Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely. Many long-term partnerships start with a small hourly task ($150/hr) or a smaller project (< $5,000). This allows you to evaluate fit before committing to a large & complex project.

We also offer hourly billing arrangements with weekly invoicing for folks who only need us for a few hours a week.

If you’re looking for design work we have folks in our network that we’ll loop in.

Or if you have your own designer, we’re happy to work with them.

We’re experts at handling technical constraints and UX/UI considerations within a development context. But we don’t design things from scratch.

Yes, agency partnerships are a core service. Some for over 15 years. White-label or client-facing, whatever works for your client relationships

• We’re responsive. Emails replied to within one business day. We won’t leave you waiting weeks, wondering if you were ghosted.
• 13 years specializing in advanced WordPress plugin development (vs generalist shops)
• 30 years of experience building for the web in general (vs junior developers)
• Same senior engineer start-to-finish (vs agency handoffs)
• 30-50% lower cost (Iowa rates vs coastal city premiums)

• US business hours
• Central Time zone (overlaps both coasts) vs 12-hour time difference
• Senior-level code review vs variable offshore quality
• 1 business day response times

Yes. View our case studies showcasing real WordPress development projects including financial services integrations, healthcare API implementations, e-commerce customizations, and workflow automation solutions.

Yes, we are happy to sign NDAs provided by our clients.

• Discovery phase (credited to project) ensures alignment before major development begins.
• Milestone-based delivery allows for feedback and adjustments throughout the project.
• 30 years of experience and 5-15+ year client relationships demonstrate our commitment to quality and satisfaction.
• We also offer a 30-day warranty for bug fixes.

Yes, monthly retainers are available with guaranteed capacity.

Includes development, consulting, support, maintenance, and security.

We’ve worked with a wide range of industries including:

• Financial services (investment management, banking, and cryptocurrency)
• Healthcare (API integrations and appointment systems)
• E-commerce (custom WooCommerce solutions)
• Education (LearnDash LMS)
• Digital agencies (white-label partnerships)

Yes. Data migrations and platform transfers are a core service.

We’ve migrated from Drupal, Joomla, and other popular CMSs, as well as proprietary and in-house CMSs, static sites, and legacy platforms, to WordPress.

Includes content migration, URL preservation, SEO maintenance, and custom functionality replication.

We specialize in WordPress.

We have experience with various platforms, including Drupal, Joomla, and in-house-built CMS’s. We occasionally take on non-WordPress projects if they’re a good fit, or recommend specialized agencies for those platforms.

And of course, if you wish to migrate away from other CMS platforms, we’re happy to assist you in transitioning to WordPress.

Yes. But clients may opt out in writing at any time.

Artificial Intelligence is an incredible tool that accelerates development, research, and documentation, ultimately reducing client costs by up to 50%.

However, not all clients are comfortable with it. Especially those in regulated industries.

For more details, please visit our AI-Enhanced WordPress Development or AI Policy pages.

We build custom solutions tailored for each client. There is no “one price fits all”.

We share example price ranges on our pricing page, but each client we assist receives a solution and price explicitly tailored to their needs.

$150/hour standard rate.

$225/hour after-hours rate.

Free consultation available. Visit our pricing page for details on project-based pricing and monthly retainer options.

Both.

Smaller projects are typically fixed-price after discovery.

Complex projects begin with a paid discovery phase (credited to project cost), followed by an hourly rate ($150/hour) or a fixed-price option, depending on the scope’s clarity.

Monthly retainers available for ongoing work.

The discovery phase ensures we understand your requirements before any development begins.

For small hourly tasks, micro projects, and/or those with a well-defined scope, discoveries are typically free — an email or call for a quick consultation to review the requirements.

For complex projects, a paid discovery phase is required. This involves meetings to discuss business requirements and goals. It requires access to the current website and web host for a review & technical audit, consulting, research, and ultimately a deliverable—a detailed estimate and a roadmap for your project.

All paid discovery phases will be credited towards the final project cost.

– Video conferencing for discovery, planning, and regular updates as needed.

• Email or Slack for day-to-day communication
• Trello (or your preferred platform) for project management.
• Screen sharing for technical demonstrations.
• Reference documents available for offline review.
• Written documentation of all decisions and requirements
• 1 business day response times.

Changes are reviewed, estimated, and approved before implementation.

Fixed price projects:

Minor adjustments may be absorbed; larger ones require a change order.

Hourly projects:

Estimates adjust as needed, and you simply pay for the additional time as we go.

• Small hourly tasks: A few business days
• Small to mid-sized projects: A few business days to a few weeks
• Complex and/or Enterprise projects: Several months or more.

• Regular WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates
• Security vulnerability scanning
• Malware detection and removal
• Access control and user role management
• Two-factor authentication implementation
• Strong password enforcement everywhere
• SSL/TLS certificate management
• Database security hardening
• File integrity monitoring
• Audit trails for everything
• Principle of Least Privilege
• Backup and disaster recovery planning

• Secure payment gateway integration (e.g., Square,Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, etc.)
• No credit card data stored on server (tokenization)
• SSL/TLS encryption
• Secure hosting environment
• Regular security updates
• PCI-compliant hosting recommendations

See Data Protection & Security section on our Privacy Policy.

Yes. Geographic location doesn’t impact WordPress development quality.

We use the same remote processes for clients in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and 350+ other cities.

Many clients have worked with us 5-15+ years without ever meeting in person.

No. 84EM serves clients across all 50 US states and around the world, remotely.

While headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, we’ve successfully collaborated with businesses since 2012 through video conferencing, screen sharing, and modern project management tools.

Not typically. WordPress development doesn’t require on-site presence. All work is done remotely with video conferencing for meetings and screen sharing for technical demonstrations. This keeps costs lower and delivers faster results.

We’re in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

US Central Time (CT).

Development hours:

• 6 AM – 6 PM CT Monday-Friday
• 8 AM – 5 PM CT Monday-Thursday
• 8 AM – 12 PM CT Friday