Web Maniacs Custom WordPress Theme Rebuild
A bloated WordPress page-builder site, rebuilt into a hand-coded custom theme that's actually built to convert.
Overview
Web Maniacs is the New Zealand-facing side of the same group behind Proclivity Digitech their own footer credits Proclivity as their delivery and financial partner in India offering website development, app development, SEO, and digital marketing to NZ businesses. The existing site was built on a WordPress page-builder template, and it showed the usual symptoms: dense, repeated pricing blocks, a sprawling service catalogue, and the kind of bloat that comes from drag-and-drop builders rather than hand-written markup. Instead of migrating off WordPress, the fix was building a fully custom theme from scratch plain PHP templates styled with Tailwind CSS 4, with no page builder underneath. That keeps the team's existing WordPress admin workflow for editing content, while dropping the builder weight and giving full control over markup and styling. The same core information stayed (services, pricing tiers, portfolio, testimonials, process steps, contact), since that structure wasn't the actual problem the execution was rebuilt around it. Lenis was layered in for smooth scrolling, with scroll-triggered micro-interactions added so the page feels more alive as visitors move through it, instead of the flat scroll of the original. The new theme is currently live on a demo server for review, ahead of replacing the production site at webmaniacs.co.nz.
The Pain Point
The old Web Maniacs site ran on a WordPress page-builder template dense, repeated pricing blocks, generic visual execution, and the bloat that comes with drag-and-drop builders which undercut an agency whose whole pitch is building polished, professional web work for its own clients.
Problem Statement
Replace the page-builder theme with a hand-coded custom WordPress theme full control over markup and styling via Tailwind CSS 4, no builder bloat while keeping the team's existing WordPress admin workflow intact, and rework the UI/UX specifically around conversion, adding smooth-scroll micro-interactions via Lenis to make the site feel current.
Key Features
- Fully custom-coded WordPress theme replacing the original page-builder template
- Built with Tailwind CSS 4 (no tailwind.config.js, using the @theme-based pipeline) for styling
- Lenis-powered smooth scrolling for fluid, modern page movement
- Scroll-triggered micro-interactions designed to keep visitors engaged longer than a static page
- Decluttered presentation of pricing tiers and service listings carried over from the original site
- Conversion-focused layout aimed at turning visitors into quote requests and contact submissions
- Keeps the team's existing WordPress admin workflow, unlike a full framework migration
- Currently staged on a demo server ahead of replacing the live site
Process
- 1Audited the existing WordPress page-builder site for UX friction and unnecessary bloat
- 2Built a custom WordPress theme from scratch in PHP and Tailwind CSS 4, replacing the page-builder template entirely
- 3Recreated and cleaned up the services, pricing, portfolio, and testimonial sections within the new theme
- 4Reworked the page flow with conversion in mind, simplifying the path to a quote request or contact action
- 5Integrated Lenis for smooth scrolling across the new theme
- 6Layered in scroll-triggered micro-interactions to keep visitors engaged while browsing services and pricing
- 7Deployed the new theme to a demo server for review ahead of a production swap
The Outcome
A leaner, fully custom WordPress theme that keeps the familiar WP admin editing workflow but drops the page-builder weight, paired with a cleaner UI and Lenis-powered scroll interactions built to convert more visitors into leads staged on a demo server ahead of replacing the live site.
My Role
Solo Developer
Timeline
2026 - Ongoing
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