Under the Hood with Saafiy: A Dev-First WordPress Build

I’ll be honest: I didn’t go shopping for a “SaaS theme” because I wanted prettier gradients. I went shopping because I was tired of shipping startup landing pages that looked modern but behaved like a fragile art project. The moment you add real content, real forms, real analytics, and a few “small requests” from marketing, the whole thing can turn into a spaghetti bowl of template edits and mystery CSS. That’s why I rebuilt my last tech startup site around Saafiy - Saas & Tech Startup WordPress Theme—and then treated it the way I treat any production system: inspect the layers, define extension points, and make sure updates don’t feel like a haunted house.

This post is written for website admins who don’t necessarily want to be developers, but still want a site that can survive like one. I’m going to speak in first person because this is exactly how I actually build: a little diary, a little teardown, and a lot of “here’s what breaks if you run themes like a one-time demo import.”

The problem I was solving (and why “SaaS design” is a trap)

Most SaaS websites have the same surface shape:

• hero section

• product screenshots

• integrations grid

• pricing

• testimonials

• FAQ

• “Book a demo” form

• blog/support portal later… always later

The trap is that people build this like a static poster. But a real SaaS site behaves like a living product:

• features change every sprint

• pricing tiers get renamed

• a new use case appears (and suddenly you need 6 more landing pages)

• your blog becomes a mini documentation center

• you add tracking and personalization

• you run experiments and A/B tests

• you redesign one section and then it “must match everywhere”

So I don’t evaluate a theme based on the demo homepage. I evaluate it based on whether it can support a repeatable editorial system.

My admin checklist looks like this:

1. Can editors create new pages without inventing new spacing rules?

2. Can I customize safely (child theme / hooks) without editing core files?

3. Can I keep performance tight once scripts, forms, and tracking begin to pile up?

4. Can I isolate “business logic” from “presentation” so updates don’t scare me?

That’s the lens for everything below.

My mental model: theme as UI layer, not the brain

If you take one idea from this post, let it be this:

Your theme should be the UI layer, not the place where your site’s “meaning” lives.

Meaning = pricing, plans, feature sets, CTAs, and structured information that changes over time.
UI = how that meaning is presented.

When those get mixed, admins end up with “don’t update anything, it might break.” And that’s how sites become outdated.

So I build in layers:

• Content layer: pages, posts, reusable blocks, structured fields.

• Presentation layer: templates, theme styles, sections, layout system.

• Behavior layer: forms, caching, tracking, redirects, conditional banners.

Saafiy works well for this mindset because it gives you a modern SaaS visual language, but you can still treat it like a framework: reuse components, standardize sections, and keep custom behavior outside the parent theme.

Step 1: Child theme first (even if you “won’t customize much”)

Every admin says: “I won’t customize much.”
Every admin later says: “Can we change just one more thing?”

So I start with a child theme from the beginning, even if it’s minimal:

• enqueue a small custom stylesheet

• reserve a custom JavaScript file for tiny enhancements

• add a functions.php for controlled tweaks

This gives you a clean place to put changes without touching the parent theme. It also gives you a “diff you can reason about.” When something goes weird, you have a defined customization boundary—like a sandbox.

Admin benefit: updates become normal.
Developer benefit: you can track change history like a sane person.

Step 2: Build a component library page (the secret admin weapon)

Here’s a trick that makes SaaS sites maintainable:

I create a private page called “Components / Style Lab” and store every reusable section there:

• hero variants (with/without video, with/without partner logos)

• feature grid variants

• testimonial styles

• pricing table patterns

• FAQ accordion patterns

• CTA strips (light/dark)

The goal is not to “show off.” The goal is to help editors copy from approved patterns instead of inventing new ones.

On many SaaS sites, the biggest performance problem isn’t JavaScript. It’s human inconsistency: new pages with slightly different padding, inconsistent button styles, random font sizes, and random icon usage. This “Style Lab” page is how I prevent design drift without telling marketing “no.”

Step 3: Standardize headings like you’re designing an API

A theme can be gorgeous, but if every page has different heading structures, you lose clarity, SEO, and reuse.

