How we buildFour phases, nine stopsEvery plan

Every site, built the same way. Here is all of it.

Most people who hire us have never bought a website and want to know what they are signing up for first. This page is the whole project in order: what happens at each stop, what you have in hand when it is done, and what we need from you to keep it moving.

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The short version

If you read nothing else on this page, read this.

  1. Discover. A free 30-minute call, then a one-page brief you correct until it is right. Nothing is designed until you agree with it.
  2. Design. The words are drafted first, then the screens. You send one consolidated set of notes and we work through every one of them on the same link.
  3. Build. Hand-coded, no templates, then a fixed ten-point check run on every project before anything goes live.
  4. Launch. Live on your domain, in accounts in your name, with every file and login handed over. Then a tuning window, and the plan carries on.

A one-page site is live in one to two weeks; a five-page site nearer three to four. You get a fixed quote in writing after the call and it only changes if the scope does. The full nine stops are below

Nine stops, in order.

The four phases on the home page are the short version. Inside them a project has nine stops: eight to launch and one after it. Every plan goes through all nine, in this order. What changes between Foundation, Growth and Partner is how big the site is and how much looking after it gets, not how it is built. What happens after the last stop, not the stops themselves.

Every stop is closed. Open the ones you care about.

  1. Discover

    1. 01

      The call

      Under a day
      What happens

      It starts with a free call, about 30 minutes, with the person who will design and build your site. We ask how customers find you now, what they ask when they get in touch, what a good job looks like, and what the current site does or fails to do. By the end we can tell you how many pages you need and which plan fits, Foundation, Growth or Partner. If we are not the right studio for it, we say so.

      You get

      A short proposal in plain words: what we heard, what we will make, what is included, how long it takes, and the price in writing, the monthly figure and what the first payment covers. The terms sit on the same page. The number moves only if the scope moves.

      We need from you

      Half an hour and straight answers. If there is a site you like or a competitor you rate, bring the addresses. If you have numbers, like how many calls a month come from the site, bring those too. No documents yet.

    2. 02

      The brief

      1 day
      What happens

      After the call we turn what we heard into a brief. Who the site is for. The single message it has to carry. What a visitor must be able to do. The pages, if there is more than one, because the page count is what moves the price and the time. What is in scope and what is not. It fits on a page and it is written so you can argue with it. It also sets the direction for the look: what the brand should feel like, and what it must never look like.

      You get

      The brief, one page, for you to correct. Once we both agree on it, we invoice one month: $189, $299 or $449 depending on the plan. That payment is month one, not a build fee, so nothing is charged twice. Then a start date, and design begins. Nothing is designed before this, so nothing is wasted.

      We need from you

      A careful read and blunt corrections. Your logo files if you have them, a handful of photos, and the address of the current site if there is one. Then your sign-off and the first month, which is what gets the work moving.

  2. Design

    1. 03

      Copy draft

      1 to 2 days
      What happens

      We write before we design. Every heading, every paragraph, every button label and every line in the form, drafted by us from the call and the brief. It is written the way you talk to a customer, not the way brochures talk. Where we have your facts we use them. Where we do not, we leave a plain question in the text so nothing gets invented. The words keep changing as the screens take shape, so this is a draft, not a final.

      You get

      A draft of every word on the site, in one document, laid out page by page in the order a visitor will read it.

      We need from you

      Your facts. Prices if they belong on the page, hours, the areas you serve, licence or registration numbers, the way names should be spelled. Then a read-through, marking anything you would not say out loud to a customer.

    2. 04

      First screens

      1 to 2 days
      What happens

      The first design is not a picture of a website. It is the website, started. We build the top of it for real and send you a private link. On your phone you see the header, the opening screen and a section or two, with the draft words in place, and you can scroll it, tap it and pass it around. On a one-page site that is a good part of the whole page. On a bigger site it is the home page and one inner page, so you can see how the design carries across. The plan you chose does not change this stop. The number of pages does.

      You get

      The link, and a short note from us on what to judge at this stage and what to leave for later. The feel, the order, the tone. Not the commas yet.

      We need from you

      Open it on your phone before anything else, because that is where most of your customers will. Live with it for a day. Then one set of notes, gathered up, within a couple of days. First reactions are useful here, so do not polish them.

