How we actually work.
Every project follows the same four-phase lifecycle. You'll always know what phase you're in, what you owe us, and what we owe you. The tagline beneath our logo isn't decoration — it's the workflow.
Designed.
Typically 2–3 weeksWe sit down — Zoom, phone, or in-person, your call — and figure out who your customers are, what your competitors look like, and what your site needs to do. Then we design it in real software, on a real grid, and walk you through every decision.
No template swaps. No "we'll just drop your logo into this theme." Every layout, every type choice, every color decision starts from your business and your customers.
- Brand Brief — voice, tone, positioning, target customer
- Style Guide — palette, typography, image direction
- Wireframes for the homepage + every key template
- Full high-fidelity design comps for review
Approved.
Built into every phaseThis isn't really a separate phase — it's the operating principle running through every other phase. Nothing finalizes without your explicit sign-off. Every page, every color, every word. We send the work, you review the work, you approve the work. Then — and only then — does it ship.
If something isn't right, we revise. If something's *almost* right but you can't articulate why, we'll talk through it. Approval isn't a rubber stamp; it's the gate.
- Brand Brief sign-off (before visual identity)
- Style Guide sign-off (before any layouts)
- Wireframe sign-off (before design comps)
- Design comp sign-off (before development)
- Staging review (before go-live)
- Launch readiness sign-off (before DNS flip)
Built.
Typically 4–8 weeksCustom-coded on WordPress. No Elementor. No Divi. No themes off the rack. No "we'll just modify this Avada template." Hand-built for performance, accessibility, and conversion — by people who've been doing this long enough to know what matters and what doesn't.
You'll see weekly progress on a staging URL. You're never in the dark, never wondering what we're working on, never finding out about a change after it shipped.
- Custom WordPress theme — hand-coded, no page builders
- Mobile-first responsive layouts (real ones, not breakpoint-by-breakpoint patches)
- Core Web Vitals optimized — LCP, CLS, INP all green
- WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility from day one, not bolted on later
- Schema markup — Organization, LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage where appropriate
- Forms wired to your CRM or email, with spam protection and field analytics
- Staging site you can review weekly
Maintained.
Ongoing — month-to-monthLaunch isn't the finish line. It's the starting line. We stick around: ongoing security updates, WordPress core updates, plugin updates, performance tuning, content updates, and small change requests handled within your monthly allotment.
When you're ready, the Salterra partnership opens up internet marketing and business automation — same family-firm relationship, broader capability set. You're not handed off to a stranger.
- WordPress core + plugin + theme updates (tested on staging first)
- Weekly off-site backups
- Uptime + security monitoring
- Core Web Vitals performance check-ins
- Monthly content/copy change requests
- Plain-English monthly reports (no agency-speak)
- Optional: SEO, paid traffic, automation through Salterra
What you can count on.
You'll never wonder where the project stands.
Weekly progress notes during the build. Monthly reports after launch. If you email us, you hear back the same business day — not next week.
Nothing ships you haven't approved.
Brand Brief, Style Guide, wireframes, comps, staging, launch readiness — six explicit approval gates. No "we thought you'd love it" surprises.
The site is yours when we launch it.
You own the WordPress install, the database, the domain, the hosting, every file. No proprietary builders, no lock-in, no "we'll need to migrate that for you" exit fees.
We don't disappear after launch.
The maintenance phase isn't a tacked-on upsell. It's how we operate. Most of our clients are still with us five years after launch — that's the point.
The things we don't do.
No page builders.
No Elementor, no Divi, no WPBakery, no Beaver Builder. Every theme is hand-coded.
No template repackaging.
No "$499 we'll just swap your logo into this ThemeForest theme." Every design starts from your business.
No silent stretches.
If you don't hear from us inside a week, something's wrong. Communication is part of the deliverable.
No surprise launches.
You see every page, every layout, every copy block before it goes live. Nothing ships you haven't approved.
No mega-agency handoffs.
The person who designs your site is the person who builds it and the person who maintains it. Same team, end to end.
No vibe-coded artifacts.
This is a real business website, not an AI-generated demo. Every line is hand-written, every page is intentional.
Ready to start Phase One?
Book a free 30-minute consult. We'll talk through your business, your current site, and whether the way we work is the right fit for you. No pressure, no proposal trap.