Theme Engineering & Migrations
Custom WordPress themes from scratch, plus migrations between platforms.
· Reviewed by senior engineers
01 What it is
What this service is
Theme engineering is the practice of building a WordPress theme from scratch — no Astra, no Divi, no GeneratePress. Just clean PHP templates, theme.json design tokens, a block library, and a build pipeline. Migrations are the work of moving content from one CMS to WordPress (or off WordPress) without losing SEO equity or editorial workflow.
Devinsta builds block themes (FSE-compatible) and hybrid themes, and runs migrations from Drupal, Squarespace, Wix, Joomla, Magento, and bespoke legacy CMSes.
02 What it's for
What it's for
You need a custom theme when the off-the-shelf themes are stopping you from realising the brand or constraining performance. You need a migration when an existing platform has become a tax — slow editors, lock-in pricing, or limited extensibility.
Typical engagements: post-rebrand theme rebuild, replatform from Drupal or Squarespace to WordPress, or consolidation of multiple WordPress sites onto a single multisite network.
03 How to use it
How to engage devinsta
Theme builds run 6–14 weeks depending on scope. Migrations are 4–12 weeks depending on content volume and the complexity of the source schema. Both end with editor training and a 90-day post-launch support window.
04 How to deploy
How we deploy it
Themes ship via Git → managed hosting (WP Engine, Pressable, Pantheon) with deploy automation. Migrations use WP-CLI and bespoke import scripts that run against staging until the data is clean, then run final against production during a controlled cutover window.
We always preserve URLs (or 301-redirect them) and we always preserve SEO metadata. A migration that loses rankings is a failed migration; we benchmark and report.
05 What we provide
What you get from us
- Custom block theme (FSE) or hybrid theme
- theme.json design tokens and global styles
- Migration scripts in WP-CLI
- Complete 301 redirect map and SEO preservation
- Editor training and documentation
- 90 days post-launch support
- Performance and accessibility baseline
FAQ
Common questions
How long does a typical theme build take?
6–10 weeks for most marketing sites. Add 2–4 weeks for complex motion design, deep CMS integration, or multi-region support.
Will we lose SEO rankings during migration?
Not if done right. We map every legacy URL to its new equivalent with 301 redirects, preserve canonical tags, replicate structured data, and benchmark organic traffic for 90 days post-launch. Most migrations show stable or improved rankings within a month.
Can you migrate from Drupal?
Yes — Drupal 7, 8, and 9. We export via Drupal's export tools or directly from the database, transform with custom scripts, and import via WP-CLI. Field-by-field mapping with editorial review before cutover.