So I design page structure like an API contract:

• Every landing page has one H1 (page title)

• Core sections use consistent H2 titles:

  • “How it works”

  • “Built for teams like yours”

  • “Security & compliance”

  • “Pricing”

  • “FAQ”

• Subpoints become H3s in a predictable way

Admins underestimate how much this helps. Later, when you build internal linking, navigation blocks, or even auto-generated TOCs, your site behaves like a system instead of random pages.

Step 4: “Plugin-like thinking” applied to a theme

You asked for a plugin-under-the-hood developer style, so here’s how I translate that into theme work.

When I develop a plugin, I look for:

• stable hooks

• separation of concerns

• predictable data flow

• a clean integration surface

For a theme-based SaaS site, it’s the same:

1) Identify extension points

Your extension points are where you safely attach custom behavior:

• enqueue custom assets

• add custom shortcodes (sparingly)

• add custom blocks/snippets for repeated patterns

• override templates in a child theme only when necessary

2) Avoid “template copy-paste debt”

Copy-pasting sections between pages feels fast—until you need to update the same CTA across 18 pages. That’s the theme equivalent of duplicating business logic across files. Instead:

• use global sections / reusable blocks

• keep CTA text centralized when possible

• treat sections as components, not one-off art

3) Keep data structured where it matters

For SaaS sites, this usually means:

• pricing tiers

• feature lists

• comparisons

• FAQ items

• testimonials

These will change, so don’t bury them in weird places.

Step 5: Forms and lead capture without turning your site into a toll booth

SaaS sites love forms. Some teams love them too much.

I keep forms consistent and admin-safe by establishing rules:

• One design system for all forms (labels, spacing, error states)

• Consistent field names (“company_size”, “use_case”, “timeline”) so analytics aren’t messy

• Clear success states (“We’ll reply within X hours” + next-step link or CTA)

• A logging strategy that doesn’t depend solely on email delivery

Email is not storage. For a production SaaS pipeline, you want a reliable record of submissions. If a mail server hiccups, you still want the lead.

From the “under the hood” perspective, the biggest admin problem isn’t building a form—it’s maintaining a form you can trust.

Step 6: Performance discipline (AKA: don’t ship a SaaS site that feels slow)

A tech startup website that loads slowly is like a fitness influencer who can’t walk up stairs. People notice.

Here’s my practical performance playbook for theme-based builds:

Keep the hero honest

• Avoid autoplay video in the hero (or keep it truly lightweight).

• Keep the main headline readable without large background assets.

• Don’t stack multiple animations and counters above the fold.

Reduce asset bloat

Themes often ship with “everything.” You should load only what you use.

As an admin, the simplest approach is about decisions:

• If you don’t use sliders, don’t build your site around them.

• If you only use a few icons, don’t load five icon libraries.

• Stop adding “just one more addon plugin” for tiny features.

Make images behave

SaaS sites love screenshots. Fine—just be disciplined:

• convert screenshots to efficient formats

• avoid giant screenshots on mobile

• lazy-load below-the-fold images

• keep consistent sizes so layout doesn’t jump

You don’t need to become a performance engineer. You need a habit: before adding a new section, ask, “What does this cost?”

Step 7: Reusable pricing architecture (the part that always changes)

Pricing is the most edited area on SaaS sites, and it’s also the area most likely to be duplicated manually.

My approach:

• one canonical “Pricing” page

• pricing blocks on landing pages are reusable components that mirror the canonical tiers

• tier naming is consistent everywhere

• each tier has a short features snippet + a link/CTA but the structure stays identical

If your theme includes pricing layouts, use them consistently. Don’t create new pricing sections each time someone says “make it feel premium.” “Premium” should come from typography, spacing, and confidence—not new layout chaos.

Step 8: Building “feature pages” like a modular plugin system

This is where I see SaaS admins struggle: the moment you move beyond the homepage.

You need multiple pages like:

• Feature A

• Feature B

• Integrations

• Security

• Use cases (Agencies / Teams / Enterprises)

• Case studies

If each page uses different patterns, your site becomes hard to maintain. So I define “page blueprints,” like plugin templates:

Blueprint: Feature Page

• H1: Feature name + one-sentence benefit

• H2: Problem it solves

• H2: How it works (3–5 steps)

• H2: Screenshots (consistent layout)

• H2: Results / proof

• H2: Related features

• H2: CTA

Blueprint: Use Case Page

• H1: Use case

• H2: Challenges

• H2: What changes with your product

• H2: Recommended workflow

• H2: FAQ

• H2: CTA

Once you have blueprints, Saafiy becomes the visual framework you plug these into—without reinventing every time.

