Custom websites designed to last through design trends. Easy navigation, strategic CTAs, and a foundation built to grow your business.
WordPress is one of the more powerful platforms that gives you flexibility to do almost anything you want. You own the data and can scale from a five-page site to a full content engine. But I've built sites on most platforms, and I'll tell you honestly which platform makes sense for what you need.
The platform that stays yours. Open source, infinitely customizable, and powers everything from the local dentist's site to The New Yorker. I build custom themes from scratch — no page builders, no bloated templates. Fast, clean, and yours to own.
The right call for small teams who want to manage their own site after launch. I can build a beautiful custom Squarespace site and hand you the keys to edit with confidence.
For e-commerce, the right tool for the job. Custom Liquid theme development, checkout optimization, and integration with your existing stack.
I've built on all of them. If you're already on one and happy, I can work within it. If you're stuck on one and unhappy, I can migrate you off.
For projects that need something specific — a web app, a complex integration, a site that can't fit an off-the-shelf mold — I build from the ground up in modern frameworks.
Most builds use one of these three. The question is which fits the work — the audit conversation surfaces the right answer for your specific situation.
| WordPress | Squarespace | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Sites that need flexibility, content depth, integrations, owned long-term | Small teams that want to manage their own site after launch | E‑commerce — product catalog, checkout, inventory |
| Setup complexity | Medium–high (custom theme work) | Low (template-based with custom design layer) | Medium (custom Liquid theme work) |
| Self-management after launch | Medium (page builders or admin training) | High (visual editor, drag-and-drop) | Medium (admin UI strong for products + orders) |
| Where it shines | Content + SEO + integrations + bespoke UX | Editorial sites + portfolios + small-team service businesses | Anything selling products or subscriptions |
| Common wrong-fit signal | Team lacks technical comfort and won’t pay for ongoing maintenance | Site needs a feature outside Squarespace’s ecosystem | No e‑commerce; selling services rather than products |
All three platforms get the same depth of work; the differences are about fit, not effort. The wrong-fit signals are usually the most important row — if any one applies to a platform you’re considering, that’s a flag worth raising in the scoping conversation.
The cards below cover the majority of engagements. The specific number for any project lands inside one of these ranges after a scoping conversation.
Sites on Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress templates. A faster path to a clean, professional online presence with design customization inside the template.
Custom sites — brand and design system in place, content largely ready, single-platform build (WordPress, Squarespace, or custom).
Larger sites or e‑commerce builds — expanded design system or brand-development work, content production support, complex integrations or replatforming engagements.
Anything outside the original scope gets quoted separately so the math stays clear. No long-term retainer.
Based on published pricing from 7 small-business web design operators and pricing guides, May 2026.
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Web design in San Luis Obispo · Web design in Paso Robles
Page speed is a conversion problem, an SEO problem, and a user-experience problem, all rolled into one. I build with performance as a non-negotiable, not an afterthought.
A site should look like something you'd keep for ten years — and it should still work when you add a page, change a photo, or hand it off to someone new. Design that can't survive being edited isn't good design.
You should be able to update your own site without fear. I build admin areas that stay clean, with content blocks labeled so a non-technical person can edit them confidently.
GA4, conversion tracking, form analytics — wired in at launch, not bolted on six months later. If we can't see what's working, we can't improve it.
Every client gets a custom Looker Studio dashboard — the metrics that matter to your business, pulled live from GA4, Search Console, and ad accounts. Clear visibility in one place, so you can see how the site is performing without having to ask.
Pricing falls between $1,500 and $12,000, split across three tiers. Template builds ($1,500–$3,000) cover sites of up to 8 pages on Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress templates — a faster path to a clean, professional online presence with design customization within the template. Standard custom builds ($3,500–$7,500) cover custom sites of up to 15 pages where the brand and design system are already in place, with a single-platform build (WordPress, Squarespace, or custom). Larger custom builds ($8,000–$12,000) cover sites of up to 25 pages or e-commerce, expanded design system or brand-development work, content production support, and complex integrations or replatforming engagements. Pricing is scoped-quote — the final number lands inside one of these ranges after a scoping conversation, not at packaged tiers.
WordPress is the right call for sites that need flexibility, content depth, integrations, or long-term ownership — flexible enough for anything, owns its own data, scales from a five-page site to a full content engine. Squarespace works for small teams who want to manage their own site after launch with a strong visual editor. Shopify is the right tool for product-based businesses — checkout, inventory, fulfillment integrations, and a strong admin UI. The compare table on this page lays out where each shines and the common wrong-fit signals.
Most custom builds take 4 to 8 weeks from kickoff to launch, once content and branding are locked in. Simpler sites move faster; e-commerce or multi-location sites take longer. The biggest variable is content — if you need copywriting or photography, that adds time. Content production support is part of the $12,000-tier scope; if content is already ready, the timeline compresses.
Custom themes from scratch on WordPress. No bloated page builders, no off-the-shelf templates. The reason is durability: custom themes load faster, update cleanly, and survive being edited or handed off without breaking. Page builders look easy at launch and turn into maintenance debt by year two. The work I do is meant to last past the engagement.
Yes — admin training is part of the handoff. WordPress and Squarespace both have strong post-launch editing surfaces; you (or someone on your team) can edit copy, swap images, add posts, and manage the basics without me. For more substantial changes (new sections, feature additions, design updates), the engagement can continue on a project basis or you can bring it in-house.
URL mapping, 301 redirects, schema migration, and content reuse strategy are part of the build for any redesign or replatforming engagement. The goal is preserving rankings and traffic through the transition — not starting over from zero. Conversion testing post-launch confirms the new site converts at least as well as the old one before scope expands. The 3,500+ leads delivered for clients in 2025 came partly through redesigns that protected rankings.
Hosting depends on the platform. WordPress sites I recommend Cloudways or similar managed hosting — fast, reliable, and reasonably priced; you own the account and the bill goes directly to the host. Squarespace and Shopify include hosting in their platform fees. No hosting reseller markup; no opaque "hosting included" line items.
Design, build, and content support if scoped into the engagement. On-launch QA, GA4 + conversion tracking + form analytics wired in at launch (not bolted on six months later). Anything outside the original scope gets quoted separately so the math stays clear.
The free strategy audit is the easiest place to start.
