Almost everyone who contacts me already has a website. It's 2026, and most businesses have been through one, two, or three, so they know roughly how a project goes. What they want now is a site that works better than the last one, and a smoother process to get there. I've been building websites since the mid-1990s, and that is the question I hear most: not whether to have a site, but how to get the next one right. A few people are building their first site, and this is for them too. Nothing here assumes you've done it before. Either way, here is how a project works when you work with me, from the first conversation to the day the site is yours.
Starting with a conversation and a plan
Everything begins with a conversation about your business, what you want the site to do, what you have now, and what you'd like to be different. There's no pressure and no commitment at that stage. After we talk, I send a written estimate, so you know what to expect before any work begins. Then we figure out what the new site needs: which pages, and how the menu should be organized. Even people who have been through this before often haven't thought it through, and it shapes everything that comes after, so I help you work through it instead of leaving it to you.
Most of my clients write their own pages, and that's the right way to do it, because you know your business better than I do. My role is closer to a cheerleader in the background. I keep you moving and help you make the writing as clear as possible. If you'd like help from a copywriter, I can point you toward one. Photos work much the same way. If yours aren't where they should be, I find free images that fit, or I show you paid options with pricing. If you'd rather have photographs made for your business, I can recommend photographers.
Seeing the site take shape
Early on, I show you your homepage and an inside page, so we both know we're headed in the right direction before I go further. Then I build out a good part of the site on my own server, so you aren't looking at half-finished pages along the way. When there's enough to see, I give you access to the site in progress so you can click through it yourself. That's usually when I have the most questions for you, and we work through them together. Nothing moves to your hosting account until the project is paid for.
Launch, and what comes after
I help you choose a hosting company for your site. You sign up for the account yourself, so it's in your name, and then you give me access so I can move the site over. Your domain name goes along with this. Many hosts include a free year of a domain, and since most people already have one, finding out where it's registered can be the hard part. I help you track that down and get it connected.
Once the site is live, we have a Zoom call, and I show you what you need to know to update it yourself. For most people, that means adding blog posts. If a video would help, I record one and host it privately on my YouTube channel so you can come back to it whenever you need. After that, the site is yours. If you ever want help, call me. I bill by the hour for work after launch, and there is no monthly fee.
If you're ready for a better website, I'd be glad to talk. I'm a web designer in Birmingham, Alabama, and the first step is a conversation. Learn more about website design, or schedule a call to talk it through.