
Abdullah Sajjad
Verified Expert in Engineering
WordPress Developer
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Toptal member since August 18, 2021
Abdullah is a senior full-stack engineer with 7+ years of experience building custom WordPress plugins, Next.js applications, and API-driven CRM integrations. He specializes in GoHighLevel, HubSpot, and Gravity Forms integrations, headless WordPress, and AI-powered workflows using Claude and Firecrawl. Abdullah leads architecture and delivery for complex engagements with agencies and funded startups, having shipped 250+ projects across multiple industries.
Portfolio
Experience
- GitHub - 6 years
- REST APIs - 6 years
- WordPress Plugins - 6 years
- WordPress API - 5 years
- PHP 7 - 5 years
- WordPress - 5 years
- WooCommerce - 5 years
- Genesis Framework - 4 years
Preferred Environment
PhpStorm, PHP 7, GitHub, NGINX, WordPress, React, Claude, Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Vercel
The most amazing...
...thing I've built is a DFS automation tool that reduced 2 to 3 hours of daily manual work across 16 platforms to under 5 minutes, all with one simple system.
Work Experience
Senior Full-stack Engineer & Technical Architect
Go Skyward
- Eliminated development bottlenecks from publishing, built a custom WordPress PHP plugin using the Airtable API to sync content into ACF fields, powering Elementor templates so writers publish independently with zero dev tickets.
- Streamlined lead source attribution for online bookings, built a React widget, embedded in WordPress, integrated with NexTech CRM and GoHighLevel API to replace CRM's native form with zero tracking.
- Reduced automation costs to zero, built PHP webhook integrations from CallRail, Thumbtack, and Gravity Forms into GoHighLevel API, routing every lead as a contact and opportunity, replacing Zapier and Make.com.
- Replaced HubSpot with GoHighLevel, built the full CRM environment from scratch with email campaigns, SMS re-engagement flows, and nurture automations, compressing sales follow-up from days to minutes.
- Compressed multi-week site migrations into days, built a Claude-powered multi-agent workflow with Firecrawl handling crawling, content extraction, and page generation across WordPress and Next.js builds.
- Re-architected a legacy React/Express platform into a Next.js App Router SSR build with no CMS overhead, replacing Wouter routing, React Helmet, and Express endpoints with file-based routing and route handlers.
Full-stack WordPress Developer
Toptal Clients
- Assisted a marketing agency in creating a university website using WordPress, SCSS, Webpack, and Gutenberg.
- Updated and fixed custom plugins for property tax attorneys. Made old functions work with new PHP and jQuery versions.
- Worked with tax attorneys to smooth out WordPress and DocuSign API integration issues.
- Collaborated with a team to develop Gutenberg blocks, enhancing the editing experience for site managers and streamlining content management.
- Worked with an agency to introduce new features and transition the enhanced website to Flywheel hosting. Collaborated on a WordPress theme using Timber, Tailwind CSS, and Vanilla JavaScript for a contemporary look and feel.
- Partnered with a design studio to expedite their web projects using WordPress, Gravity Forms, and Timber, ensuring timely completion and high-quality results.
- Collaborated with a web design agency to fix crucial errors in their Sage and Bedrock setup, enhancing speed and reliability.
- Teamed up with a top real estate firm to launch a cutting-edge property search platform. Added advanced filters and map interactions, enhancing user activity and simplifying property search for buyers.
WordPress Plugin Developer
Freelance
- Developed an interactive LearnDash course builder using React, streamlining course design and administration with a dynamic user experience.
- Crafted a WordPress plugin for displaying notification bars on website front-ends, boosting user interaction, and effectively conveying key information to site visitors.
- Designed a WordPress plugin to display page speed scores in the dashboard, utilizing the Lighthouse API for performance analysis and offering suggestions to improve user experience.
- Conceived and engineered an advanced WordPress plugin that provides users with a sophisticated toolkit for seamlessly integrating intricate sliders and carousels on their web platforms.
- Created an event management plugin for WordPress. It offers tools for event design, promotion, and management, along with ticket sales and attendee registration, to simplify the planning process.
Full-stack WordPress Developer
The China Project
- Developed a custom plugin to integrate Piano and Mailjet seamlessly, leveraging webhooks and a REST API for optimal connection.
- Developed fresh designs for company profiles on ChinaEDGE, a top business research platform, translating their concept into reality.
- Designed automation scripts for Airtable to sync link fields, optimizing data handling workflows seamlessly.
- Migrated the email system from Mailchimp to Mailjet, guaranteeing a smooth transition and enhanced email management.
- Transitioned their premium newsletters from Piano Experience to native WordPress templates, leveraging Ajax and REST APIs for seamless integration.
- Set up Google Analytics and Flywheel for in-depth data analysis and improved performance insights.
- Eliminated technical debt and enhanced code quality, resulting in a more maintainable and efficient codebase.
Squarespace Developer (via Toptal)
Dry Cleaning Services Company
- Developed highly interactive and custom carousel sliders for a Canadian gym. This approach delivered an advanced user experience that went far beyond what Squarespace offers out of the box.
- Upgraded a Squarespace site with a custom zipcode search and improved speed. Translated Adobe XD designs into seamless campaign pages and supported the team with live troubleshooting and analytics.
