Former IKEA Australia digital lead launches developer-direct web service to end agency lock-in for Sydney businesses

SYDNEY, NSW, 4 November 2026: Many established Sydney businesses can't change a phone number on their own website without lodging a ticket and waiting days. Others have discovered their agency holds the domain, hosting and logins, making it costly to leave.

Fahad Raza, a web developer and former digital specialist at IKEA Australia and New Zealand, has launched WordPress Developer Sydney to address that problem. The service gives businesses with 5 to 30 staff direct access to the developer doing the work, with no account managers and no lock-in contracts.

"Most of the business owners I speak to don't want to learn how to edit their website. They want to send a text and know it's handled," said Raza. "The problem is that the agency model puts layers between them and the person who can actually make the change."

The "Frankenstein" website problem

Raza says the sites he is asked to fix tend to fall into three groups:

• Sites built on heavy page builders, loaded with plugins and slow to load
• Businesses locked into agency arrangements where the agency controls access
• Companies that started on Wix or Squarespace and have since outgrown it

"A lot of these sites were built in stages by different people over the years. Nobody has the full picture, so every small change becomes a project," Raza said.

A developer-direct model

Under the WordPress Developer Sydney model, clients deal with one person from first conversation to ongoing changes. Hosting, updates, security and backups are handled as part of the service. Clients can leave at any time and take their website with them.

Instead of a generic free audit, prospective clients describe their problem and receive a diagnosis within 12 hours, followed by a face-to-face or video meeting before any pricing is discussed.

Background

Raza started his career in 2007 when he co-founded digital agency RightClick. He spent 8.5 years at IKEA Australia and New Zealand, where he worked across UX and content teams on one of the country's large retail websites. He later founded MrTradie, a web design service for Australian tradespeople, before launching WordPress Developer Sydney in 2025.

Recent projects include a website rebuild for Singapore lender Quick Loan and work for Australian gift retailer GiftPilot.

"Working at IKEA taught me that a website has to serve the whole business, not just look good," said Raza. "That's the standard I bring to every Sydney business I work with, whether they have five staff or thirty."

WordPress Developer Sydney works with businesses across the Sydney CBD and surrounding suburbs.

About and media contact

About WordPress Developer Sydney

WordPress Developer Sydney is a developer-direct web design and maintenance service for established Sydney businesses. Founded by Fahad Raza in 2025, it rebuilds, speeds up and maintains websites with no account managers and no lock-in. Visit wordpressdevelopersydney.com.au.

Media contact

Fahad Raza, Founder WordPress Developer Sydney 149 Walker St, North Sydney NSW 2060 Phone: 0432 888 679 Web: https://wordpressdevelopersydney.com.au