progress update.
Independent WordPress & Shopify
Ready when you are.
A thirty-minute call to see whether we should work together. Direct, unhurried, and without a sales script.