Julien Cousin

NorthStar is a media company managing 100+ websites, including high-traffic platforms like TopMercato (900,000 visits per month), Premier League Brasil (500,000), Balón Latino (200,000), and Afrik-Foot (400,000). These sites deliver specialized sports content to their audiences.

As part of the NorthStar development team, I maintained and improved WordPress-based sites, developing custom SEO, marketing, and content management solutions. Some sites were migrated to Bedrock and Docker to enhance scalability. I also built custom Gutenberg blocks and patterns using ACF, enabling editors to create flexible, reusable content. Custom themes were developed with the Sage framework to ensure brand consistency and a smooth user experience.

MY ROLE
• Performed ongoing maintenance and optimization for high-traffic sites.
• Developed custom plugins for SEO (hreflangs, rich snippets), marketing, and content workflows.
• Built Gutenberg blocks and ACF patterns for enhanced content management.
• Migrated sites to Bedrock and Docker for scalability and streamlined deployments.

CryptoLoco is a WordPress-based platform designed for automated cryptocurrency trading. It provides users with a seamless experience for monitoring their trading performance by securely connecting to their accounts on various exchanges through APIs.

This platform automates trading activities entirely, allowing users to focus on analyzing their performance. Trades are executed automatically based on pre-defined strategies, while users can access real-time statistics and account details through a dedicated dashboard. The system ensures transparency and user control without requiring manual trade execution.

MY ROLE
• Developed a WordPress-based platform with advanced API integrations to connect user accounts to cryptocurrency exchanges.
• Implemented logic for fully automated trade execution, ensuring precision and reliability.
• Designed and built a user-friendly dashboard for displaying real-time trading statistics and account summaries.
• Prioritized security and data protection for API interactions and user information.
• Collaborated with the team to refine the platform’s functionality and deliver a seamless user experience.

LawyerSorted is a UK-based marketplace that helps users find and connect with top law firms. Firms register via subscription, while users pay per contact (message, callback, or scheduled call). The site runs on WordPress, WooCommerce, and WooCommerce Subscriptions.

As the lead full-stack developer, I modernized the platform by replacing an Elementor-heavy setup with a custom theme based on a Figma design, improving performance and maintainability. I developed the payment system using WooCommerce, enabling law firm subscriptions and per-contact fees. I also handled feature development, including a dynamic contact system, booking customizations, and search filter improvements. Additionally, I ensured full responsiveness, cross-browser compatibility, and integrated Trustpilot/Google Reviews for law firms.

MY ROLE
• Developed and deployed a new custom theme, reducing Elementor usage.
• Built WooCommerce-based payment workflows (subscriptions and per-contact fees).
• Customized booking and search filters for better user experience.
• Improved responsiveness, speed (via WP Rocket and Cloudflare), and SEO optimizations.
• Configured email notifications and enhanced user dashboards.

Swiss Global Insurance is a Swiss company specializing in international health insurance for expatriates, students, and multinational businesses. The website serves as a platform for users to get quotes, manage policies, and submit claims efficiently.

I developed the entire website from scratch based on a Figma design, ensuring a seamless and professional user experience. A custom online quote form was implemented to allow users to estimate insurance costs instantly. Additionally, I built a comprehensive back-office system for agents to manage leads, call back prospects, and handle insurance claims. The platform enables secure reimbursement requests, document uploads, payment tracking, and other essential insurance processes.

MY ROLE
• Developed the website from scratch, implementing a custom theme based on Figma.
• Created an advanced online quote system, allowing users to estimate insurance costs.
• Built a full-featured back office for policy management, customer follow-ups, and claims processing.
• Integrated document uploads and payment tracking, ensuring a smooth reimbursement process.

Sanitary Fittings is an eCommerce platform serving food processing, pharmaceuticals, and chemical manufacturing industries. It offers a catalog of over 1,000 stainless steel sanitary fittings, each with at least five variations, ensuring tailored industrial solutions.

The goal was to migrate the website to the Divi theme for a more user-friendly content management system. This transition involved creating dynamic templates to simplify product and variation management. Additionally, I provided ongoing maintenance to ensure optimal performance and compatibility with updates.

MY ROLE
• Migrated the site to Divi and customized it to match the client’s branding and functional needs.
• Designed scalable templates for 1,000+ products, ensuring a seamless user experience.
• Maintained site performance and resolved compatibility issues.
• Configured Divi tools to empower the client to manage product pages independently.

My Swiss Apple is a Swiss eCommerce platform specializing in Apple product accessories, including cases, screen protectors, and adapters. The site offers a smooth shopping experience with advanced filtering and customization options.

I enhanced the platform by implementing UI/UX design changes to improve navigation and usability. A category selector was developed, allowing users to filter products by category, subcategory, and sub-subcategory. I also integrated a vacation mode system, displaying a message to inform customers of potential order delays when the store owner is away. Additionally, I added a color-based product selector, leveraging WooCommerce variations to improve the shopping experience.

