Reading businesses tend to get in touch about ExpressionEngine when the site's either quietly out of date, or actively causing problems with nobody answering for the agency that built it.
Karl's who handles it, every time. Expression 37's only ever worked in ExpressionEngine and Craft CMS, since Karl started it in 2007. You go straight to him, not an account manager.
He works through what's actually there before recommending anything. Depending on what's found, that's a fix, an upgrade, or an ongoing retainer.
Where we typically come in:
- UK subsidiaries and regional offices whose website was built by a head office team that's since moved on or been restructured.
- Insurance and professional services firms with content-heavy sites that need reliable, ongoing editorial support, not just occasional fixes.
- Sites running EE2 or EE3 where every add-on needs checking for compatibility before an upgrade can be safely quoted.
- Businesses with HubSpot or Stripe wired into the templates directly, which is common in this corridor and needs a developer who understands both sides.
- Teams who'd rather work with one developer they know than restart the relationship with a new agency contact every year or two.
How a typical engagement starts:
Enquiries from Reading businesses tend to follow a leadership or team change: a new marketing director inheriting a site nobody can fully explain, a security review flagging an out-of-date install, or a HubSpot sync that's quietly stopped working. Karl reviews the actual codebase before quoting anything, and a lot of that initial work turns into a standing monthly arrangement.
Common questions Reading clients ask:
Does it matter that you're not in Reading itself?
Not in practice, no. All the work, code review, deployment, ongoing fixes, happens remotely, and Reading is close enough for the rare occasion an in-person meeting genuinely helps. Most clients prefer direct access to the developer over an agency's usual layers.
Our in-house digital team has shrunk, can you fill that gap?
Yes, that's a common shape for a Reading enquiry. The first step is usually a proper audit of what's actually built into the site before deciding what ongoing support should cover.
We've got a HubSpot integration that used to work fine and now doesn't, is that something you handle?
Regularly. Marketing integrations built directly into ExpressionEngine templates are common here, and they're usually the first thing to break quietly when nobody's watching the site.
How far behind can our EE version be before it's a real risk?
Security patching is the immediate concern regardless of version number. Beyond that, EE2 and EE3 installs increasingly struggle to find maintained add-ons, which becomes the practical blocker when an upgrade is finally needed.
Can you work alongside our existing agency rather than replace them?
Sometimes, though it depends what's being asked. It's more common for Expression 37 to take over full ExpressionEngine responsibility once an agency relationship has stopped delivering.
What's the pricing model?
Fixed cost for scoped project work, monthly retainer for anything ongoing. Both agreed before anything starts, no open-ended hourly billing.
What should the first conversation cover?
Your current EE version, what's built into the site, and whatever's prompting you to look for support now. That's enough for an honest first view.
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.
