How a project actually goes.
Five clear stages, three to six weeks for most projects, no surprise invoices. Here's exactly what to expect — what I'll do, what I'll ask of you, and what we end up with.
Discovery.
An honest conversation, first.
We start with a real, unhurried conversation — usually 60 to 90 minutes, in person if you're nearby, on a call if you're not. The goal isn't to demo anything or sell anything. It's so I actually understand the business: who you serve, how you serve them, what's working, and what your current site is or isn't doing.
By the end of this stage you'll get a written summary back: what I heard, what I'd recommend, and a clear quote with a fixed price. If we're not the right fit, we'll figure that out here — before either of us has spent money.
What I do
- 60–90 min discovery call
- Review your current site, social, GBP
- Look at three local competitors
- Write up a recommendation + fixed quote
What I'll ask from you
- An hour of your honest time
- Your top three customer questions
- Examples of sites you do (and don't) like
- Your logo + brand assets, if available
Strategy.
The plan, in plain English.
Before any design happens, we agree on the shape of the site: what pages it'll have, what each one is for, what action you want each one to drive, and how a customer is expected to move through it. No jargon, no 40-slide deck — usually a short shared document and one 30-minute call.
This is where most "I thought you understood what I wanted" surprises get prevented. You'll know exactly what we're building before any pixel goes down.
What I do
- Draft a sitemap & page goals
- Define the primary customer action per page
- Plan copy structure for each section
- Confirm scope, timeline, and budget
What we end up with
- Approved sitemap
- One-page strategy summary
- Locked timeline and deliverables
- Signed agreement & kickoff invoice
Design.
See it before we build it.
I design the home page and one to three key sub-pages in your brand — both desktop and mobile — and walk you through the decisions. Hierarchy. Type. Imagery. The order of trust signals. Why the contact CTA is where it is.
You'll get two rounds of revisions. We discuss feedback on a call rather than over a chain of emails — it's faster, and we end up somewhere better. We don't move into build until you've signed off on the design.
What I do
- Home page + key sub-page mockups
- Mobile and desktop, side-by-side
- Walkthrough call to explain every choice
- Apply your feedback (2 rounds included)
What you sign off on
- Final mockups (desktop & mobile)
- Type system & color usage
- Image direction & placeholders
- Approved CTAs & forms
Build.
From approved design to working site.
I build the site on a preview URL you can walk around in at any time. Real pages, real responsiveness, real forms, real loading speeds. You'll get a check-in update at least once a week — usually more, with a quick screen recording showing what's new.
On the back end: forms wired up, SEO basics in place, hosting set up, redirects from your old URLs handled, and a clean handoff document so you'll know how to update the site yourself after launch.
What I do
- Build every page from the approved designs
- Wire contact & inquiry forms
- Set up hosting, domain, SSL
- Implement local SEO foundations
- Map old URLs → new URLs cleanly
What you get to see
- Live preview URL the whole time
- Weekly check-in with progress video
- Mobile QA on iOS & Android
- Pre-launch checklist run-through
Launch.
Go live — and stay supported.
We pick a launch day, point your domain at the new site, watch the forms together, and quietly toast the moment. The first 30 days after launch are included — any small fixes, copy tweaks, or "wait, can we add this?" requests are on the house.
After that, we either part ways with a clean handoff or roll into a small monthly maintenance retainer — whichever makes sense for your business.
What I do
- Coordinate DNS & launch the new site
- Submit sitemap to Google & Bing
- Update GBP & Apple Maps
- Run final mobile & speed checks
- 30 days of post-launch support
What you walk away with
- A live, fast, modern site
- Ownership of domain & hosting
- Handoff doc & short training video
- An open invitation to call any time
What I bring, and what I'll ask of you.
What I'll bring
- A fixed price agreed before we start
- A specific weekly check-in cadence
- Honest scope conversations — never silent scope creep
- A site built mobile-first and tested on real phones
- Plain-English explanations for every decision
- A handoff doc and short training video at launch
What I'll ask of you
- Decisions made by one person on your side
- Replies within 2 – 3 business days during active phases
- Honest feedback — yes, no, or "let me think on it"
- Access to your domain, hosting, and brand assets
- Photos of the business (or willingness to schedule a shoot)
- An hour or two for a launch-day walkthrough
Now you know the plan. Want to start one?
Discovery is free. Tell me about the business and we'll figure out together whether the timing is right.