I'm Aubrey

I want to be your goto web guy

Aubrey Portwood

What I do

Since 2007 I've been called many things:

WebMaster, Web Designer, WordPress Developer, Frontend Developer, Backend Engineer, Senior Developer

You know that guy who knows a lot about web stuff that you just wish could help you out, but they can't because they just don't have the time?

For years that was me. For over a decade I honed my craft working with agencies and companies helping them build high-stakes solutions and products.

But now, as a Freelancer — I just want to be your web guy.

I build websites

I design and build websites that are fast, lean, and easy to work with long-term.

Whether you're starting from scratch or replacing an old site, I focus on building something you can reliably use.

I'm not your everyday freelancer!

  • WordPress websites
  • Static websites
  • Budget-friendly options
  • Online stores
  • Fast websites

What you can expect:

  • A clear plan and timeline—no vague “we'll see how it goes.”
  • A modern approach—without all the bloat.
  • Website built for clarity and conversions (calls, bookings, signups).
  • Someone you can trust to help you along the way.

The process:

  • Discovery: Understand your goals & get fully aligned.
  • Research: Explore market patterns & get design locked down.
  • Development: Develop your website based on your feedback.
  • Launch: Launch your website with included post-launch support.

Best for people or businesses who need a new website or a thoughtful rebuild.


I work on websites

Already have a website?

I can work with existing sites and help add new features or make them faster, clearer, easier to maintain, and more reliable...no rebuild.

  • WordPress development
  • Performance optimization
  • Coaching & code reviews
  • Migrations & rebuild planning
  • Monthly Maintenance
  • Website improvements

Common ways I help:

  • Develop new features.
  • Performance & Core Web Vitals improvements.
  • Design (layout, navigation, clarity, calls-to-action).
  • Migrations (hosting, domains, switching platforms).
  • Ongoing support so your site stays healthy over time.
  • Even code reviews and developer coaching.

How that usually works:

  • Step 1: You tell me what you're trying to accomplish (quick intake).
  • Step 2: I review and propose the next best steps & estimate costs.
  • Step 3: I work carefully, intentionally, and offer support.

This is for you if you want an experienced developer you can trust for upgrades, improvements, and ongoing support.


Principles & Values

These principles guide how I do everything. They shape how I think, make technical decisions, and the standards I hold myself to.

I'm not just another freelancer!

  • Stick to fundamentals
  • Simple performs
  • It should just work
  • Performance matters
  • Communication is oxygen
  • I don't cut corners
  • Straight talk
  • Details & attention matter
  • Results, not checklists
  • Be rebellious

Experience

Skip

My goal is to bring my years of experience to your project.


My background includes over a decade working at agencies like WebDevStudios and Awesome Motive, where I built high-performing websites and products for major brands like AffiliateWP, Microsoft, and Monster.com.


Awesome Motive

 Product Plugin Development


  • Team AffiliateWP
  • Type Agency
  • Length 3 years
  • Industry Affiliate Marketing

https://awesomemotive.com
https://affiliatewp.com

Awesome Motive & AffiliateWP

As a Senior Developer at Awesome Motive over a three-year period, I helped modernize the AffiliateWP team by introducing smarter development practices, demanding code quality standards, and delivering new, high-impact features—one of which was the company's first practical use of AI inside WordPress.

Each project required balancing long-term maintainability of a legacy codebase while adding new and modern features, ensuring the codebase remained stable while evolving to meet the needs of our customers.

Notable features I developed:

  • AI-Driven Affiliate Review
  • Affiliate Email Summaries
  • Affiliate Groups
  • Affiliate Program Directory

The result was a stronger, more modern AffiliateWP—with better processes, higher code quality, and a faster, more consistent rollout of new features each quarter.

The AffiliateWP team reached a new level of efficiency—shipping features at a steady, reliable cadence and delivering updates to customers faster than ever before. The plugin also expanded its reach through new integrations with third-party platforms, reinforcing its position as a dependable, forward-looking affiliate marketing solution.

WebDevStudios

 Website Development


  • Type Agency
  • Length 7 years
  • Industry WordPress Development

https://webdevstudios.com

WebDevStudios

During my seven years at WebDevStudios, I worked as a Senior WordPress Engineer on large-scale, enterprise-level WordPress projects for clients such as Microsoft and Monster.com

My role focused on solving scalability challenges for high-traffic WordPress sites—architecting stable systems, integrating complex API's, and ensuring strict brand and performance standards.

I worked across both frontend and backend teams, led optimization efforts, and guided key architectural decisions.

  • Team Leadership & Architecture
  • Enterprise WordPress Development
  • Performance & Scalability
  • Custom Plugin & Development
  • Large Site Migrations
  • WordPress VIP
  • Headless Websites
  • Post-launch Support

Microsoft

While at WebDev, I helped maintain and developed enterprise WordPress solutions for Microsoft's Office 365 and Microsoft DEV Blogs.

One of my key responsibilities was managing "The Mule," a background content-sync system that syndicated posts across a handful of Microsoft properties. The system parsed and reformatted content in a clean, editable structure, while giving editors full control over what was imported or published.

My work focused on improving the reliability, flexibility, and performance of this complex system—keeping it compliant with Microsoft's strict publishing workflows, scalability requirements, and technical standards.

  • Automated Content Syndication
  • System Reliability & Maintenance
  • Editorial Workflow Integration
  • Architectural Enhancements

Among these I also developed new features, fixed tough issues, and consulted with Microsoft leadership in order to maintain and improve these projects.

Monster Logo Hiring

I helped lead the Core Web Vitals and performance-engineering efforts for the employer-facing site, hiring.Monster.com.

I helped identify and resolve performance bottlenecks across both the frontend and backend, improving search rankings and user experience overall. This included deep work in Google Search Console, optimizing caching layers with Redis and Memcached, refining PHP-FPM configurations, and working directly with WP Engine's performance engineers.

These optimizations produced measurable gains in load times, responsiveness, and SEO performance—enhancing the site's searchability for sustained rankings—all while Core Web Vitals was new at the time.

  • Core Web Vitals Optimization
  • Caching Strategy
  • Search Console Tracking
  • Backend Optimizations

Other projects I contributed to at WebDevStudios:

  • Care.com
  • Starbucks
  • Love Is Respect
  • Skype Media
  • Roadkill
  • Discovery Communications
  • Uber
  • Newscorp

Contact

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