Questions are Frequent!

If you don't find an answer below, contact us.

Getting Started

How do we get started and what does the free initial consultation include?

The first step is scheduling a 15-20 minute call or video meeting to review your project, desired website functionality and aesthetic preferences. The meeting helps you get a sense of how we work. We will learn about you and your project and so we can put together a project proposal and budget estimate.You’ll review the proposal and budget and when it looks good, make a 20% deposit and we get to work.

Do I need any technical skills?

I’m not sure what I want or how it should look. Can you help?

Absolutely. As a part of a web project, we will ask you questions to help clarify things like: What you do and who you serve. Things you like and don’t like. This information will help us understand your goals and translate them into a clear site map as well as visual design ideas. During this process we usually offer consulting on various aspects of running a website or online business to help you save time and avoid mistakes.

Stand-lone consultations are a great option for clients who want help thinking through their project and ideas, but aren’t sure that they need a website, or they already have a website. Contact us to schedule.

What is the process or steps involved?

The process involves these key phases:

Planning: Define goals, audience, and site structure.
Setup: Register a domain, set up hosting, and prepare the development environment.
Content: Outline the page structure, then create and add content.
Design: Customize the site’s appearance to match branding and user needs.
Functionality: Add interactive features such as eCommerce, forms, email signups, or donation tools.
Review & Test: Check content, usability, and mobile responsiveness; revise as needed.
Launch: Go live and retest to ensure everything works smoothly.

How long will it take?

Costs and Fees

How do you determine the cost of my website?

Each project is different, so we focus on finding the right balance between your goals, your budget, and the long-term value your website can provide. Our job is to help you avoid overspending while still investing in the features that matter most, so you get a site that works hard for you without paying for things you don’t need.

Here are some key factors that influence cost and the value behind them:

Experience. You’re not just paying for time; you’re investing in proven skill, efficient problem-solving, and polished execution that avoids costly mistakes and delivers strong results.
Content creation and page count. More pages mean more planning, structure, and writing. Specialized or longer-form content takes time to shape effectively and ensures your message is clear and persuasive.
Media and custom assets. We can quickly source free stock photos. Custom photography or video adds branding and visual impact but requires more work.
Scope of custom design. A clean, templated layout is faster to implement. Custom design brings deeper value: unique layouts, refined typography, color systems aligned with your brand, and visual creativity that helps you stand out and connect.
Responsive design. Every site needs to look great on multiple screen sizes. This is a necessity for every project and adds to the base cost.
Functionality and integrations. A simple brochure-style site with contact info is quick to build. But if your site needs interactive features, like online sales, memberships, or scheduling, it involves more complex systems and testing.
Accessibility and compliance. Building to WCAG 2.1+ standards adds value by making your site usable by more people and often meeting legal requirements, especially for public-facing or nonprofit entities.
SEO and performance. The scope of this work is optional. Getting found online and keeping visitors engaged requires more than just publishing a page. We build for speed, clean code, and optimized content so your site performs well and reaches the right audience.
Ongoing support and hosting. Managed hosting with updates, backups, and security monitoring gives you a stable foundation and reduces the risk of issues down the line, saving time, money, and stress.

We look for a price that reflects the best balance between your needs and budget and the value that we can deliver for you.

What ongoing costs should I expect?

Typical ongoing costs:

Domain name: Around $15 per year
Hosting: Basic plans typically range from $10–15 per month; high performance or fully managed hosting can range from $35 to $200 per month.
Email accounts: Starting at $6 per user, per month
Support and updates: It is a good idea to allow some yearly budget for maintenance costs. The more complex a site is, the more likely you will want to make changes to code or functionality.
Optional add-ons: Some features (like booking tools or premium plugins) may cost $30–100 per year

Adding Features and Functionality

What SEO services are available?

Can you build multilingual sites?

Functionality & Features

What functionality tiers do you offer?

Basic: Contact form only.
Medium complexity: Multiple forms, calendars, events, blog.
High complexity: E-commerce, membership portals, real-estate listings, fully custom solutions.

