I’m Matthew Preston, a web application specialist with more than 25 years’ experience designing, building and maintaining fast, scalable online services.
I have immense experience creating bespoke themes and plugins, develop multisite networks, design advanced content models, and create dashboards that make life easier for non-technical teams. I handle everything from custom search tools and interactive maps to directory systems, bookings, membership platforms, and data importers. Projects have ranged from rebuilding high-traffic travel sites to modernising long-running editorial platforms and moving ageing legacy systems into cleaner, more future-proof architectures.
In my AI work I use AI APIs for content automation, structured data extraction, vector search, chatbots, programmatic SEO and internal workflow tools. I’ve built systems that take messy data feeds and turn them into clean database records, automated content pipelines that publish at scale, and AI assistants that help users find information more quickly. I regularly combine PHP, JavaScript and AI integrations to cut manual workload and improve accuracy.
As a web application developer I’m used to working with APIs, automation, and complex data structures. I’ve built import engines that process thousands of records, integrations with booking, CRM and payment systems, and performance-focused architectures designed to handle bursts of traffic. I enjoy getting into the details: database optimisation, caching layers, Core Web Vitals, image pipelines, security hardening and anything that keeps a site stable and fast.
Consultancy is a big part of my work too. I help teams scope new ideas, improve what they’ve already built, and plan long-term technical strategy. Sometimes that means fixing bottlenecks, sometimes it’s simplifying workflows for editors, and sometimes it’s advising on how to scale a platform that’s grown beyond its original design.
I’m collaborative, direct and practical, working closely with designers, PMs, founders and marketing teams to turn vague concepts into clear deliverables. Fully capable of working autonomously or part of a team. I am confident, friendly and British born native English speaking.
I’ve worked across my industries including arts, travel, finance, publishing, government and entertainment, I’ve delivered meaningful improvements in speed, usability, SEO and revenue. I enjoy being part of the full process, from early planning through to launch and ongoing support, always aiming to build tools that genuinely help people and make the web feel faster, cleaner and easier to use.
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I’ve architected and built the entire Bliss Investor platform, a complex, feature-rich web application designed to support worldschooling families across multiple countries. What started as a simple community project has grown into a full digital ecosystem combining WordPress CMS, custom plugins, automation, membership tools and advanced AI integrations.
At the core is the Bliss Hubs platform: a private community environment where families can join local hubs, update travel itineraries, share skills, browse local partners, view activity schedules, join WhatsApp groups and access a personalised AI assistant. I built every component myself, including custom post types, databases, front-end dashboards, REST endpoints, membership logic and responsive UI.
A large part of the platform relies on AI. I designed a matchmaking system that embeds user profiles and project descriptions into vector space, allowing Pinecone and OpenAI APIs to match families, professionals and community needs with real accuracy. I also built AI chatbots trained on local hub data to give families instant answers on activities, locations, logistics, childcare options and travel planning. AI is also used for structured data extraction, auto-moderation, content generation, and internal data clean-up tools.
On the automation and integration side, I built WhatsApp joining flows using Green-API, itinerary mapping features, internal messaging tools, skills exchange systems, local business directories, calendars with RSVP support, and admin approval queues. The platform also includes dashboards for members, custom onboarding logic, automated email scheduling, a competition engine for kids, and analytics tools for hub admins.
From a technical standpoint, it’s a full custom WordPress application with multiple bespoke plugins, custom MySQL tables, cached API responses, automatic backups, security hardening, image optimisation and performance tuning to keep everything fast on mobile devices in low-connectivity regions. It also ties into external services like Google Calendar, location APIs, WhatsApp, Pinecone and OpenAI.
The achievements go well beyond the worldschooling niche. The tech behind Bliss has strong crossover potential for:
• membership platforms
• event-driven communities
• location-based networks
• travel and hospitality tools
• AI-powered recommendation engines
• professional business matchmaking services
• real-time directory listings
• automated onboarding systems
The end result is a polished, scalable platform that blends WordPress, web application engineering and AI automation. It supports thousands of users, powers multiple active communities across Asia, and proves that WordPress can be pushed far beyond a basic CMS when you understand how to extend it properly.
I completed a full rebuild of the Philosophy Bites website, taking it from an ageing Typepad setup to a modern, high-performance WordPress platform. The goal was to preserve the character of a well-loved podcast while giving the team better tools, better search, and a site that can grow for years to come.
I designed and built the new site from the ground up, creating a custom WordPress theme, structured content models and clean layouts that work smoothly across desktop and mobile. I migrated hundreds of podcast episodes, transforming inconsistent legacy content into well-organised entries with clear metadata, categories and tags.
One of the major achievements was building a powerful new search and archive system. Users can now find episodes by keyword, theme, philosopher, category or date, making the archive far easier to explore.
I also developed a transcript system: generating transcripts for every episode, storing them as structured meta fields, and integrating them into search to dramatically improve SEO and accessibility.
The site includes an improved episode archive, Libsyn audio player integration, a books section with direct Amazon links, donation tools and refreshed pages for the podcast’s background, hosts and social feeds. Behind the scenes, I added performance optimisation, caching, schema markup, security enhancements and workflows that make content updates quick and reliable.
The result is a clean, modern and fast platform that gives Philosophy Bites a stronger online presence, better discoverability, and a future-proof foundation for new content.
I’ve provided long-term consultancy and development for 101 Holidays, a major UK travel brand with consistently high traffic. The platform runs on a WordPress multisite network, and I’ve been responsible for maintaining the entire ecosystem, building new sub-sites, and keeping everything fast, stable and secure. Over the years I’ve rebuilt several parts of the network with modern, mobile-first responsive design, refreshed layouts, and cleaner content structures.
On the technical side I introduced new performance optimisation methods, including advanced caching, asset minimisation, image compression workflows, and database clean-ups to bring load times down and boost SEO scores across the network. I’ve also handled full server management, providing fully managed WordPress hosting with daily backups, uptime monitoring and regular plugin and core updates.
This has been an ongoing 15-year engagement, covering multiple revamps, continuous improvements, and hands-on support for a site trusted by millions of travellers each year.
I worked on a major rebuild of The Good Hotel Guide, taking their legacy system and transforming it into a modern, high-performance WordPress platform. I handled the full technical architecture, including custom theme development, bespoke plugins and data-driven features. The site pulls in large volumes of structured hotel data, so I built custom post types, advanced taxonomies and flexible search filters to handle complex queries without slowing the site down. I also created import tools to process and validate yearly hotel review updates, using PHP and MySQL to map fields, catch inconsistencies and automate as much as possible.
On the front end, I rebuilt their hotel search and regional browsing experience with fast, AJAX-powered filtering written in JavaScript and jQuery. I produced fully responsive templates, optimised thousands of images, and introduced schema markup for hotels and reviews to boost SEO. I also integrated third-party APIs for maps and location searches.
The project included several custom systems for their editorial team, letting them manage listings, reviews, awards and seasonal content. Everything was built to be scalable, easy for staff to update, and capable of handling heavy traffic during peak travel seasons.
I also built a complex editorial administration system to assist with the design and production of their guide book, released once a year.
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