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You will get WordPress Performance & Technical SEO with Server-Level Optimization
Top Rated
Project details
Your site is slow despite trying optimization plugins. Rankings dropped after implementing "speed fixes." Or you're losing customers to load times that should be faster.
Most WordPress optimization is just plugin configuration. I work at the server level to fix problems other consultants can't access—and can't even see.
12+ years WordPress optimization + 11 years IT management = I solve performance issues that persist after cheap fixes fail. If basic plugin tweaks solved your problem, you wouldn't still be looking.
WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT:
Server-level diagnostics—not plugin checkbox clicking. I access hosting configuration, database optimization, and PHP tuning that typical WordPress freelancers never touch.
Recent result: an ecological landscape designer went from 13.6s to 1.6s load time (88% faster).
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
Each tier includes technical audit, server-level optimization, and complete before/after documentation. Standard and Advanced tiers add database optimization and on-page SEO. All work happens on staging first—you approve changes before production deployment.
Most WordPress optimization is just plugin configuration. I work at the server level to fix problems other consultants can't access—and can't even see.
12+ years WordPress optimization + 11 years IT management = I solve performance issues that persist after cheap fixes fail. If basic plugin tweaks solved your problem, you wouldn't still be looking.
WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT:
Server-level diagnostics—not plugin checkbox clicking. I access hosting configuration, database optimization, and PHP tuning that typical WordPress freelancers never touch.
Recent result: an ecological landscape designer went from 13.6s to 1.6s load time (88% faster).
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
Each tier includes technical audit, server-level optimization, and complete before/after documentation. Standard and Advanced tiers add database optimization and on-page SEO. All work happens on staging first—you approve changes before production deployment.
Website Specialization
Business, Education, Nonprofit, Online Communities, Blog, Portfolio, Forms, Portal, Wiki/KnowledgeSupported Plugin Types
Social Media, Gallery, Marketing, Analytics, Video, Events, Shipping, Forum, Music, Payment, Form, Chat, Map, Membership, FAQ, Customer Support, Inventory, OtherWordPress Plugins
WordPress SEO by Yoast, Gravity Forms, ElementorWhat's included
| Service Tiers |
Starter
$249
|
Standard
$899
|
Advanced
$2,499
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery Time | 15 days | 30 days | 70 days |
Number of Revisions | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Software Version Upgrade | - | - | - |
Browser Caching | |||
Resize Photos | |||
Minification | |||
Database Optimization | - | ||
On-Page SEO | - |
Optional add-ons
You can add these on the next page.
Software Version Upgrade
(+ 3 Days)
+$299
Database Optimization
(+ 3 Days)
+$145Frequently asked questions
5 reviews
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MD
Melani D.
Jan 29, 2026
Barney was without a doubt the most professional, knowledgeable, thorough and incredibly easy person to work with. They knew technical SEO more than anyone else I've ever spoken with and I've worked with many in the industry. The detail of reports was incredible and I can very confidently say I will continue to work with Barney in the future.
AN
Ali N.
Apr 20, 2026
WordPress Performance & Technical SEO
Barney is where the search for a WordPress developer ends. Full stop.
I've had my fair share of them over the years, and nobody comes close. He didn't just optimize the site. He went far above and beyond. Every problem solved, every fix documented, every report clean and professional. No loose ends, no "we'll get to it next week."
Here's the number that says it all: 100 on desktop Core Web Vitals, 98 on mobile. On a WordPress site running Elementor AND WooCommerce with tons of products. Anyone who's actually tried to hit those scores on that kind of stack knows what a feat that is. Who knows, knows. I even took a selfie with the mobile webcore vital score.
And that's just the tip of it. He handled the server-level work over SSH, cleaned up the database, tuned caching and Cloudflare, hand-coded our schema (no plugin shortcuts), and even sorted out the AI crawler and llms.txt side of things — stuff most WordPress guys don't even know exists yet. Technical SEO, performance, security — he covers the whole stack a problem solver.
When you're hiring on Upwork, it really comes down to four things:
1. Honesty — 10/10
2. Knowledge — 10/10
3. Experience — 10/10
4. Customer satisfaction — 10/10
Finding all four in one person? Good luck chuck. I've tried plenty before Barney, and what I got was usually a three-digit hourly rate with zero customer service, no one-on-one meetings, and no real reports. Barney flips that on its head. Fair rate, real calls, and reports so thorough I actually understood what was done and why it mattered.
If you're reading this review, you're shopping for peace of mind. That's exactly what I bought, and that's exactly what you'll get.
Barney is a lord of his craft. A WordPress beast.
I've had my fair share of them over the years, and nobody comes close. He didn't just optimize the site. He went far above and beyond. Every problem solved, every fix documented, every report clean and professional. No loose ends, no "we'll get to it next week."
Here's the number that says it all: 100 on desktop Core Web Vitals, 98 on mobile. On a WordPress site running Elementor AND WooCommerce with tons of products. Anyone who's actually tried to hit those scores on that kind of stack knows what a feat that is. Who knows, knows. I even took a selfie with the mobile webcore vital score.
And that's just the tip of it. He handled the server-level work over SSH, cleaned up the database, tuned caching and Cloudflare, hand-coded our schema (no plugin shortcuts), and even sorted out the AI crawler and llms.txt side of things — stuff most WordPress guys don't even know exists yet. Technical SEO, performance, security — he covers the whole stack a problem solver.
When you're hiring on Upwork, it really comes down to four things:
1. Honesty — 10/10
2. Knowledge — 10/10
3. Experience — 10/10
4. Customer satisfaction — 10/10
Finding all four in one person? Good luck chuck. I've tried plenty before Barney, and what I got was usually a three-digit hourly rate with zero customer service, no one-on-one meetings, and no real reports. Barney flips that on its head. Fair rate, real calls, and reports so thorough I actually understood what was done and why it mattered.