    3. 05

      The revision round

      1 to 2 days
      What happens

      You send your notes and we work through every one of them on the same link, so there is nothing to download or compare. The copy gets refined alongside the design here, because a headline reads differently once it is sitting on a screen. One round is included on every project, and this is the stage that uses it. A round is one set of notes sent together, not a trickle of messages across a week. Anything past that round is quoted before we start it.

      You get

      The updated link, and a design and a set of words you are happy to build on. At the end of this round you sign both off, and we build to them.

      We need from you

      Your notes in one message, within a couple of days, and a clear yes when it is right. After the yes, the words are fixed. They can still change later, we just quote the change before we make it.

  3. Build

    1. 06

      Build

      1 to 3 days
      What happens

      We build the whole site from the signed-off screens, and we write the code ourselves. Every page. The form, wired to your inbox, that tells a visitor what is missing before it sends. Photos cut down to a size a phone loads quickly. Motion tuned by hand and switched off for anyone who has asked their phone for less of it. A title and description for every page, so Google knows what each one is about. Reviews set on the page in the wording you approved. The link keeps updating as pages land, so you can watch the site fill in.

      You get

      The finished site on the same private link, every page, at every screen size. Plain files underneath: no plugins, no platform, nothing that needs updating to keep working.

      We need from you

      Any photos still missing, or a short list from us of the shots to take with your phone. The reviews you want on the page, from your Google listing, in the wording you are happy to show. That is all. This is the quiet stretch for you.

    2. 07

      The final check

      1 to 2 days
      What happens

      The same careful read, on the finished build. You go through every page on your phone first and then on a bigger screen, and send one set of notes. A word, a photo, a section in the wrong order, a link that goes nowhere. We fix it and the link updates. Check the small facts hard at this stage. The launch checks run against exactly what you sign off, so a wrong digit is far cheaper to find now than after launch.

      You get

      The final version of the site, with your notes in it, ready to go live. Anything we got wrong, and any fact that slipped through, is put right here at no charge.

      We need from you

      One careful read of everything, especially the phone number, the email address behind the form, prices, hours and spellings. Then a written yes. After that, we do not change a word without asking you.

  4. Launch

    1. 08

      Launch checklist

      Under a day
      What happens

      Before anything goes live we run the same fixed list on every project. Every link and button pressed once. One message sent through the form to prove it reaches you. The page that catches a mistyped address. The preview card that shows when your link is shared. Photos compressed. A pass on a phone, a tablet and a laptop. Then the accounts: your domain registered in your name, hosting set up, the padlock issued, the sitemap submitted, and Google Search Console verified on your own account so you can watch it. If you are replacing an old site, its old addresses forward to the right new pages, so old links and old search results still land somewhere useful.

      You get

      The site, live on your domain, and the ticked checklist so you can see what was done. The monthly fee simply continues here: $189, $299 or $449, on the same day each month. Then the handover: the source files, every login, and a one-page manual that says what you own, where each piece lives, and how to request a change.

      We need from you

      Access to wherever your domain is registered, or the go-ahead to register one in your name. The address that should receive form messages. The number every call button should dial. The hosting is ours while you are on a plan, so there is nothing for you to do. If you have asked to run it yourself, a few minutes on a screen-share sets it up under your own email. And the word go.

    2. 09

      Tuning window

      After launch. Not counted in the one to two weeks.
      What happens

      The site is live and real people are on it. For a short stretch after launch we keep an eye on it: whether the form keeps landing, what looks off on a phone we did not have in the room, what your first customers say. Small things get fixed without a conversation about money. A heading that wraps badly, a photo that wants a different crop, an hour that changed. New pages, new sections and new features are not tuning; those get their own quote first.

      You get

      The fixes, included. After that, what happens is the plan you already picked. The plan carries on, with hosting, monitoring and your monthly edits running as they are. They run for 12 months, which is what pays for the build, and after that one line in writing ends them any time.

      We need from you

      Tell us what you notice, and what your customers say. Send us the edits you want each month. That is the whole list.

Add up the first eight and a one-page site is live in one to two weeks. Each extra page adds roughly a day to the copy, the design and the build, so a five-page site runs nearer three to four weeks.

