Custom website development and web apps

When a project needs development work

A standard site that lists services and takes inquiries needs very little custom code. Development work starts when the site has to do something specific. Typical requests include:

• Quote or booking forms that send details to the tools your team already uses
• Customer or member logins, with content that depends on who is signed in
• Calculators and estimators that give visitors a number or a recommendation
• Searchable directories or listings that you update yourself
• Connections between the site and scheduling, email, or customer-record systems

Websites and web apps

A website mostly presents information. Visitors read it and get in touch. A web app asks users to sign in, enter information, and get results back, as in a customer portal, a scheduling dashboard, or an internal tool for your staff. Many projects sit in between, such as a marketing site with a client portal attached. Knowing which parts are which makes the scope and the quote clearer.

WordPress or custom code

Many small business needs are met by WordPress with the right plugins and some custom work. That keeps the site editable by you and easy to hand to another developer later. Applications that store user data and run custom logic are usually better built as a custom application. We recommend one approach after scoping and explain the reasons, including when the simpler option is enough.

What we ask before quoting

A useful estimate depends on specifics. These are the questions we start with:

• What should the site or app let a visitor do, in plain words
• Who will use it, and how many people at a time
• Which other systems it has to talk to
• Whether there is existing content or data to move over
• Whether there is a firm launch date, and what is driving it

How a development project runs

1. 1Scope: we write down what the project includes and what it leaves out
2. 2Quote: you receive the scope and the price in writing
3. 3Build in stages: you see a working version as it develops, with no surprise at the end
4. 4Testing: forms, logins, and integrations are tried on phones and desktop browsers before launch
5. 5Launch and handover: the site goes live on hosting in your name, with the access you need to run it

Ownership after launch

Domain and hosting accounts are opened in your name and paid by you directly, the same arrangement as our free websites. We do not leave hidden admin accounts after handover. If you later want another developer, they can take over from the access you hold.

Where the free program ends and development begins

The free five-page WordPress website covers standard pages with a contact form. Features such as logins and connected systems fall outside it and are quoted separately. Some clients start with the free site and ask for development work later, once they know what the business needs. Design questions are covered under web design, and apps for phones under mobile app development.