May platforms offer varying degrees of advanced functionality. With services like Wix or Shopify, the tools are built in and you pay increasing monthly fees to use them. With WordPress, many of the tools are available as plugins with yearly fees.

Fully Custom Functionally

Many people find that ready-made solutions just don’t quite hit the mark for what they want to achieve. Custom built solutions allow you to get solutions that work exactly like you want.

Will my site work on mobile?

Content - Text, Image, Video, etc.

What image and video options are available?

How does page count affect pricing?

What are the options for written content?

Accessibility Requirements

What is WCAG, and do I need it?

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a set of international accessibility standards that makes web content easier to use for everyone, especially people with disabilities, but also visitors on mobile, aging users or who struggle with seeing clearly. It is not a law, but Colorado has adopted it as a requirement for government sites. Many businesses choose to adopt some or all of the guidelines to make their sites more friendly to a wide range of users.

A few common things that accessible design addresses:

Text alternatives for images.
Sufficient color contrast for readability.
Clear typography that scales easily.
Clear headings and content structure.

We can build to WCAG 2.2 AA as an option for almost any website. It is a useful aspect of user experience design.

Ownership and Support

Can I update the site myself later?

Who owns the website and content?

What if something breaks later?

Where We Work

Where do you operate?

How will we stay in touch?

Common Concerns We Can Address

What is AI and how do we use it?

AI (artificial intelligence) is not ‘intelligent’, but is advanced pattern recognition and a set of tools that can assist with tasks like generating code snippets, proofreading content, and suggesting improvements. Here’s what it is and isn’t in our process:

What it is:
- A tool to speed up routine coding tasks, saving you time and money.
- It is like a virtual assistant that is very smart at a lot of things.
- A way to catch typos, correct grammar, and improve clarity in your content.
- A resource we use behind the scenes so you don’t have to interact with it directly.
What it isn’t:
- It’s not a replacement for human creativity, strategy, or quality control.
- It won’t make final decisions on design, tone, or functionality.
How we involve you:
- We handle AI-assisted tasks in development and editing so you can focus on your business.
- If you’re curious, we can show you how to use AI tools to streamline your own workflows.

What if I have a passion project with no clear revenue goal?

What is ROI and how do I calculate it? (Return on Investment)

ROI (Return on Investment) measures how much revenue or value your website generates compared to what you spend on it. To calculate ROI:

Determine the gain from your investment
• For example, new sales directly attributable to your site over a given period (e.g., $10,000 in sales).
Subtract your total website cost
• This includes design, development, hosting, maintenance, and any marketing spend (e.g., $4,000 total).
Divide the net gain by your total cost
$($10,000 - $4,000) \div $4,000 = 1.5$
Convert to a percentage
$1.5 \times 100 = 150$

A 150% ROI means you earned 1.5 times your investment in measurable revenue. You can apply the same formula to time savings or lead generation by assigning a dollar value to each hour saved or new lead.

My old site is slow and visitors leave.

I tried a platform like Wix or another DIY tool but couldn’t get it to do what I want.

Many DIY builders promise ease, but you soon hit limits on templates, layouts, or integrations. You may spend hours wrestling with settings, only to end up with a site that doesn’t look like you want, or is difficult to add the features you need, while monthly costs add up.

Working with a designer means:

Freedom from template constraints. We start from your goals and build layouts that match your brand, rather than forcing your content into a preset framework.
Expert guidance and efficiency. Instead of wrestling with endless menus, you describe what you need and we translate it into a plan, saving you time and frustration.
Custom functionality. Whether it’s a membership portal, event calendar, e-commerce store, or a unique booking system, we work to understand what you really need to achieve and build customized efficient solutions.
More cost up front, more savings later. Custom-built websites typically have more upfront cost, but result in long-term savings. It’s just a matter of running the numbers to see what fits your needs and budget better.

Here’s how we help:

Discovery conversation. We’ll review what you’ve tried, identify where your DIY site fell short, and map out the custom solutions you really need.
Tailored design and development. We create mockups and prototypes for your review, then build a responsive, reliable site with the exact features you asked for.
Ongoing support. After launch, you get training and optional care plans so you never have to wrestle with technical details again.