Step 9: Security & compliance section (non-negotiable in 2025)

Even if you’re not “enterprise,” people expect security cues:

• data handling transparency

• access control language

• uptime expectations

• contact points

Themes often include nice UI blocks for trust signals—use them, but keep the content real. Admins should avoid fake claims (they come back to bite you).

I often add a “Security & Privacy” page early, even if it’s short, and link to it from the footer. It’s not just for legal—it’s for trust.

Step 10: The admin workflow that keeps content clean

A theme can only do so much if your workflow is chaotic. So I establish a routine:

1. Editors build new pages by duplicating a blueprint page (not freehand).

2. Editors pull sections from the “Components / Style Lab” page.

3. One person owns typography/spacing rules (even if it’s you).

4. Changes to global sections are documented (a simple changelog page works).

This sounds formal—but it’s the difference between “a site” and “a platform.”

And here’s the funny part: the more structured your workflow is, the more freedom marketing actually gets. People can move fast when the rails are solid.

Step 11: Adding commerce (only if it matches your SaaS reality)

Not every SaaS needs commerce on WordPress. But sometimes you sell:

• paid templates

• add-ons

• onboarding packages

• credits

• training seats

If you go that route, the ecosystem matters. Admins often ask me: “What should we install?” I don’t blindly recommend piles of plugins, but I do recommend browsing curated options so you’re not picking random abandoned tools.

If you’re going down the e-commerce path, check a curated collection of WooCommerce Plugins and choose only what supports a clean checkout and predictable operations.

The rule is: payments should feel boring. If checkout becomes a project, you’ve already lost time you could spend improving your product.

Step 12: My pre-launch checklist (the stuff I test like a paranoid adult)

Before I publish, I test like my future self will be the one debugging at 2 a.m.

Content sanity

• no demo text left behind

• no inconsistent tier names

• no conflicting CTAs (“Start free trial” vs “Book a demo” on the same page without a reason)

Mobile experience

• does the hero read well?

• can I tap CTAs easily?

• do pricing blocks collapse cleanly?

• does the header behave (no jumping, no covering content)?

Forms

• submissions logged

• emails deliver

• anti-spam doesn’t block real users

• success messages explain next steps

Performance quick checks

• homepage loads fast without “warm cache”

• heavy scripts not all loaded on every page

• images not oversized for mobile

Update safety

• child theme active

• custom CSS/JS lives in one place

• no edits inside the parent theme

• “must-have” plugins documented

What surprised me about Saafiy (in a good way)

The biggest win wasn’t “it looks like a startup.” Plenty of themes do that.

The win was that I could treat the theme as a consistent design system while building a site that behaves like software:

• reusable sections instead of copy-paste layouts

• predictable page blueprints

• clean customization boundaries

• performance habits that didn’t fight the visual style

In other words, it didn’t force me into the “demo import forever” lifestyle.

A small closing rant (because admins deserve honesty)

If you’re a site admin, you’ve probably been here:

• You launch a sleek homepage.

• Everyone celebrates.

• Two weeks later someone asks for five more landing pages.

• Then they ask for a new pricing tier.

• Then they ask for a “security section.”

• Then they ask for “just a small redesign” because a competitor did something shiny.

If your theme setup is not modular, these requests feel like a slow-motion disaster.

If your theme setup is modular, these requests feel like normal work.

That’s the real value of thinking “plugin-under-the-hood” even when you’re working with a WordPress theme. You’re not just decorating a website—you’re building an operational system that has to stay coherent while the business evolves.

So my advice is simple:

• Use patterns. Not vibes.

• Keep customizations update-safe.

• Treat performance as a habit.

• Design pages like reusable blueprints.

• Make editing easy for non-devs without letting the design drift.

Do that, and Saafiy stops being “a theme you installed” and becomes “a system you can run.”