Improvise · Custom WordPress theme framework
Improvise — a custom WordPress theme framework
Technical specifications for the hybrid block-and-classic WordPress theme framework we use to ship custom small business sites. Not a product you buy directly — the framework behind our custom theme development service.
Jump to accessibility specs, or see how to start a project on the custom theme development page.
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What is Improvise
The framework behind our custom small business sites
Improvise is a hybrid block-and-classic WordPress theme framework built for one purpose: shipping fast, accessible, custom small business sites without the page-builder bloat. Not a template you install — the framework we use to build for you.
Hybrid block & classic
The best of both worlds. Modern block editor for the pages content editors touch every day, and classic template files for the parts that need custom code. No lock-in to either paradigm.
Not built from scratch
Improvise is a proven foundation, so every project skips the “build every part from scratch” step — the hours go into the parts of your site that make it yours. See custom theme development to start a project.
No page-builder bloat
No page builder, no drag-and-drop runtime. Improvise builds directly on WordPress’s own native block editor — a system that’s already fast and well-built — instead of layering a separate one on top of it. Fewer layers means fewer places for your site to slow down.
Sites running Improvise
The framework in the wild
Every site below runs on the Improvise framework — real production sites for real Denver-area businesses. Give any of them a Lighthouse audit to see the load times and accessibility scores.
Built for accessibility
WCAG AA, out of the box
Roughly one in four U.S. adults lives with a disability. If your site isn’t accessible, you’re excluding a quarter of your customers — and increasingly opening the door to ADA complaints. Improvise is built so accessibility isn’t an afterthought.
What WCAG AA actually means
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines — the international standard maintained by the W3C. There are three conformance levels: A (basic), AA (the common target used by most laws and lawsuits), and AAA (the strictest). Every guideline hangs off four principles:
- Perceivable — users can perceive the information (alt text on images, captions on video, sufficient color contrast).
- Operable — users can operate the interface (full keyboard control, no keyboard traps, enough time to read).
- Understandable — content and controls are understandable (predictable navigation, clear labels, helpful error messages).
- Robust — code is robust enough that assistive tech can parse it (valid HTML, correct ARIA usage, semantic structure).
How Improvise handles it
The framework ships with the boring-but-essential accessibility work already done, so every site built on Improvise starts from a passing baseline:
- Semantic HTML5 structure (
header,nav,main,article,footer) so screen readers can navigate by landmark. - Full keyboard operability — every menu, form, and interactive element works without a mouse, with visible focus indicators.
- Skip-to-content link so keyboard and screen-reader users can bypass the navigation on every page.
- ARIA labels used only where semantic HTML isn’t enough — never as a substitute for real structure.
- Screen-reader-friendly form structures with explicit labels, meaningful error messages, and clear required-field indicators.
- Default color palette that passes AA contrast requirements for text and interactive elements.
How we test it
Automated tools catch roughly 30–40% of WCAG issues — the rest need eyes and hands. Our testing regimen combines both:
- Google Lighthouse (built into Chrome DevTools) — quick baseline audit on every page.
- axe DevTools — deeper automated testing from Deque, the team that helps write the WCAG standard.
- WAVE by WebAIM — visual overlay great for spotting content issues editors introduce over time.
- Keyboard-only navigation — literally tabbing through the site to catch focus traps and hidden interactions.
Real test result: fiveeggsmeals.com passes axe DevTools with zero errors. WAVE shows only content-driven contrast items (a few color choices in client-supplied imagery), which we flag for review.
The one thing we can’t guarantee
Color contrast depends on the palette you choose. Improvise ships with an AA-compliant default palette, but if you want your brand colors — and most clients do — we’ll test the combinations and tell you which pairings pass and which don’t. Some brand colors simply can’t meet AA against certain backgrounds, and honest advice on that up front is worth more than a false pass.
The same goes for content added after launch. Alt text quality, heading structure, and link labels are ongoing responsibilities — the framework can’t write your alt text for you. We train clients on the basics and offer content review as part of our maintenance plans.
Frequently asked questions
Questions we hear about Improvise
Straight answers about the framework, what it costs, and what happens if you outgrow it.
Can I download Improvise and install it myself?
Not currently (but coming soon) — Improvise is the framework we use to build custom sites for clients, not a standalone theme sold as a download. If you’re a developer curious about the technical approach, get in touch and we can talk. If you want a site built on it, that’s what we do every day.
What does “hybrid block and classic” actually mean?
WordPress has two theme paradigms right now: classic themes (PHP template files, been around since 2003) and block themes (built entirely in the Site Editor, introduced in 2022). Each has strengths. Classic gives developers precise control; block gives content editors a modern interface. Improvise uses both — classic template files for the parts that need custom code, and the block editor for pages your team edits every day. You get developer flexibility without forcing editors to touch code.
Why is it faster than a page-builder site?
Page builders like Elementor and Divi run their own separate editing system on top of WordPress, generating extra markup and scripts to make the visual editor work — code every visitor loads whether they use those features or not. Improvise skips that layer and builds directly on WordPress’s own native block editor instead. The result: pages that load quickly on decent hosting and pass Core Web Vitals without special optimization.
What happens if I want to move to a different theme or agency later?
Your content is standard WordPress — posts, pages, media, all in the standard database structure. Any competent WordPress developer can pick up the site. Improvise itself is custom PHP and CSS in your theme directory that you own outright per our terms; there’s no license fee, no phone-home, no lock-in. If you leave, you leave with everything.
Want a site built on Improvise?
Project scope and how to get started live on our custom theme development page.