MY ROLE
• Refined the website design to improve user experience and interface.
• Developed a multi-level category selector for efficient product browsing.
• Implemented a vacation mode system, informing customers of potential shipping delays.
• Integrated a WooCommerce color selector, allowing users to choose product variations seamlessly.

Sofiproteol is a leading financial and industrial partner for France's agricultural and food industries. Its website serves as a corporate communication tool, professionally and transparently showcasing its mission, activities, and impact.

This project involved creating a corporate website with WordPress and the Sage framework. The focus was on delivering a high-performance, accessible platform adhering to W3C standards. The site features a professional design to effectively communicate the brand's identity and values, designed collaboratively with Adobe XD for mockups.

MY ROLE
• Built a custom WordPress theme from scratch using Sage, optimized for performance and maintainability.
• Developed tailor-made Gutenberg blocks to allow intuitive content editing and flexible page layouts.
• Implemented accessibility features to comply with W3C Web Accessibility standards (WCAG).
• Conducted rigorous testing to ensure the site’s responsiveness and cross-browser compatibility.
• Worked closely with the design and strategy teams to bring Adobe XD prototypes to life, maintaining design consistency throughout the development process.

ISIT Paris is the official website of a renowned institution specializing in intercultural communication, translation, and international relations. The platform is a gateway for prospective students, partners, and stakeholders, offering clear and accessible information about programs, events, and partnerships.

This website was built from scratch using WordPress with the Sage Symphony framework. The project focused on creating a fully W3C-compliant platform, adhering to Web Accessibility (WCAG standards) and Eco-design principles to ensure inclusivity and sustainability. The design was crafted in Adobe XD, providing a clean and modern user interface.

MY ROLE
• Developed a fully custom WordPress theme with Sage Symphony, ensuring modularity and maintainability.
• Designed and implemented custom Gutenberg blocks using Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) to enable the client to easily edit various site sections.
• Delivered a front-end experience optimized for performance, accessibility, and user-friendliness.
• Collaborated with the design team to transform Adobe XD mockups into a pixel-perfect, responsive website.

These websites represent three distinct organizations offering housing and rental services. Each site is a dedicated platform for showcasing their offerings and providing essential information to their respective audiences.

Initially managed as three separate websites, the project focused on consolidating them into a single WordPress multisite installation. This migration aimed to streamline maintenance and updates while ensuring consistent branding and user experience across all sites. The designs were kept simple and clean, leveraging custom Gutenberg blocks for easy content management.

MY ROLE
• Migrated three individual websites into a unified WordPress multisite setup, simplifying maintenance and reducing operational complexity.
• Designed and developed custom Gutenberg blocks to create flexible and editable layouts for each site.
• Ensured the seamless migration of content and functionality while maintaining consistency across the sites.
• Performed testing and optimization to guarantee responsiveness and usability across devices and browsers.

Wellfarm is a veterinary clinic based in Virginia, USA.
I help the client to define her project, which it's in two parts: Wellfarm Vets and Wellfarm Meats.
I used WordPress with a template in Elementor so the administrator could make changes easily.

Tahiti House Sitting is a subscription website built using WordPress. Following the client's requirements, I customized a website template and listed all the functionalities that the client and I created and tested in collaboration. The website has been in function for three years already, and I still do all the maintenance work on it.

El Septimo is a premium cigar company that needed a custom internal system to manage stock efficiently and proactively. Manual tracking was time-consuming and error-prone, and the team lacked real-time visibility on critical inventory levels.

I designed and developed a web-based inventory management platform using Node.js and React. The system allowed staff to monitor stock in real time, set custom thresholds for different product categories, and receive automated email alerts when inventory dropped too low. This drastically reduced manual checks and helped avoid out-of-stock situations. The UI was designed to be fast and straightforward, enabling non-technical users to interact easily with the platform.

MY ROLE
• Developed a custom inventory management system with Node.js and React.
• Designed business logic for threshold-based stock alerts and email notifications.
• Created a lightweight, user-friendly interface for daily operations.
• Reduced stock outages by implementing proactive alerting and real-time monitoring.
• Worked closely with the operations team to refine needs and deliver a reliable internal tool.

This platform was built for a company looking to incentivize customer feedback. Users received a free product, earned points for submitting reviews, and could redeem discounts based on their engagement level.

I developed the entire back end of the platform using Node.js and React. I implemented systems for user authentication, review submission, point tracking, and reward management. A custom email automation flow was designed to support every user interaction — from welcome emails to reward notifications — all triggered by specific user actions and statuses. The result was a smooth, engaging experience that encouraged loyalty and repeat participation.

MY ROLE
• Built the complete back-end architecture using Node.js and React.
• Designed systems for user accounts, reviews, points, and discounts.
• Developed custom logic for automated email flows linked to user actions.
• Ensured seamless UX through consistent reward and feedback cycles.
• Focused on scalability and engagement for long-term user retention.