Building Flexible, Scalable, and Custom Client Solutions With ACF
If you work for a digital agency, you know that no two clients—or their websites—are alike. And making sure every site consistently hits the mark is no small task.
Today, agencies face increasing pressure to provide tailored solutions that not only meet the unique needs of their clients but also scale seamlessly. But they’re not just doing it one site at a time. They’re working hard to manage multiple, complex projects across every one of their clients without compromising quality or efficiency.
If this struggle sounds familiar, your agency might benefit from a tool like Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). ACF is a powerful plugin that lets developers create custom fields,. post types, and taxonomies, providing unparalleled control over how content is structured and displayed on your clients’ sites.
ACF comes in two versions: a free plugin and ACF PRO, which includes must-have features like Repeater, Clone, and Flexible Content fields, ACF Blocks, and more. While both versions offer extensive control, ACF PRO is often the choice for agencies managing complex, high-stakes projects where advanced functionality is a must.
For the purposes of this article, we’ll assume you’re working with ACF PRO, as it offers the most advanced functionality of the two versions. Let’s take a closer look.
Streamlining workflows with reusability
For most agencies, workflow efficiency is a top priority—efficiency makes every billable hour count. Thankfully, ACF streamlines development by enabling extensive reusability with the creation of various modular elements, easily leveraged across multiple projects.
Reusable components: ACF-created content blocks or dynamic fields can be reused across the same site or applied to different projects. For example, a custom testimonial block you create for one client can be easily adapted and reused across multiple other sites, requiring minimal modification or unique coding. This capability not only speeds up development but can help ensure a consistent standard of quality throughout work for all your clients.
Flexible content layouts: ACF can help your agency create customizable sections that can be easily tailored and reused across different projects—allowing your team to start up new sites more quickly.
Adaptability for every project: Finally, ACF’s flexibility makes meeting specific project demands a snap—solutions can be adapted to new sites and applied to existing sites as client needs evolve, ensuring long-term relevance and functionality.
Flexibility to build unique solutions
While many still mistakenly think of WordPress as a basic “training wheels”-style website or blogging platform, over the years it has, in fact, evolved into the most versatile CMS on the planet. Today, more than 43% of all websites globally are powered by WordPress, dominating the CMS market with a 62.6% market share (for context, the next closest competitor holds just 5%).
But the true potential of WordPress’s flexibility comes to the forefront when paired with tools like ACF.
Beyond pages and posts: Traditionally, WordPress only provided two content types—Pages and Posts—but ACF expands the possibilities far beyond these standard content types.
ACF allows agencies to create custom “outside the box” experiences applicable to nearly any use case. For example, with a real estate client, ACF can create property listings featuring interactive maps, galleries, and detailed specs—all managed by content editors within the WordPress backend. Or, for an eCommerce client, ACF can build product pages with dynamic pricing, reviews, and embedded videos, easily updated without any coding.
This kind of versatility goes a long way in empowering developers to push their creative and problem-solving skills to the max, delivering more dynamic, memorable websites for your clients.
Content structure: ACF also offers complete control over where and how your data appears on the front end, a welcomed change of pace from some of the more restrictive elements of other platforms. This control isn’t just about arranging content in a box, but hyper-tailoring the experience to meet specific client needs.
For instance, with ACF, you can design custom layouts that seamlessly integrate data from multiple sources—such as customer reviews, related products, and promotional content—into a single, cohesive product page. This flexibility allows you to design an elegant, repeatable, user-centric experience closely aligned with your client’s business goals—all while streamlining any necessary coding in the process.
Customizable fields: As the name suggests, ACF also offers the ability to build user-friendly meta boxes with pre-selected field types, allowing developers to easily tweak the data infrastructure for each project. These fields can also improve SEO, with precise control over metadata, schema markup, and other on-page elements that search engines use to rank content.
Future-proofing with ACF
As consumer behaviors quickly shift and market demands evolve, keeping your projects adaptable and functional is critical to maintaining a competitive advantage. ACF provides the flexibility and adaptability necessary to meet those shifting tides—without demanding a complete overhaul of your clients’ sites.
Adaptability: Thanks to features like Flexible Content fields, and an ultra-customizable structure, ACF allows websites to grow and adapt as a client’s business expands or market conditions change. Whether adding new features, updating content, or shifting design elements, the plug-in can take some of the “heavy lifting” out of all kinds of essential updates.
Modularity: ACF allows agencies to update—or swap out—specific site elements without disrupting the overall architecture. This modularity makes it easier to implement quick fixes, add new features, or make design changes—ensuring that the site remains current and competitive with minimal effort.
When properly optimized, ACF can also empower content editors to manage these updates independently—without the need to rely on your agency for changes. You’ll still control key aspects like the overall design and content structure while giving your clients the power to do things like update text or swap out images.
Real-world applications: ACF enhances Embark’s digital transformation
When digital agency Art & Science took on the challenge of revitalizing Embark’s digital presence, they faced a complex task: The financial services company needed a solution that could handle intricate content management and multilingual requirements—all on a tight timeline. ACF was critical to their success.
With ACF, the team created a highly customized WordPress instance that allowed Embark to manage diverse content types—from detailed financial information to customer testimonials—across the site’s English and French versions. That flexibility ensured content editors could easily update the site without coding, allowing it to scale and evolve as Embark’s needs grew.
By integrating ACF within a headless WordPress architecture, Art & Science delivered a site that was both dynamic and secure—a crucial balance for a financial services company. The redesign later went on to win Headless Project of the Year as part of WP Engine’s inaugural Agency Partner Awards.
Moving forward with ACF
Integrating ACF into your agency’s workflows can be a game-changer when it comes to delivering custom, scalable, and repeatable results for a wide range of clients. The flexibility, control, and future-proofing capabilities ACF offers make it an essential tool for creating high-performing websites, well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of today’s digital landscape.
Looking for additional ways to enhance the speed, performance, and overall value of your client’s WordPress sites? Check out additional ACF resources, including the extensive library of documentation and support articles on advancedcustomfields.com, as well as WP Engine’s wide selection of tutorials and how-to videos.