- Designed a dynamic Spotify integration for the instructors’ page using the Spotify API, so visitors can see live playlists with what each trainer is currently listening to, leading to a 30 percent increase in average session duration.
- Engineered a custom homepage widget that allows visitors to play Spotify songs directly on the site, combining JavaScript with Squarespace to deliver a seamless, modern multimedia feature.
Lead WordPress Engineer
WP Minds
- Led the development of a WordPress plugin to manage events for over 150 white label businesses.
- Managed the development of an online education platform for medical professionals (LearnDash, WooCommerce, memberships, WP Rocket, Gravity Forms, BudyBoss, and custom plugins).
- Developed a WordPress plugin to block spam entries. The plugin was built using Vue.js and was compatible with Gravity Forms and Contact Form 7.
- Oversaw plugin releases and maintained the backlog for future releases and planned sprints.
- Built a release process and created manual user documents.
- Initiated and participated in code reviews to improve the code quality and help associates level up.
- Developed a Gravity Form add-on integration with Yardi CRM.
- Optimized the website page speed and core web vitals and ensured the website loads were under three seconds.
- Devised custom plugin integration with Zoom, Zapier, and Gravity Forms.
WordPress and PHP Developer
WP Minds
- Developed pixel-perfect and customized websites using the Genesis framework, ACF, Gravity Forms, Gutenberg blocks, and Yoast SEO.
- Boosted web traffic by improving website page speed and performance.
- Developed WooCommerce stores to sell bottles and member subscriptions.
- Developed static and dynamic Gutenberg blocks with React.
- Built pixel-perfect landing pages using Elementor and Thrive Architect.
- Improved website accessibility and met WCAG 2 and WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
Experience
White-label Event Management System (WP Minds)
Tarot Card Spinner for Astrologers
https://github.com/abdullahsajjad/tarot-spinnerMonsters Rolodex (React SPA)
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
University of Central Punjab - Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Certifications
Certified WordPress Developer
Udemy
Skills
Libraries/APIs
WordPress API, jQuery, REST APIs, WooCommerce API, jQuery Plugins, WordPress REST API, Google API, Vue, Sage, Stripe, Facebook API, Facebook Ads API, SOAP APIs, GSAP, React, BuddyPress, Node.js
Tools
PhpStorm, Slack, Basecamp, GitHub, LearnDash, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), Git, Gutenberg Editor, Roots, Screaming Frog, NGINX, Webpack 4, Adobe Photoshop, Google Analytics, WPBakery, Cron, WPML, Piano.io, Zapier, Gulp, Webpack, JSX, Figma, Divi Builder 3, Jira, Wappler, Claude, Zoom
Languages
PHP 7, PHP, HTML, CSS, HTML5, JavaScript, CSS3, ECMAScript (ES6), SCSS, JavaScript 6, Sass, TypeScript, Python
Frameworks
Genesis Framework, JavaScriptCore, Vanilla JS, Redux, Tailwind CSS, Bedrock, Divi, Bootstrap, Next.js
Paradigms
Responsive Web Design (RWD), Templating, Automation, B2B, Software Testing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Responsive Layout, Web UX Design, Testing, DevOps
Platforms
WordPress, WooCommerce, LAMP, HubSpot, Linux, Shopify, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Webflow CMS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), GoHighLevel, Vercel
Storage
Databases, MySQL, MariaDB, WP Engine
Industry Expertise
Social Media
Other
Web Development, Software Testing Lifecycle (STLC), Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), WordPress Plugins, Gravity Forms, WP Rocket, Bug Fixes, Code Review, APIs, API Integration, Custom CMS Development, WordPress Themes, Ajax, eCommerce, Core Web Vitals, Site Speed Optimization, Squarespace, Web Speed, DocuSign, HTML Email, Templates, Contact Form 7, Yoast SEO, Full-stack, Local SEO, Web Security, Learning Management Systems (LMS), Themes, Plugins, Responsive Design, Page Speed Optimization, Technical Leadership, Communication, Custom Themes, Front-end, Integration, Mobile First, Architecture, Landing Pages, SEO Tools, Full-stack Development, ADA Compliance, Accessibility, Web Accessibility, Figma, Squarespace to WordPress, Dashboards, Workflow Automation & System Integration, BuddyBoss, Membership Sites, Cross-browser Compatibility, Custom WordPress, Responsive UI, Debugging, Product Management, Prototyping, PSD to WordPress, Data Migration, WCAG 2, Elementor, Leadership, API Connectors, WordPress Design, WooCommerce Subscriptions 2, Web UI, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Documentation, Web Scraping, Sage WordPress Theme, Google Search Console, Unbounce, WordPress SEO, Data Visualization, Graphs, Payment APIs, Customer Portals, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Forms, Team Leadership, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Ticket Systems, ClickUp, HubSpot CRM, HubSpot Marketing Hub, Figma to Shopify, Large Language Models (LLMs), Software QA, CSS3 Animation, Mind Maps, MemberPress, Spam Filtering, Insurance Technology (Insurtech), Airtable, Back-end, News, WordPress to Shopify, Figma to WordPress, Pixel Perfect, Elementor Pro, GoHighLevel API, Cloud Infrastructure
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