Most Leicester enquiries land in one of two places: an ExpressionEngine site that's fine but neglected for years, or one that's actively broken with the previous developer unresponsive.
Karl's the one you'd deal with, on his own. Expression 37's specialised in ExpressionEngine and Craft CMS since 2007. No account manager, no wider team, just Karl.
He reviews the site properly first. What he finds decides whether it's a fix, an upgrade, or an ongoing retainer.
Where we typically come in:
- Wholesalers and manufacturers with an ExpressionEngine trade portal, where account logins, pricing tiers, and stock feeds all need to keep working without interruption.
- Businesses whose agency relationship has quietly ended, leaving a live site with nobody responsible for it.
- Installs running EE2 or EE3, where a proper audit of every add-on has to happen before an upgrade is even quoted.
- Sites connected to Stripe for payments or HubSpot for marketing, where the integration needs someone who understands both the CMS and what's plugged into it.
- Owners who'd rather deal with one developer directly than explain the same problem to a new account manager every few months.
How a typical engagement starts:
Most calls from Leicester businesses follow a specific trigger, a stock feed that stopped syncing, a renewal invoice from an agency for work that never seems to get done, or a security patch that's months overdue. Karl looks at the actual codebase first, then quotes based on what's really there rather than guesswork. A lot of that first engagement turns into a standing monthly arrangement once the immediate issue is sorted.
Common questions Leicester clients ask:
Do you need to be based in Leicester to support us properly?
No. Everything from template changes to server-level fixes happens remotely, and Leicester's easy enough to reach on the rare occasion an in-person visit adds anything. Most clients find a direct line to the developer gets problems solved faster than an agency's usual process allows.
Our previous developer has gone quiet, what happens now?
That's a common starting point. The first step is working out what's actually running on the site, custom code versus off-the-shelf add-ons, before touching anything. Once that's mapped out, ongoing support is straightforward to set up.
We run a trade account system with different pricing per customer, is that unusual?
Not for Leicester. Wholesale and trade-pricing setups are common here, and they tend to be the part of a site an agency understands least well, since it's usually custom-built rather than off-the-shelf functionality.
How far behind can an ExpressionEngine install get before it's a real problem?
Security patching matters more than version number on its own. That said, EE2 and EE3 installs are increasingly hard to source add-on support for, which is usually the bigger practical issue once an upgrade is actually needed.
Can you take on just the integration work, not the whole site?
Yes, though it's worth knowing that payment and CRM integrations are usually wired directly into the ExpressionEngine templates, so reviewing one properly tends to mean understanding the surrounding site too.
What does pricing look like?
Fixed project pricing for defined work like an upgrade or audit. A monthly retainer for anything ongoing. Both are agreed before work starts, no hourly meter running in the background.
What's the best way to start?
A short call to talk through the current site, its EE version, and whatever's prompting you to look for support now. From there you'll get a clear view of what's involved.
Ready to get started?
If your website is business-critical and needs a specialist who will take proper long-term ownership of it, get in touch. Karl will respond personally and give you an honest view of how we can help.
