Project overview
Happy Mortgage is a US mortgage lender focused on guiding borrowers through common paths like purchase loans, refinancing, and credit-related improvement plans. The goal of this website was to feel clear and trustworthy while staying conversion-focused: explain the services quickly, answer common questions, and make the next step obvious.
Challenge
Mortgage websites can easily become heavy and slow, especially when they rely on bulky themes and plugin stacks. Here, the priority was the opposite: keep the build minimal and fast, but still include the pieces that actually move the needle for a lending business:
- clear service pages and CTAs
- a contact flow that routes inquiries properly
- a mortgage calculator that feels native to the site
- solid on-page SEO fundamentals
Solution
I built the site on WordPress using GeneratePress and GenerateBlocks to keep the frontend lightweight and consistent without relying on a heavy page builder. This stack is Gutenberg-native and predictable, which also makes it a great fit for an AI-assisted workflow.
On this project, Codex helped me scaffold pages, iterate on GenerateBlocks layouts, and build the custom calculator plugin from scratch while I guided the structure, UX, and visual direction. The result is a clean design system that is easy to extend without inflating the plugin footprint.
For lead capture, I implemented SureForms on the contact page with an inquiry-type selector so users can choose what they are reaching out about before submitting.
Custom mortgage calculator
Instead of embedding a third-party widget, I built a small custom Calculator plugin with the help of Codex, and integrated it into the existing site styling so it feels seamless. The calculator lets visitors estimate monthly payments and review a clear breakdown, which makes the page genuinely useful instead of being a generic marketing section.
SEO and integrations
I used The SEO Framework to manage page metadata and made sure the content structure was SEO-friendly from the start: proper heading hierarchy, meaningful alt text, and clear meta titles and descriptions for the core pages.
For basic measurement and indexing, I connected Google Search Console and added a Google Analytics tracking snippet. I also set up SMTP-based delivery to improve contact-form email deliverability.
The end result is a small plugin footprint and a clean WordPress admin, which keeps maintenance simple for the client.
Result
Happy Mortgage ended up with a fast, reliable site that stays focused on lead generation without sacrificing usability. The stack is minimal, the pages are easy to edit, and the calculator works like a native part of the website rather than a bolted-on widget.
It is also the project where my vibe coding approach to WordPress builds started to feel genuinely repeatable, especially when pairing Codex with a clean GeneratePress/GenerateBlocks foundation.
