When WordPress breaks, you don’t need “try disabling plugins.”
When your WordPress site breaks, slows down, throws errors, or gets hacked, you need someone who can diagnose the real cause and fix it without making a bigger mess. I’m Aaron Sonnenberg. I’ve been building and supporting WordPress (and other platforms) for over 25 years. I design full sites, build custom functionality, and develop custom plugins when off-the-shelf solutions aren’t good enough.
Four buckets. All of them WordPress-native.
White screen / fatal errors / PHP issues. Plugin and theme conflicts. Broken layouts after updates. Forms not sending, spam floods, deliverability issues. Performance problems (slow pages, poor Core Web Vitals). Mobile and cross-browser bugs. Database issues, redirects, weird URL behavior.
DIAGNOSE · FIX · VERIFYMalware and hack cleanup. Lockdown + hardening to reduce attack surface. Ongoing monitoring recommendations. Recovery plans when something goes sideways.
CLEANUP · HARDEN · MONITORNew sections or pages built to match your existing design. Accessibility and standards fixes. SEO-friendly structure + content support. UX improvements to increase leads and reduce friction.
PAGES · A11Y · SEO · UXCustom theme work with clean, maintainable code. Custom plugin development when off-the-shelf solutions fall short. Integrations with CRMs, email platforms, analytics, automation systems. Advanced workflows and content + ops automation.
THEMES · PLUGINS · INTEGRATIONS · WORKFLOWSEvidence of “off-the-shelf wasn’t good enough.”
When a client needs functionality that doesn’t exist as a polished plugin (or the available options would lock them into a recurring SaaS bill), I build it. Here’s a partial list of what I’ve shipped. Some are mine end-to-end; some I commissioned and own. Either way, the client gets the code, I run it as part of their retainer, and the spec is theirs.
Custom WordPress plugin for managing show schedules, performer rosters, and event metadata. Built for a music-venue client where the off-the-shelf event plugins were too generic.
Sweepstakes and giveaway entry management with eligibility checks, entry tracking, and winner-selection workflow. Built where off-the-shelf giveaway plugins added cost without flexibility.
Custom post type and templating system for structured case studies. Powers SD’s own /work/ section and used at a handful of other clients.
Webinar registration management with reminder emails, attendance tracking, and replay access. Built for a client where Zoom’s built-in workflows didn’t fit the brand surface.
Lightweight text-to-speech reader for WordPress posts and pages. Better than overlay-widget approaches because it works at the markup level, not as a JavaScript injection.
Custom form-driven document management plugin built for the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, with migration of legacy documents. SD specified, owns, and operates. See /work/aagla/.
A commissioned plugin pair for Cubex’s customer portal: knowledge repository with 1,411 entries, custom user roles, membership management, user invitations, WooCommerce integration. SD specified, owns, and operates. See /work/cubex-academy/.
Public rates. Block discounts. Hours never expire.
| Standard rate | $125/hr | Time-and-materials billing as work is performed. 15-minute minimums tracked in Toggl. |
| Block-20 | $110/hr | Prepay 20 hours up front. $2,200 total. 12% off standard. For clients dipping a toe in or occasional projects. |
| Block-40 | $95/hr | Prepay 40 hours up front. $3,800 total. 24% off standard. For clients who hit me for work regularly. |
Block hours never expire. Once prepaid, hours stay on file until consumed.
Four steps. No mystery.
What’s broken, what changed recently, what you’ve already tried. Five minutes of context saves an hour of guessing.
I isolate the cause — not guesses, actual root cause. Most “WordPress is slow” issues turn out to be one plugin, one query, or one redirect rule. Find the right one and the fix is fast.
I fix it, confirm it’s stable, and make sure it won’t recur for the same reason. If the fix needs to ship at off-hours, we schedule.
If you want it prevented long-term, I’ll recommend the smallest, smartest improvements. Not a pitch deck. A list of one or two things worth doing.
Tired of slow tickets and vague answers?
- Business owners who need their site to stay online and generate leads
- Marketing teams who want a reliable WordPress partner instead of a rotating cast of freelancers
- Agencies that need a “fixer” who can jump in and handle real technical work
- Anyone tired of slow support tickets and vague answers from generic hosting support
What clients say.
His thought process is both critical and creative, which allows him to consistently contribute valuable art direction and beautifully executed designs that are functional for the most optimal user experience.Ryan Green / Sr Director of Ecommerce / TravisMathew
Tell me what’s broken or what you’re trying to build.
Schedule a call and I’ll tell you in 15 minutes whether I can help and what it’ll cost.
Schedule a call