I am new to this forum and want some guidance on my new project.

That actually helps a lot, thanks for explaining it so clearly.

I think you pointed out exactly where I messed up. I didn’t really use Elementor properly at all — I basically built everything using custom HTML widgets and just pasted AI-generated sections into them. At the time it felt like a quick way to get things done, but now it feels like everything is disconnected and hard to manage.

There’s no real structure behind it. Each section has its own styling, spacing, and logic, so nothing feels consistent across the site. Even small changes become difficult because I don’t have any global control over things like typography or layout.

The point about global styles and workflow really clicked for me. I think that’s the biggest thing I’m missing right now.

Also, your note about colors was interesting. I did use pure black in several places, thinking it would look cleaner, but now that I look at it again, it does feel a bit too harsh. I’ll try switching to a softer dark base and be more intentional with accents instead of just adding them randomly.

At this point, I’m a bit unsure how to move forward.

Do you think it’s better to:

• rebuild the existing sections properly using Elementor (instead of raw HTML),
• or should I start fresh with a more structured approach like a child theme?

Also, when people talk about “custom theme development”, is that something a beginner should even attempt, or is it better to first fix the fundamentals using tools like Elementor or Gutenberg?

Really appreciate your input — this is the first time I feel like I actually understand what went wrong instead of just guessing.

Hi, thanks for the clarification 🙂

That makes sense — I wasn’t really trying to hire someone directly here, more trying to understand the right direction before I move forward.

Right now I feel a bit stuck. I’ve built most of the site using custom HTML inside Elementor, and it worked initially, but now everything feels inconsistent and hard to manage. Even small changes take a lot of effort because there’s no real structure behind it.

From your experience, what would be the best way to move forward from here?

Do you think it’s better to:

• clean up and rebuild the existing sections properly using Elementor (with global styles, reusable components, etc.),
  or

• start fresh with a more structured approach like a custom theme or child theme?

Also, at my level, would you recommend trying to learn and fix this myself step-by-step, or is this the kind of situation where it’s more efficient to hire someone from platforms like Upwork/Fiverr and then learn alongside that process?

If possible, I’d really appreciate a bit more detailed guidance on what you’d prioritize first (structure, performance, responsiveness, etc.), so I don’t keep making the same mistakes again.

Thanks again — this has already helped me understand the problem much better.