Kernel Build
Project-based
Design to
WordPress.
No builders. Ever.
We take your design and build it as a custom WordPress theme — hand-coded, semantic, schema-ready. Every line of markup is intentional. Google reads it cleanly because there is nothing in the way.
Pricing
Get a Quote
Custom proposal after scope approval.
Free homepage conceptNo commitment. Qualifying projects only.
Custom WordPress themeNo Elementor. No theme frameworks.
Theme-level SEO foundationSemantic HTML + schema, not a plugin.
50% deposit to startAfter direction + scope approval.
Free concept for qualifying projects.
No invoice until direction is approved.
No invoice until direction is approved.
What's Included
Everything in the build.
Everything in the build.
Nothing hidden.
Page count and revisions are fixed in your quote. Here is what every Kernel Build project includes from start to handover.
01
Free Homepage Concept
One design homepage concept built before any commitment. You see the direction first. If it does not fit, there is no invoice.
02
Design System + All Pages
Typography scale, colour system, component library, and all main pages scoped in the quote — consistent from start to finish.
03
Custom WordPress Theme
Hand-coded. No Elementor, no Divi, no WPBakery. The theme is yours — readable, maintainable, not locked to any builder ecosystem.
04
Theme-Level SEO Foundation
Semantic HTML5 throughout, JSON-LD schema in <head>, structured data ready. Not a plugin. Not an afterthought.
05
Staging → Live Deployment
Built and reviewed on staging, then deployed live with SSL validated and performance baseline confirmed. No broken launch day.
06
Handover Documentation
Clear notes on what was built, how the CMS is structured, and what to do next. You are not left figuring it out alone.
Our Approach
Page builders are a shortcut.
Page builders are a shortcut.
We do not take it.
Most WordPress sites sit on top of a builder on top of a theme. Every layer costs you in speed, structure, and search visibility.
Page Builder
<div class="elementor-container">
<div class="elementor-row">
<div class="elementor-col">
<div class="e-widget-wrap">
<div class="e-widget-container">
your content
</div></div></div></div>
</div>
// ...
✗ 6+ non-semantic wrapper divs
✗ No HTML5 semantic elements
✗ Opaque to search crawlers
✗ Schema requires a separate plugin
vs
Theme-Level (DKS)
<header>
<nav><ul>...</ul></nav>
</header>
<main>
<section>
<article>
your content
</article>
</section>
</main>
<footer>...</footer>
✓ Semantic HTML5 throughout
✓ Crawler-readable structure
✓ Schema-ready from day one
✓ Clean markup, every crawl
Page Builder
// heavy payload
elementor-frontend.min.js 247kb
elementor-pro.min.js 183kb
elementor.min.css 312kb
google-fonts.css render-blocking
jquery.min.js 87kb
// ...
✗ 800kb+ of builder JS/CSS before content
✗ Render-blocking scripts
✗ High TTFB under load
✗ Poor Core Web Vitals baseline
vs
Theme-Level (DKS)
// lean payload
theme.min.css ~18kb
theme.min.js ~6kb
fonts preloaded, async
// Total: ~24kb. That's it.
// ...
✓ Minimal payload, nothing unused
✓ No render-blocking scripts
✓ Low TTFB, fast first byte
✓ Strong Core Web Vitals baseline
Page Builder
// plugin-injected schema
<script type="application/ld+json">
...
...
...
</script>
// ...
✗ Schema via plugin, often duplicated
✗ H1 buried in builder wrapper divs
✗ Heading hierarchy broken by widgets
✗ Crawl budget wasted on builder markup
vs
Theme-Level (DKS)
// theme-native schema
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@type": "WebPage",
"name": "{{ page.title }}",
"url": "{{ page.url }}"
}
</script>
✓ JSON-LD schema built into theme
✓ H1 → H2 → H3 hierarchy enforced
✓ Every heading semantically placed
✓ Clean crawl, nothing in the way
SEO Foundation
Google does not always visit.
Google does not always visit.
Make it count when it does.
SEO at theme-level means the structural signal is always present. No plugin to forget, no configuration to lose on update.
Browser view
<head>
<title>Page Title · Brand</title>
<meta name="description" content="{{ excerpt }}"/>
<link rel="canonical" href="{{ url }}"/>
/* OG + Twitter cards auto-output */
<script type="application/ld+json"> ... </script>
</head>
Every page outputs canonical URL, structured meta, and schema automatically. Driven by CMS fields you already fill in. No SEO plugin required for the foundation.
JSON-LD Schema · auto-generated
application/ld+jsonIn <head>
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "{{ site.name }}",
"url": "{{ site.url }}",
"logo": "{{ site.logo }}"
}
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "{{ site.name }}",
"url": "{{ site.url }}",
"logo": "{{ site.logo }}"
}
Schema is generated from theme functions, not injected by a plugin. It updates with your content and does not break on plugin conflicts.
Structural signal, always on
No plugin to forget. No config to break on WordPress update. The signal exists because the theme generates it.
Heading hierarchy enforced
H1 → H2 → H3 is a template decision, not a content editor accident. The structure is correct by default.
Canonical + OG on every page
Canonical URLs and Open Graph tags are output from theme functions. No duplicate configuration across plugins.
How It Works
Four steps.
Four steps.
No surprises.
We do not start billing until you have seen the direction and agreed on the scope. Everything is in writing before production begins.
01
Free Concept
We build one homepage concept in design at no charge. You see the visual direction before any commitment. If it is not right, there is no invoice.
No deposit at this stage
02
Direction Lock
Once the direction fits, we scope the full project together — page count, revisions, timeline, and what is explicitly out of scope. All in writing.
Deposit confirms priority
03
Full Production
Design system, remaining pages, custom WordPress theme, and staging deployment. Reviewed with you before going live.
Staging review included
04
Stable in Production
Final payment on live launch. Handover notes delivered. Kernel Host + Kernel Care available to keep it running after delivery.
50% on launch · docs included
No refunds after production begins. Project deposits are non-refundable once scope is confirmed and production starts. See billing terms →
Scope & Limits
What's in.
What's in.
What's not.
Clear boundaries mean no surprises mid-project. If something is not listed here, it will be scoped separately.
Included in every build
Free homepage concept (1), qualifying projects
Design system — typography, colours, components
All pages scoped in the quote
Custom WordPress theme, hand-coded
Theme-level SEO foundation (semantic HTML + schema)
Staging environment + review
Live deployment + SSL baseline check
Handover documentation
Not included (requires separate scope)
Pages beyond the scoped count
Content writing or copywriting
SEO keyword research or ranking analysis
Third-party integrations not in scope
E-commerce / WooCommerce setup
Ongoing maintenance (→ Kernel Care)
Server hosting (→ Kernel Host)
Custom backend / Laravel applications
Start with a free concept.
No commitment.
We build one homepage concept before any invoice. If the direction fits, we scope it together. If it does not, you walk away with nothing owed.
50% deposit required after direction + scope approval · No refunds after production begins