Process
Four steps, no surprises.
Most bad web projects go wrong the same way: nobody agreed what was being built, the price moved, and at the end the client could not change a word without calling someone. We run it so none of those happen.
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Understand
A conversation about what your organization actually does, who needs to find you, and what is wrong with what you have now. We look at your current site, your printed material and anything you are already sending people. Usually an hour, sometimes a visit.
You get back a written scope: the pages, the features, the number, and what is explicitly not included. Nothing starts until you have read it.
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Design
Real layouts with your own words and pictures in them. Not a grey wireframe, and not a stock theme with your logo dropped on top. You see the homepage first, we revise it until it is right, and the rest of the site follows the decisions made there.
Two rounds of revisions are built into every quote. In practice most projects use one.
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Build
We write it, then test it on real phones and real browsers rather than a simulator. Content goes into a structure your staff can edit. Hosting gets set up on infrastructure that costs nothing per month to run.
You get a preview link early and it stays current, so there is never a big reveal at the end that nobody expected.
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Hand over
You get the files, the accounts in your own name, and written instructions in plain language for whoever will actually be updating the site. We walk one person through it live.
After that you are not dependent on us. If you want ongoing help it is a separate monthly arrangement, and it is optional.
Terms
The parts people forget to ask about.
Worth reading before you hire anyone, us included.
- You own the work. Files, design, content and accounts are yours at handover. There is no version of this where your website is hostage.
- Domains stay in your name. Registered to your organization, not to us. We will set it up, but the account is yours.
- The price is the price. Flat fee against the written scope. New requests get quoted separately before anyone does the work.
- Hosting cost is disclosed. Static sites cost nothing to host. If a project needs something that does cost money, you see that number before you sign.
- A credit in the footer. We ask for a small "Designed by Birds" line linking back here. If you would rather not, say so and it comes off.
Timeline
What to actually expect.
1 weekScope and quote
2 to 3 weeksDesign
3 to 5 weeksBuild and test
1 weekHandover and training
A standard site runs about two months end to end. The slow part is almost never the code. It is waiting on content, photos and approvals from a committee, which is normal and worth planning for.