WordPress · Etch

Etch development, done right.

The semantic, standards-first WordPress builder — built right by developers who use it in production. Including the site you’re reading right now.

Start a project →See what we build in Etch

Make Etch work for real builds

Clean output is the promise. Using it well is the job.

Most WordPress builders make a quiet trade — easy to use, ugly under the hood: nested divs, inline styles, markup no one would write by hand. Etch takes the opposite bet. It’s built around semantic HTML and real CSS, so the output is clean enough that a developer would happily own it. But that much control also gives you enough rope to make a mess. Etch rewards people who understand HTML, CSS, and how WordPress renders — proper structure, a real class system (we use Automatic CSS for tokens and scale), reusable components, and performance treated as a feature.

We use it in production. This very site is built and maintained in Etch — we dogfood, fully.
Semantic by default. Proper structure and real CSS, not div soup or shortcode lock-in.
Built on a token system. Automatic CSS for scale and consistency, with reusable components your team can own.

What we build in Etch

New builds, design systems, migrations, and custom components.

Brand sites

Clean, fast marketing sites

Semantic, accessible sites where the markup is something you’d be proud to view-source. Built on a component system so the tenth page ships as fast as the second.

Design systems

Component libraries & tokens

Standardizing how your site is built? Etch is a strong foundation, and we build the kit — tokens, reusable sections, naming conventions. We maintain a pattern library on our own Etch site.

Migrations

Off heavier builders, onto Etch

Moving off Elementor, Divi, or even Oxygen onto something cleaner and faster? We’ve done the messy middle of migrations before, and we scope it honestly before anyone commits.

Custom

Components & dynamic templates

Etch plays well with WordPress loops, custom post types, and dynamic data. We build the bespoke components and templates off-the-shelf builders can’t.

We won’t oversell a brand-new builder as a magic bullet — we’ll tell you when Etch is the right call and when something more established fits better.

Built and maintained in Etch

DigiSavvySyndicate Coffee and BakeryMotifWP

Questions, answered

What people ask before hiring us for Etch work.

What is Etch, and why use it over Bricks or Elementor?

Etch is a semantic-HTML WordPress builder from Kevin Geary and his team at Digital Gravy — the makers of Automatic CSS and Frames. The draw is clean, standards-based markup and real components instead of div soup and shortcode lock-in. It’s newer than Bricks or Elementor, so it’s a better fit when clean output and long-term maintainability matter more than a huge third-party template ecosystem.

Why should I care if my site is built using Etch, Wix, Elementor, or something else? Does it matter?

In short: It shouldn’t matter; you shouldn’t be able to tell. That’s what we tell our clients. But if your site is built with Etch, here’s what to expect: it will run fast! You’ll be able to edit details of your site, text, and images within a visual editing experience that is native to WordPress. If you have technical chops and know how to build for the web, then Etch provides even greater flexibility. At the end of the day, you’ll have a snappy, search engine friendly website that people can find, that you can edit as needed.

Etch is pretty new — is it production-ready?

We think so for the right projects, and we put our own site on it to prove we mean it. It’s maturing fast. We’ll give you an honest read on whether your specific project is a good fit before you commit.

Do you build new Etch sites or migrate existing ones?

Both — new builds and migrations off heavier builders. A free systems review tells you which path makes sense and what it’d take.

Will my team be able to maintain an Etch site?

Yes — we build with a real component system and token-based styling (Automatic CSS), and document it, so your team can make changes without re-hiring us for every tweak.

Do you only do Etch?

No — we’re builder-agnostic developers (Etch, Bricks, classic WordPress). We recommend the tool that fits the project, not the one we feel like using.