Typical ranges, not promises, and each one is the whole stop with your reply inside it. The times are the same on all three plans, because the build is the same on all three plans. What stretches them is the number of pages. Quick replies land you at the short end. Notes that take a couple of days push a stop toward the long end, and the launch date moves with them.

The papers you will see

There is paperwork, but not much, and all of it is written to be read. Here are the documents you will see, in the order they arrive, filled in for a bakery that does not exist.

ArklineThe proposal

Project proposal. Prepared for June Aldridge, Sable & Crumb Bakery.

The project: one page that shows the shop, lists the weekly bakes and the hours, and makes the number easy to tap.

Included: one page, fully custom. Copy drafted for you. Live on sableandcrumb.com.

Timeline: two weeks from kickoff to launch. You see progress in the browser as we go.

Investment: Growth. $299 a month, up to eight pages. The first $299 is month one, not a build fee.

Revisions: one round included. A round is one consolidated set of notes.

From you: logo files, a few photos of the counter, access to your domain, replies within a couple of days.

The proposal

When
After the first call, before any money changes hands.
What it is
One page that says what we will make, what it costs, how long it takes, what we need from you, and the terms in plain words.

ArklineThe website manual

Your website manual. For Sable & Crumb Bakery, covering sableandcrumb.com.

Domain: sableandcrumb.com, registered in your name. Renews yearly on your card, and it is the only bill that is not ours.

Hosting: in our account while you are on a plan, or in your own if you have asked to run it yourself. The site files live there.

Contact form: every submission lands at hello@sableandcrumb.com.

Source files: the zip that came with this manual. Keep a copy safe. It is the master copy of your site.

Making a change: email us what you want. It comes out of your monthly edits. Anything bigger than an edit we quote flat first.

If something looks wrong: hard-refresh first. Still wrong? Email us. We look before we quote.

The website manual

When
At launch, with the files and the logins.
What it is
One page that lists what you own, where each piece lives, and what to do if something looks wrong.

ArklineThe plan summary

Your plan: Growth. For Sable & Crumb Bakery, covering sableandcrumb.com.

What you pay: $299 a month, billed on the same day each month. The first $299 was month one, not a fee.

Included: hosting and the padlock, security monitoring, backups, uptime monitoring, and every change versioned so a mistake can be undone.

Included: 2 to 4 content or design updates a month, and blog posts when you want them. New hours, a new loaf on the list, a swapped photo. You send it, we make it.

Monthly email: an SEO report and an analytics report. Visitors, top pages, and what people searched to find you.

Quoted separately: new features, a redesign, a second site. You approve the number first. New pages are not charged for on this plan.

To leave: the plan runs 12 months, then one line in writing ends it any time. Leaving sooner: talk to us and we agree a buyout for the site.

The plan summary

When
With the manual at launch, on every plan. You pick the plan before the work starts.
What it is
One page that says what your monthly fee covers, what is quoted separately, and how to leave.

What ships with every site

Every site leaves the studio the same way, whatever the plan and whatever the quote. None of this is an add-on or a line on the invoice. It is how we build.

  • Fast on a phone

    Plain files and small photos, so the first screen is up quickly on a weak signal.

  • Works without JavaScript

    Every section and every form is in the page itself. Script adds the motion and the field checks. Switch it off and nothing you need is missing.

  • Keyboard usable

    Every link, button and field can be reached with the Tab key, and a visible outline shows where you are.

  • Respects reduced motion

    Turn on Reduce Motion and the site stays put. Same content, same buttons, nothing sliding in.

  • No cookies of our own

    The site itself sets no cookies, so there is no banner in the way. Analytics, if you want it, counts visits without cookies or personal data. An embedded map or booking tool follows its maker's rules, and we tell you before one goes in.

  • Sitemap and Search Console, in your account

    Google gets a sitemap on launch day, and Search Console is set up under your own login, so you can watch what it finds.

  • You own everything

    Code, design files, domain, accounts: all yours, all in your name. Move them anywhere, whenever you like.

  • Ongoing care, optional

    On every plan we host the site, keep it secure and make the changes you send, month to month. If you would rather run it yourself, we quote the site outright after the first call and you take the files. It is your site either way.

The launch checklist

Nothing goes live on a feeling. Before your site is live we work through a written checklist, one box at a time, and you get a copy with the boxes ticked. The full list is longer and more technical than this. These are the lines you would want to know about.

