01 PHP and WordPress

PHP web development company: custom WordPress builds and new features

Tailwebs is a PHP web development company in Bengaluru that builds and extends PHP websites and applications, including custom WordPress builds. Founded in 2015, we have delivered 200+ projects. A new feature, such as an AI chatbot or a submissions workflow, can be added to the platform you already run as a plugin or module, instead of a rebuild.

Takeovers, upgrades and care for PHP and WordPress sites

Talk to us about your PHP siteExtend what you have
WordPress work for
Illustration: the NITI Frontier Tech Repository portal with the NFTR Assistant open beside it, fitted in like a building block

02 Version check

Is your PHP version still supported?

If your site runs a PHP version past its end of life, it no longer gets security fixes. The problems that follow arrive in a predictable order, and you can check where your site stands in a few questions.

What happens after end of life

  1. No more security fixes

    Once a PHP version reaches its end of life, the PHP project stops releasing security fixes for it. A flaw found after that date stays open on every site still running that version.

  2. Hosts retire the version

    Hosting providers move their servers to newer PHP versions. A site that cannot run on the newer version has to be fixed in a hurry when the host switches, or it stops working.

  3. Plugins and themes move on

    Plugin and theme authors drop support for old PHP versions, so updates start to fail or refuse to install, and the site falls further behind with every release it misses.

Self-check · your site today
  1. Which PHP version does the site run? The hosting control panel, or WordPress’s Site Health screen, shows it.
  2. When were WordPress core and the plugins last updated?
  3. Is any plugin abandoned by its author, or was one changed by hand?
  4. Who holds the hosting, domain and admin logins today?

Check the current PHP end-of-life dates on the PHP project's supported versions page.

Your answers to these four questions are what an audit of the site would start from.

03 Takeover

Taking over your site: audit first, then a written plan

Taking over a PHP or WordPress site from a previous developer or agency starts with an audit, and the audit ends in a written plan before anything on the site changes.

Prefer to talk it through first? Tell us about the site.

What the audit covers
The PHP and framework versions; the plugin and theme estate (abandoned, hand-modified or unlicensed items); custom code; security exposure; and hosting, backups and who holds the access.
What you get
A written plan with the steps in order, what each step risks, and an estimate for each.
Sample plan (illustrative, not from a client)
Step 1: copy the live site to staging and let your editing team check their usual tasks. Step 2: raise PHP one supported version, with smoke checks on key pages and forms. Step 3: replace abandoned plugins. Step 4: go live and watch for errors. Each step lists its risk and an estimate.
No developer left to ask
A site whose developer has gone, with no notes and no handover, can still be audited: the audit reads the site itself.
Access comes first
The audit needs the hosting, domain and admin logins, so finding out who holds them is the first step.

04 Upgrades

PHP upgrade services: in steps, on a copy first

A PHP upgrade moves a site that has fallen behind onto supported versions, and the site your team edits every day can stay live while the work happens.

  1. A staging copy

    A copy of the live site, where your editing team checks their usual tasks before anything reaches production.

  2. Smoke checks

    Quick checks on the key pages and forms, run after every change.

  3. PHP, one version at a time

    PHP raised one supported version at a time, with automated refactoring and static analysis to find the code that breaks.

  4. Plugins

    Each plugin updated, or replaced where its author has abandoned it.

  5. Go-live

    The upgraded site goes live, and we watch for errors.

Upgrade rather than rebuild. A content site your team edits every day keeps its content, its URLs and its editing workflow, so nothing your editors or your search traffic rely on has to start again.

Need a new web platform rather than an upgrade? See web app development.

05 Extend

Custom WordPress development and PHP web applications: extend what you have

A new feature can often be added to the platform you already run, as a custom plugin or theme work, instead of a separate application.

  1. 01

    Custom plugins

    A new feature built as a plugin of its own, kept apart from the theme and from third-party plugins, so an update to either does not overwrite it.

  2. 02

    Theme work

    New templates and blocks for your editors, built into the theme you have, so the site changes without a migration.

  3. 03

    An AI chatbot on your own content

    An assistant that answers from the site's own pages and documents and cites its sources, added as a plugin rather than a separate application. How the AI side is built is on AI and LLM development; scoping one as a project is AI chatbot development.

  4. 04

    Submissions and review

    Forms, review queues and publishing steps for content that comes from outside your team, such as partner submissions that an editor approves before they go live.

  5. 05

    The NITI Aayog Frontier Tech Repository portal

    A WordPress build we made around how its users work, with the NFTR Assistant built in: an AI chatbot that answers from the knowledge base, cites its sources and reports unanswered questions to admins.

  6. 06

    egov.global, eGov's global website

    A WordPress site we helped eGov build. Together with egov.org.in, which we built, these are eGov's brand websites.

Running a research or policy website? See research websites and digital public goods.

A public-sector site? See government and digital public infrastructure.

06 Care

Care after the upgrade

Once the site is current, a monthly plan keeps it there, so it does not drift back onto versions nobody supports.

Each month

  • PHP, WordPress core and plugin updates, tested on a staging copy first
  • Backups of the site and its database
  • Uptime and security monitoring
  • Small changes your team asks for

Before anything new goes live

  • Every new plugin is reviewed before it is installed: who maintains it, when it was last updated and what it can access
  • A restore tested on a copy of the site, so a backup is known to work before it is needed

Response and plan

  • Standard requests answered within one business day
  • Critical issues within four business hours
  • Delivered through the Care and Growth plan, from ₹50,000 a month

What each plan includes, and its price, is on our pricing page.

Hiring instead?

Need a PHP or WordPress developer in your team? Hire a dedicated developer

07 FAQ

Questions about PHP and WordPress development.

Is it risky to keep running an old PHP version?
Yes: PHP versions past end of life no longer get security fixes, so it's worth planning an upgrade before your host or your plugins force one.
Can you take over and fix an existing PHP or WordPress site?
Yes. We start with an audit of the PHP version, plugins, custom code and hosting, and give you a written plan before changing anything.
How do you keep a WordPress site secure?
Updates are tested on staging before they go live, every new plugin is reviewed, backups are restored on a copy to prove they work, and admin access is limited to the people who need it.
Can you add an AI chatbot to our existing WordPress site?
Yes: a chatbot that answers from your site's own content and cites its sources can be added as a plugin, without rebuilding the site.We built the NITI Aayog Frontier Tech Repository portal on WordPress, with the NFTR Assistant built in: it answers from the knowledge base, cites its sources and reports unanswered questions to admins.
How much does a PHP website or web application cost?
It depends on the type: in our draft bands, a research or organisation website costs ₹6–20 lakh, and an AI chatbot on your own content ₹3–10 lakh to build. Every package is on our pricing page.
Are you a PHP development company in Bangalore?
Yes: Tailwebs is based in Bengaluru, with its office in Domlur, and also takes on PHP and WordPress work remotely for organisations elsewhere in India and abroad.