How I build your website — no surprises

I believe you should know exactly what's happening at every step, why I'm doing it, and what it costs. Here's everything, laid out from our first conversation to launch day and beyond.

1
Brand meeting
Before any design work starts

We start with a discovery call — no cost, no commitment. I want to understand your business, your audience, the feeling you want your site to give off, and anything you love or hate about websites you've seen. This shapes everything that follows.

From that conversation I put together a brand direction document covering your color palette, typography choices, tone of voice, and visual style. You review it, push back, tweak it — we agree on a direction before a single pixel gets designed.

No design work starts until you've signed off on the brand direction. You'll never be surprised by a look you didn't ask for.

2
Design in Canva & Figma
Mockups before any code is written
Canva Figma

I use Canva to prototype your logo, brand assets, and any graphics we'll need — social media images, banners, icons. You get shareable links to review everything and leave comments directly.

The full page layouts are designed in Figma. I'll build out desktop and mobile mockups of every page so you can see exactly how things will look before I touch WordPress. Spacing, sections, imagery, buttons — all visible and reviewable at this stage.

We do revision rounds here, not after it's built. That keeps things fast and keeps your costs predictable.

You approve the Figma designs before I write a single line of code or install a single plugin.

3
Domain & hosting
You own your domain — always

Your domain name is yours and you buy it yourself — through Namecheap, GoDaddy, Google Domains, or wherever you prefer. I'll never hold your domain on your behalf. That's your asset.

For hosting you have two options:

Option A
Host where you bought the domain

Most registrars offer hosting. It's simple, everything stays in one place, and you manage it yourself. I'll configure everything and hand you the login.

Option B
Host through me

If you'd like me to manage your DNS, SSL, and server config, I can host your site on my infrastructure. You point your domain my way and I handle the rest.

Either way, if you ever want to move your site somewhere else, I'll help you do it. No lock-in.

4
Build in Elementor on WordPress
Turning the approved designs into a real site
WordPress Elementor

Once the designs are signed off, I build the site in WordPress using Elementor — a visual page builder that makes it easy for you to edit your own content after launch without breaking anything.

I match the Figma designs as closely as possible: the same fonts, the same spacing, the same layout on both desktop and mobile. Each page gets built out, linked up, and tested across screen sizes before you see it.

You'll get access to a staging version of the site to review everything live before it's published. This is your chance to request final tweaks.

Because Elementor is visual, you'll be able to edit your own text and images after launch — no developer needed for day-to-day content changes.

5
Basic SEO setup
Enough for Google to find and understand your site

Every site I build includes a foundational SEO setup. This isn't a promise of page-one rankings — that takes time and content — but it makes sure Google can actually crawl, read, and index your site correctly from day one.

Here's what's included:

Page titles & meta descriptions

Each page gets a unique, descriptive title and summary that appears in Google search results.

Heading structure

Proper H1, H2, H3 hierarchy so Google understands what each page is about.

Image alt text

Every image gets a descriptive label — good for accessibility and for Google Image Search.

XML sitemap & robots.txt

Tells Google which pages exist and which to index. Submitted to Google Search Console.

Google Search Console

Your site is registered and verified so you can see impressions, clicks, and any crawl issues.

Performance basics

Images are compressed and the site is set up with caching so it loads quickly — page speed is a ranking factor.


6
Launch
Going live

Once you've signed off on the staging site, I flip it live. I handle the DNS switch, SSL certificate confirmation, and a final check to make sure nothing broke in the transition.

After launch you get a short walkthrough — either a screen-recorded video or a live call — showing you how to log in, edit your content in Elementor, and where to find anything you might need.


7
Ongoing maintenance
Your call — DIY or hand it to me

WordPress is a living platform. Themes, plugins, and WordPress itself release updates regularly, and a site that isn't maintained can become slow, vulnerable, or broken. Here's how that looks depending on what you want:

You handle it

  • WordPress dashboard alerts you to updates
  • Most updates are one-click
  • Take regular backups before updating
  • Your hosting may include automated backups
  • Ad-hoc help from me at my standard rate

I handle it

  • Monthly plugin & WordPress core updates
  • Weekly automated off-site backups
  • Uptime monitoring
  • Security scanning
  • One content edit request per month included
Maintenance is entirely optional. There's no pressure to sign up for anything after launch. If you ever want to hand it over later, just ask.