  1. Every placeholder replaced: words, photos, names, prices, hours, contact details.
  2. Final copy signed off by you, in writing.
  3. Every page has a title and a description, and the site has a favicon and a share card for when the link gets sent around.
  4. Every link clicked once, including tap-to-call and email.
  5. Checked at phone, tablet and desktop widths, with no sideways scroll.
  6. Domain registered in your name, at your registrar, on your card.
  7. Live on your domain, padlock showing, every page opened on a real phone.
  8. A real test sent through the form and found in your inbox.
  9. Your name, phone, address, hours and service area written in the format search engines read.
  10. Search Console verified in your account and the sitemap submitted, same day.
  11. Files, logins and the manual sent to you, and you have confirmed you can log in to your accounts.
  12. The footer credit is in place, or taken off if you asked for that.

12of 12 ticked

Same build, three ways to pay.

Every plan gets the same custom build, from the same person, through the same nine stops. What changes is how big the site is and how much looking after it gets once it is live. The payment you make on the first day is month one of the plan, not a build fee, so nothing is charged twice. See the pricing.

Show
WhatFoundationGrowthPartner
What you pay up front$189, and that is month one of the plan. There is no build fee and no deposit.$299, and that is month one of the plan. There is no build fee and no deposit.$449, and that is month one of the plan. There is no build fee and no deposit.
What you pay each month$189 a month, for 12 months and then for as long as you want it.$299 a month, for 12 months and then for as long as you want it.$449 a month, for 12 months and then for as long as you want it.
Paying a year up front$2,079 for the year instead of $2,268: eleven months for twelve.$3,289 for the year instead of $3,588: eleven months for twelve.$4,939 for the year instead of $5,388: eleven months for twelve.
Pages includedUp to 3 pages. Every page after that is $19 a month.Up to 8 pages. Every page after that is $19 a month.Up to 12 pages plus a blog. Every page after that is $19 a month.
Custom designFully custom, designed for your business. No templates, no themes. The same on all three plans.Fully custom, designed for your business. No templates, no themes. The same on all three plans.Fully custom, designed for your business. No templates, no themes. The same on all three plans.
Works on a phoneMobile-responsive, checked at phone, tablet and desktop widths. The same on all three plans.Mobile-responsive, checked at phone, tablet and desktop widths. The same on all three plans.Mobile-responsive, checked at phone, tablet and desktop widths. The same on all three plans.
On-page SEO setupBasic setup at launch: a title and description for the page, clean code, sitemap submitted, Search Console in your account. The same on all three plans.Basic setup at launch: a title and description for the page, clean code, sitemap submitted, Search Console in your account. The same on all three plans.Basic setup at launch: a title and description for the page, clean code, sitemap submitted, Search Console in your account. The same on all three plans.
Contact formOne form, wired to your inbox and tested before launch. The same on all three plans.One form, wired to your inbox and tested before launch. The same on all three plans.One form, wired to your inbox and tested before launch. The same on all three plans.
Domain and launch dayWe help you connect your domain, and we are on hand the day it goes live. The same on all three plans.We help you connect your domain, and we are on hand the day it goes live. The same on all three plans.We help you connect your domain, and we are on hand the day it goes live. The same on all three plans.
Revisions before launchOne round. A round is one set of notes sent together, not a trickle across a week. The same on all three plans.One round. A round is one set of notes sent together, not a trickle across a week. The same on all three plans.One round. A round is one set of notes sent together, not a trickle across a week. The same on all three plans.
How long it takesOne page, live in one to two weeks. More pages take longer, and the quote says how long. The same on all three plans.One page, live in one to two weeks. More pages take longer, and the quote says how long. The same on all three plans.One page, live in one to two weeks. More pages take longer, and the quote says how long. The same on all three plans.
HostingIncluded, with SSL and daily backups.Included, with SSL and daily backups.Included, with SSL and daily backups.
Security monitoring and backupsIncluded.Included.Included.
Uptime monitoringIncluded.Included.Included.
Content edits a month1 content edit a month. New hours, a price, a swapped photo. You send it, we make it.3 content or design updates a month. Bigger than an edit: a new section, a reworked page.5 updates a month, plus one written blog post a month.
Monthly SEO reportNot included. Growth adds it whenever you want it.Every month. What people searched to find you, where you show up, and what moved.Every month, with a 20-minute call each quarter to go through it.
Monthly analytics reportNot included. Growth adds it whenever you want it.Every month. Visitors, top pages, and where they came from.Every month, with a 20-minute call each quarter to go through it.
Blog and content additionsNot included.Blog posts you write, published for you.One written blog post a month, researched and written for you.
SupportEmail, answered within two working days.Email, answered within one working day.Priority turnaround, and a 20-minute call each quarter.
Who owns itYou do. Hosting runs on our account while you are on the plan, and the files leave with you.You do. Hosting runs on our account while you are on the plan, and the files leave with you.You do. The code, the design files, the words, the domain and every account, all in your name.
Leaving before the 12 months are upAllowed, and it is a conversation rather than a penalty. The buyout is never more than the same site bought outright, minus everything you have already paid, so it can only get smaller the longer you stay.Allowed, and it is a conversation rather than a penalty. The buyout is never more than the same site bought outright, minus everything you have already paid, so it can only get smaller the longer you stay.Allowed, and it is a conversation rather than a penalty. The buyout is never more than the same site bought outright, minus everything you have already paid, so it can only get smaller the longer you stay.
How to leaveThe plan runs 12 months, then one line in writing ends it any time. If a payment stops inside the term the balance falls due and the site pauses until it clears, since we host it.The plan runs 12 months, then one line in writing ends it any time. If a payment stops inside the term the balance falls due and the site pauses until it clears, since we host it.The plan runs 12 months, then one line in writing ends it any time. If a payment stops inside the term the balance falls due and the site pauses until it clears, since we host it.

