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Most websites aren't broken. They're just not doing anything.
Most established service businesses I talk to have a website that's fine. It loads. It looks decent. It has all the right pages.
It just sits there. Usually the way an owner describes it is some version of "I'm a little embarrassed to send people to it."
It's rarely one big problem. It's usually the same four.
1. It doesn't show up.
If you're not appearing when someone in your area searches for what you do, nothing else on the site matters. You've lost the opportunity before anyone laid eyes on your work.
2. It doesn't make the case.
Your site explains what you do. It doesn't explain why you, or what separates your work from the two other companies they're getting quotes from. That shouldn't be the visitor's job to work out.
3. It doesn't guide anyone.
Someone lands on your homepage and has to decide where to go next on their own. Most won't bother. They skim, get no direction, and leave.
4. It doesn't ask for anything.
Even interested people need an obvious next step. If the only option is a contact form buried at the bottom of a page, you're depending on them to be motivated enough to go find it.
None of that is a design problem - which is why a redesign that only changes how the site looks tends to produce a nicer version of the same result.
In the meantime the work still comes in, through referrals and repeat clients and word of mouth. That works until it doesn't. It's unpredictable, it's hard to plan around, and it means the clients you get are the ones who happened to find you, not the ones you'd have chosen.
A website that brings in work does four things
None of them are complicated on their own. What makes them work is doing them in order - deciding what the site needs to accomplish before deciding what it looks like.
Most projects run the other way. The design gets approved first, and messaging, structure, and search visibility get fitted into whatever space is left over.
1. It shows up.
The pages people actually search for exist, are structured properly, and are written around real search intent. Foundational SEO is part of the build, not something bolted on after launch.
2. It builds trust.
Positioning and messaging clear enough that a visitor understands what you do, who you do it for, and why you're the right call - in the first few seconds, before they've scrolled to find out.
3. It guides.
Every page has one job and one obvious next step. Structure, navigation, and page order get mapped before any design happens, so visitors move through the site instead of wandering around it.
4. It converts.
Calls to action placed where interest actually peaks, backed by the detail and proof someone needs to feel confident reaching out, so the inquiries that come in are already qualified.
Before anything gets designed
Most website projects start with a homepage mockup. This one starts with a questionnaire.
Before design begins, you'll work through a detailed intake - only about an hour of your time - covering your business, your services, the audience you're trying to reach, how you want to be positioned, and your branding details. It's the most time you'll spend on the project, and it's front-loaded deliberately.
Everything after that gets built from your answers. I work out who the site is speaking to and what they need to see before they're willing to reach out. Your messaging gets refined until what you do, who it's for, and what sets you apart reads clearly in seconds. I define what the site is actually for - lead generation, local visibility, authority, room to grow later - so every decision that follows has something to answer to. And I map which pages exist, how they connect, and the path a visitor takes from landing to inquiry.
By the time design starts, every page already has a reason to exist and a job to do.
How a project actually runs
1
Fit call & proposal
We talk through your business, what isn't working, and what the site needs to do. If it's a fit, you get a proposal with scope, timeline, and a fixed price.
2
Discovery & strategy
The questionnaire, and the strategy work it feeds. This is where most of your involvement happens - after this, the weight of the project shifts to my side.
3
Direction & design
You see full page mockups with real copy and real structure. Not loose concepts, not a homepage with placeholder text. What you approve is what gets built.
4
Build
Development, responsive layouts, integrations, domain and hosting setup, and foundational SEO. You don't have to work out how the pieces connect, I handle that.
5
Launch & handoff
You review, request revisions, and test everything before anything goes live. Then the site launches, and you get what you need to run it.
At every stage you'll know where the project stands, what's happening next, and what I need from you. No guessing, no chasing me for updates, no surprises at the end.
What's included in every project
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Strategy & messaging
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Structured discovery covering your business, services, and audience
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Positioning and messaging development
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Full site structure and page map
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All website copy written for you
Design & build
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Custom design - no templates or pre-built layouts
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Full page mockups with real copy, before anything gets built
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Responsive layouts across desktop, tablet, and mobile
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Development and technical configuration
Search & technical foundation
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Foundational SEO built into the structure rather than added afterward
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Page titles, meta descriptions, heading hierarchy, image optimization
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Domain connection and hosting setup
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Form, booking, email, and analytics integrations
Launch
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Revisions and refinements before anything goes live
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Testing across devices and browsers
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Launch and handoff
Two things you'll pay for separately: your domain, usually $30–40 a year, and a hosting plan, $200–400 a year depending on what your site needs. Both go directly to the provider, not to me.
Residential Assisted Living | Website Design + Ongoing SEO
No reviews. No history. No way to be found.
Anchored Heart was a brand-new assisted living home in a business built on reputation. Here's how we built a site around how families actually search for senior care to establish trust, credibility, and visibility.
Custom Home Builder | Website Design
The work sold itself. Getting people to see it was the problem.
Bridgewater Custom Homes had the reputation and the work, but nothing a stranger could find online. Here's how we built their first site around how homeowners actually choose a builder.
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Specialty Contractor | Website Design
The company was established. The website didn't show it.
Action Traffic Maintenance had built a 40-year reputation in the field. Their website hadn't kept up. Here's how we rebuilt it around how customers actually choose a contractor.
Wedding & Event Planner | Website Design + Branding
Everything about the business said luxury except the website.
A decade in, Krystina Lynn was planning Michigan's high-end weddings on a site built for a much earlier version of her business. Here's how we rebuilt it around how luxury couples actually choose a planner.
Mental Health & Wellness | Website Design + Ongoing SEO
The practice was still growing. The website had to keep up.
Dynamic Wellness Collaborative had a clear vision and a business in motion. Here's how we built a site that could absorb new services instead of being rebuilt around them.
The investment
Most projects land between $8,000 and $16,000, with all copywriting included.
Where yours falls comes down to how many pages you need, how deep the SEO goes, how much has to be written from scratch, and what has to connect to what.
Payment is split across the project - 40% to book, 30% at design approval, 30% at launch.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