If you're reading this review, you're shopping for peace of mind. That's exactly what I bought, and that's exactly what you'll get.
Barney is a lord of his craft. A WordPress beast.
MD
Melani D.
Jan 29, 2026
You will get WordPress Performance & Technical SEO with Server-Level Optimization
Barney was without a doubt the most professional, knowledgeable, thorough and incredibly easy person to work with. They knew technical SEO more than anyone else I've ever spoken with and I've worked with many in the industry. The detail of reports was incredible and I can very confidently say I will continue to work with Barney in the future.
CW
Cameron W.
Oct 10, 2025
WordPress Plugin & Settings Clean-Up + Walkthrough
MS
Micah S.
Oct 1, 2025
SEO expert (PROVEN) who can touch up the meta stuff on my website
A genius.
CW
Cameron W.
Sep 24, 2025
WordPress Plugin & Settings Clean-Up + Walkthrough
Barney was an absolute pleasure to work with. He was very accommodating, professional, and willing to meet virtually, which made communication easy and efficient. He provided clear documentation and step-by-step instructions that made the process smooth and stress-free—a real breath of fresh air compared to other freelancers and companies I’ve worked with in the past.
What stood out most is his flexibility and understanding of my situation. I’m working on a personal blog with a limited budget, and Barney was more than willing to work within those parameters while still delivering quality support. I truly look forward to working with him again on multiple future projects.
Highly recommended!
What stood out most is his flexibility and understanding of my situation. I’m working on a personal blog with a limited budget, and Barney was more than willing to work within those parameters while still delivering quality support. I truly look forward to working with him again on multiple future projects.
Highly recommended!
About Barney
WordPress Performance Specialist | Elementor & CWV Expert
100%
Job Success
Minneapolis, United States - 3:38 am local time
24 years in web infrastructure. 12 years focused exclusively on WordPress. I specialize in the performance problems that persist after everyone else has "fixed it": LCP that won't drop below 4 seconds, TTFB creeping back up after a caching plugin, INP failures on Elementor-heavy pages, CLS triggered by late-loading assets nobody thought to audit. I work at the server level — SSH, MySQL, Apache, and PHP configuration — because that's where these problems actually live.
I work in Elementor Pro daily. Most CWV problems on Elementor sites aren't WordPress problems — they're builder-level problems. Bloated DOM output, render-blocking widget scripts, unoptimized dynamic CSS. I fix them at the source, not by bolting on another optimization plugin.
WHAT I SPECIALIZE IN
Core Web Vitals & PageSpeed:
LCP, INP, CLS, TTFB, TBT — full CrUX and lab score analysis
Server-level optimization via SSH (Apache or NGINX)
MySQL query profiling and database optimization
PHP configuration, memory limits, and error resolution
Server-side caching (Redis, Memcached) and Cloudflare CDN
Render-blocking resource elimination at the code level
Elementor-specific DOM and script optimization
Real user metrics, not just lab scores
Technical SEO:
Hand-coded JSON-LD schema — not plugin-generated
.htaccess for redirects and canonicalization
robots.txt and llms.txt for traditional and AI crawler control
Crawl error diagnosis via server log analysis
RankMath Pro configuration and optimization
WordPress Infrastructure:
Migrations between hosts with zero downtime
Staging environment setup and backup protocols
Security hardening at the server and file permission level
cPanel, WHM, and Kinsta environment management
Ongoing maintenance with monthly reporting
CLIENT RESULTS
Corporate services site (2025): 47 hand-coded JSON-LD schemas — Service, Person, FAQ, AggregateRating with page-level targeting. Site health 88% to 99%. PageSpeed desktop +32 points. Delivered 5 days early, zero validation errors.
Local business (2024): SEMrush visibility +25.6% in four months. 14 new top-3 keyword rankings. 92% site health score.
E-commerce (2024): Domain authority 0 to 36 in under a year. Google Ads CPC dropped from $163 to $0.30 — 99.8% reduction in ad spend through organic visibility gains.
Nonprofit (2020-2025): Inherited site with zero DA. Audit found database timeouts, 300+ broken redirects, unparseable schema — none addressed by the previous agency. Fixed all three. Result: 400%+ organic traffic increase, DA 0 to 25.
WHO I WORK BEST WITH
You're a good fit if:
- Your site has CWV failures or PageSpeed scores that survived a previous optimization attempt
- You've hired someone for this before and got a report instead of results
- Your site runs Elementor, and performance is degrading as the content grows
- You need server access, not just dashboard access
- Your budget is $1,000- $5,000 for project work.
WordPress only. Not the right fit for Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, or basic plugin updates.
TOOLS
Performance: GTmetrix, PageSpeed Insights, CrUX, SEMrush, Search Console
WordPress: Elementor Pro, Perfmatters, EWWW Image Optimizer, RankMath Pro
Server: SSH, cPanel, WHM, phpMyAdmin, MySQL, Apache, NGINX
Hosting: Kinsta, WP Engine, SiteGround, A2, Liquid Web, Cloudflare
Minneapolis-based (CST). All work through Upwork.
Steps for completing your project
After purchasing the project, send requirements so Barney can start the project.
Delivery time starts when Barney receives requirements from you.
Barney works on your project following the steps below.
Revisions may occur after the delivery date.
Initial Audit & Access Setup
Complete technical SEO audit, GTmetrix speed test, and receive hosting/analytics access. Deliver baseline report with prioritized recommendations.
Staging Environment Setup
Create or configure staging site for safe testing. All optimization work happens here first - nothing touches your live site until approved.