Every plan is the same custom build, from the same person. Foundation carries up to three pages, Growth up to eight, Partner up to twelve plus a blog, and any page beyond that is $19 a month. If you would rather buy the site outright and host it yourself, that is still possible and we quote it after the first call.

The terms, in plain words

Revisions

Every project includes one round. A round is one consolidated set of feedback: you go through the link, gather your notes, and send them together. We make the changes on the same link. Further rounds are quoted before we start them. Feedback inside a couple of days at each step keeps the launch date where we set it.

Payments

There is no build fee and no deposit. You pay one month on the day we start, and that payment is month one of the plan: $189 on Foundation, $299 on Growth, or $449 on Partner. It is then the same amount on the same day each month for 12 months. Paying the year up front instead is eleven months for twelve, so $2,079, $3,289 or $4,939. You get a fixed quote in writing after the first call, and it only changes if the scope does. Anything new is quoted and approved in writing before extra work begins. If a payment stops inside the 12-month term the balance falls due and we pause the site until it clears, because the hosting is ours. If you would rather end it early and keep the site, talk to us: the buyout is never more than the same site bought outright, minus everything you have already paid.

The plans

Foundation, Growth and Partner are the three plans. Foundation is $189 a month and carries up to three pages, hosting, security monitoring, backups, uptime monitoring, one content edit a month and email support. Growth is $299 and carries up to eight pages, three updates a month, and monthly SEO and analytics reports. Partner is $449 and carries up to twelve pages and a blog, five updates a month, a written blog post each month, and priority turnaround. Every page beyond a plan's count is $19 a month. All three run for 12 months, which is what pays for the build, and after that one line in writing ends the plan at any time. Paying the year up front is eleven months for twelve. Leaving before the 12 months are up is agreed case by case: the buyout is never more than the same site bought outright, minus everything you have already paid.

Ownership

On final payment you own everything: the design files, the code, the words we wrote, the domain, and every account we set up, all in your name. Until that payment clears, the work stays ours. No lock-in and no hostage fees: an early buyout settles the part of the build the term had not yet paid for, and is never a charge for releasing your own files. We may show the finished site in our portfolio. Tell us in writing if any part is confidential and we keep it out.

The footer credit

Every site we build carries one small line in the footer, "Site by Arkline", linking back to us. It is how a studio this size gets found, and it is the only thing we ask for beyond the fee. If you would rather it was not there, say so and we take it off, before launch or at any point after. No argument and no charge.

Ready when you are.

Tell us about the business. You get a fixed quote after one call, and it does not change unless the scope does.

Start a projectBook a free call