Senior PHP (CodeIgniter 4) Developer Needed for Directory Site Upgrade (AliExpress.online), DB Optimization, Dynamic SEO, IndexNow & Sitemap Enhancements

I am looking for an experienced Full-Stack PHP Developer (CodeIgniter Expert) to upgrade, optimize, refine, and enhance my existing website directory: www.Aliaxpress.online

​The website is currently built on CodeIgniter 3 (CI3) with a MySQL database. My primary objective is to fully migrate the site to CodeIgniter 4 (CI4), optimize database performance, fix dynamic URL slug issues, build an advanced dynamic SEO engine with IndexNow API integration, implement a structured XML Sitemap Index, and polish the overall site & admin UI/UX.
​Key Tasks & Responsibilities (Point-by-Point):
​1. Framework Upgrade (CI3 to CI4):
​Migrate the entire AliExpress.online project from CodeIgniter 3 to CodeIgniter 4 (Latest Version).
​Refactor existing legacy code to follow clean MVC architecture, OOP principles, and modern PHP/CI4 security standards.
​2. Database & Server Optimization (MySQL):
​Perform MySQL database optimization (query performance, indexing, garbage data cleanup).
​Fix high server resource consumption and resolve background performance bottlenecks.
​3. Dynamic URL Slug Management (Fixing URL Update Bug):
​Fix Slug/URL Auto-Update Issue: Currently, when updating a Website Listing or Blog Post title/content, the URL slug does not update or regenerate properly.
​Implement a robust Dynamic Slug Generator that correctly updates permalinks/URLs when posts, listings, or categories are modified (with proper redirects/canonical management).
​4. Advanced Dynamic SEO Engine:
​Dual SEO Setup (Default vs. Custom/Overridden):
​Global/Default SEO: Fallback setup for Meta Title, Meta Description, Keywords, Open Graph (OG tags), Twitter Cards, and dynamic Canonical URLs (auto-generated using Base URL).
​Custom SEO Override: Ability to set custom SEO meta tags specifically per Page, Category, or Website Listing.
​Dynamic Template Variables:
​Support dynamic placeholder variables in SEO templates (e.g., {category_name}, {website_name}, {site_title}, etc.).
​Example: "Top Services in {category_name}" should render "Top Services in Mobile" on the Mobile category page to prevent identical/duplicate meta tags.
​Excerpt Fields for SEO Snippets:
​Add an Excerpt field to both the Website Listing form (Admin/User) and the Blog Post form.
​The excerpt should automatically serve as the default Meta Description snippet for detail pages.
​5. IndexNow Integration (Bing & Search Engines API):
​Admin Key Management: Add an admin section to easily insert and manage IndexNow API keys / Secret keys.
​Instant & Cron Job Submission: Automatically submit new or updated URLs to IndexNow instantly upon creation/editing, combined with a automated Cron Job setup to scan and push new URLs.
​404 / Removed URL Handling: Automatically send removal/deleted signals or clean up URLs returning 404 status from search engine indexing queues.
​6. Dynamic XML Sitemap Index Architecture:
​Upgrade the current monolithic sitemap into a clean, structured XML Sitemap Index (sitemap_index.xml / sitemap.xml).
​Split URLs dynamically into clean sub-sitemaps:
​Pages Sitemap (pages-sitemap.xml)
​Website Listings Sitemap (listings-sitemap.xml)
​Listing Categories Sitemap (categories-sitemap.xml)
​Blog Posts Sitemap (blog-sitemap.xml)
​Blog Categories Sitemap (blog-categories-sitemap.xml)
​Ensure strict XML formatting compliant with Google & Bing Webmaster standards.
​7. Blog System & WordPress Importer:
​Blog Redesign: Redesign and modernize the layout for the Main Blog Page, Blog Detail Page, and Blog Category Page.
​WordPress XML/CSV Import Feature: Build an Admin tool to import exported WordPress blog posts (including featured images, categories, and content) directly into our custom database.
​8. UI/UX Refinement & Admin Panel Upgrade:
​Admin Panel UI Redesign: Modernize the current plain admin dashboard into an attractive, intuitive dashboard.
​Website Submission Review Screen: Redesign the admin submission view so pending user-submitted directory websites can be previewed/reviewed clearly before approval.
​Core Public Pages Refinement: Polish design and layouts for:
​Home Page
​Directory Listing & Category Pages
​Website Detail Page
​Partner, Friend, About Us, and Contact Pages
​9. Speed & Performance Optimization:
​Achieve 95%+ score on Google PageSpeed Insights (Desktop and Mobile).
​Minify CSS/JS assets, implement lazy loading, set up proper image caching, and optimize resource loading.
​10. Minor Tweaks & Final Refinements:
​Be open to handling small, minor UI adjustments or bug fixes discovered during the upgrade and testing process.
​Required Qualifications:
​Expert knowledge of CodeIgniter 3 & CodeIgniter 4 (PHP 8.x).
​Deep experience in MySQL Database Optimization and Indexing.
​Experience with IndexNow API implementation & Cron Job automation.
​Deep understanding of SEO Architecture, XML Sitemaps, Canonical URLs, and Dynamic Templating.
​Strong Frontend UI/UX Skills (Bootstrap / CSS3 / JavaScript).
​Proven track record of achieving 95+ Google PageSpeed Scores.
​How to Apply:
​Please respond with:
​Examples of previous CodeIgniter 4 projects you have built or upgraded.
​Proof or case studies of websites where you achieved 95+ Google PageSpeed scores.
​A brief explanation of your experience with IndexNow API and Dynamic XML Sitemap Indexing.
​Estimated timeline and budget breakdown for this project.
​Looking forward to working with a skilled developer!