Rebuild WooCommerce Wordpress site as a fast custom theme, replacing Elementor

We are looking for an experienced WordPress/WooCommerce developer or small team to rebuild our website away from Elementor and into a cleaner, faster, more maintainable setup. We want to keep WordPress as the CMS and WooCommerce for ecommerce, but move away from page-builder dependency. The goal is a lightweight, conversion-focused frontend using reusable, editor-friendly components rather than another drag-and-drop rebuild. We are a brand about preserving life stories with care, warmth, and emotional clarity, turning memories into something lasting rather than letting them fade. It feels thoughtful, intimate, and quietly premium: less like archiving data, more like helping people honor the lives and voices that shaped them. Project Scope The project should focus on rebuilding the core commercial journey: Homepage Product page / offer explanation Cart and checkout experience Gifting flow Upsells for extra book copies Post-purchase handoff into the app/account journey Reusable editable content blocks SEO-safe migration from current Elementor pages Performance, accessibility, and analytics foundations Technical Requirements We need a lightweight custom WordPress/WooCommerce build using native WordPress templates, blocks, custom blocks, reusable block patterns, or a clean hybrid approach. The build should: Avoid Elementor and unnecessary frontend plugin bloat Use clean, maintainable code Work well with WordPress and WooCommerce Allow non-technical staff to update key content safely Preserve important existing content, SEO value, and conversion functionality Include a clear staging, QA, launch, and rollback approach Please explain your recommended technical approach in your proposal. Codex plugin We need to be able to use Codex to make basic alterations to the page without breaking it. We require you to be able to build the page with this in mind and support us in getting this setup. International site support International sites supported are UK, US, CA (English), CA (French), IRL, NZ, AU, ES, DE, FR, IT, NE, SA (English), SA (Afrikaans), Norway, Sweden, Austria, Finland, South Korea, Japan, Mexico and we need translation from English supported for these for our multistore. Checkout saved info If you go to checkout and enter the details and then don't finish, next time you come back to the checkout screen that info is saved. Reusable Content Blocks We need reusable, editor-friendly blocks or sections for key sales and trust content, such as: Hero sections Product offer sections How it works / process steps Gift messaging Sample book proof Reviews / testimonials / Trustpilot FAQs Guarantees and reassurance points CTA sections Comparison sections Country or region messaging where needed These should be easy for non-technical staff to update without breaking layouts. WooCommerce Purchase Journey The WooCommerce experience should be clear, trustworthy, and simple enough for both older users and gift buyers. We want to improve: Product page clarity Gift buyer and recipient details Gift message flow Delivery or scheduling options if supported Extra book copy upsells Cart and checkout clarity Coupon support Trust signals near checkout Clear order summary Accessible form validation Post-purchase instructions We use an app/account flow after purchase, so the rebuild should clearly handle messaging around: What happens after purchase How the customer or recipient starts Where they log in What emails they should expect What to do if they need help Homepage and CRO Requirements The homepage should do a better job explaining the product quickly and building trust. Important homepage elements include: Clear value proposition Stronger proof and trust layer Simple “how it works” explanation Sample book proof Phone-call service explanation Gift-focused messaging Reviews / testimonials / Trustpilot Clear CTA sections Video/GIF or visual explanation area if useful The product is sentimental and personal, so the site should feel clear, reassuring, and trustworthy rather than generic ecommerce. Performance and Accessibility The new build should be performance-focused from the start. Expected targets: Mobile LCP under 1 second where realistically achievable INP under 200ms CLS under 0.1 Lightweight CSS/JS Optimised images No unnecessary global scripts No heavy page-builder frontend output Accessibility is important because many users are older. Requirements include: WCAG 2.2 AA consideration Strong colour contrast Keyboard navigation Visible focus states Proper labels and error messages Readable font sizes Support for text zoom Clear buttons and links Accessible carousels or avoiding carousels where possible SEO and Analytics The rebuild should preserve and improve SEO. Please include support for: Clean page templates Correct heading structure Editable metadata Schema support for product, FAQ, organization, breadcrumb, and reviews where appropriate SEO-friendly URLs Redirect handling where pages change Blog/content support where needed Regional URL behaviour and hreflang/localisation checks where relevant Analytics should support reliable ecommerce and conversion tracking, including: GA4 ecommerce events Add to cart Begin checkout Purchase Coupon usage Gift flow interactions Extra copy upsells Checkout errors App handoff/login CTA clicks Key CTA clicks What We Are Not Looking For We do not want another Elementor-heavy rebuild. We are also not looking for a generic WooCommerce theme with minor styling changes. This project needs a thoughtful, conversion-focused WordPress/WooCommerce build for a specific product and audience. Please Apply If You Have Strong Experience With Custom WordPress theme development WooCommerce frontend customisation Elementor migrations Performance-focused WordPress builds Accessible frontend development Ecommerce conversion optimisation Custom blocks or block-based editing workflows SEO-conscious rebuilds Experience with gifting flows, subscription-like onboarding journeys, comparison pages, regional ecommerce, or emotionally driven ecommerce products would be a plus. In Your Proposal, Please Include: Examples of WordPress/WooCommerce sites you have built without Elementor Your recommended technical approach How you would structure reusable blocks and content editing How you would approach the WooCommerce product, gifting, and checkout journey How you would protect SEO during the rebuild Your performance optimisation process Any relevant accessibility experience Key risks you see in this project Estimated timeline Suggested budget