# Lightweight WordPress sites, with plugins we write ourselves.

> We build and maintain WordPress sites on our own servers, with a child theme for each client and, when a generic plugin isn't enough or weighs too much, a plugin we write to do exactly that one thing.

- Service: WordPress sites and plugins
- Tools: Divi 5, Elementor Pro, WooCommerce
- Hosting: Laravel Forge on AWS, Cloudflare
- URL: https://cloudfactory.it/en/services/wordpress-sites-custom-plugins/

## A WordPress site slows down one plugin at a time.

An addon pack for one feature, a plugin for another, a theme edited directly that can no longer be updated. After a few years the site loads scripts nobody uses, every update is a risk and nobody knows which plugin does what. On a portal we took over, there were 38 plugins installed.

## Your site runs on servers we manage.

We host sites on our own servers, managed with Laravel Forge on AWS: a separate system user for each site, Cloudflare in front for caching and protection, Amazon SES for the email the site sends. Whoever builds the site also updates WordPress, watches the server and answers when something goes wrong. We've been working since 2011 and today look after more than 110 servers and 320 domains: a WordPress site is one of the pieces we keep in order every day.

## A short history of how we build sites.

1. **Divi 4, the first sites.** Many of our sites started on Divi 4: quick to lay out, easy for clients to update. Even then, every site had its own child theme, so customisations survive theme updates.
2. **Elementor Pro, without addon packs.** Then we moved to Elementor Pro, with one rule: avoid third-party addon packs, which add weight and dependencies. On one portal we removed three addon suites, rebuilt the pages with native Elementor Pro widgets, migrated 294 articles and started an audit of the 38 installed plugins.
3. **Divi 5, today.** For new sites and migrations we now use Divi 5: the builder has been rewritten and produces a lighter front end. A yoga and wellness site moved to Divi 5 with all its custom CSS gathered in its child theme.
4. **A child theme for every client.** Every site has its own child theme named after the client, credited to Cloudfactory S.r.l.: styles and changes live there, and the parent theme updates without surprises.
5. **CF plugins, when needed.** When a generic plugin isn't enough, or does too much to use just one feature, we write our own, with the CF - prefix in its name: small, documented and maintained by us.

## Our own plugins, for specific problems.

Every plugin comes from a client's real need and we maintain it. Besides those below: a OneDrive document viewer via Microsoft Graph, date tools for Gravity Forms, a gallery widget for Elementor and a WP-CLI script that cleans up Elementor data.

- CF - Agent Discovery
- WooCommerce withdrawal button
- Shipped order status
- ManyChat > Mailchimp
- CF Consent
- Glossary with A-Z index
- PDF watermark

## Different sites, specific needs.

- **WooCommerce shops**: The online withdrawal button required by article 54-bis of the Italian Consumer Code, introduced by D.Lgs. 209/2025, and the Shipped order status, both HPOS compatible.
- **Sites that AI agents should read**: CF - Agent Discovery publishes llms.txt, Markdown versions of pages and Content Signals; the result is measured with isitagentready.com.
- **Sites with a cookie banner**: CF Consent, our own consent banner with Google Consent Mode v2, checked by 67 automated Playwright tests.
- **Health information**: A glossary with tooltips on technical terms and an A to Z index, so texts are easier to follow for non-specialists.
- **Content-heavy portals**: Plugin audits, removal of heavy addons, article migration and clean-up of Elementor data with WP-CLI.
- **Marketing and newsletters**: The ManyChat to Mailchimp bridge sends contacts collected in chat straight into your email lists.

## Before rebuilding your site.

### Divi or Elementor?

For new sites we now choose Divi 5. If your site is on Elementor and works, we don't rebuild it on principle: we slim it down, removing unnecessary addons and using native Elementor Pro widgets.

### Can you take over a site built by someone else?

Yes. We start with an audit: installed plugins, theme, versions, security, speed. Then we suggest what to remove, what to update and whether to move it to our servers.

### Why a custom plugin rather than an off-the-shelf one?

When a good one exists, we use it. We write our own when the available ones do too much, load scripts on every page or don't cover a specific legal requirement, such as the online withdrawal button.

### Does the site stay ours?

Yes. Domain, content and files are yours; the child theme and CF plugins stay installed and working even if you change provider one day.

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Cloudfactory S.r.l., Rome. Contact: hello@cloudfactory.it