Custom websites
that get you booked.

What is custom website design, exactly?

Custom website design means your pages, your copy and your layout are planned for your business, instead of your content being poured into someone else’s structure. The difference shows in the first five seconds: a visitor sees their own situation described, not a generic headline over a stock photo.

A template isn’t a bad start. I sell ten of them myself. But a template decides the pages for you, and you write every word alone. Here is how the two compare when I’m the one making either.

If the left column fits you today, start with my Framer templates and come back when the business has grown.

What does a small business website need?

Most small service businesses need five kinds of pages: a homepage that says who you help and how, one page per service that deserves its own explanation, an about page, proof (projects, results or reviews) and a contact or booking page. A blog comes next, if you’ll actually write.

The number of pages matters less than their job. Each page should answer one question a visitor brings with them, then point to one next step. When a business serves very different people, each group needs its own way in.

That was the case for Groupe Horizon, a food consulting firm that works with organizations, individuals and the general public. The old homepage only spoke to organizations. The new website opens three front doors, one per audience, plus a page for the founder’s signature offer. One month after launch, it had 690 visitors in 30 days, and one in three came from Google.

How much does custom website design cost?

With me, a complete website starts at $1,500 USD for five pages or more, with strategy, copywriting, custom design for desktop and mobile, a CMS and basic SEO included. A single landing page starts at $1,000 USD.

Three things move the price up from there:

• The number of pages, and how much copy each one needs.
• The content to produce or move, such as a blog, a portfolio or a product catalog.
• The connections, for example a store, an email tool or a course platform.

An online store or a larger project gets a custom quote. Whatever the size, the price is set in writing right after the discovery call, and payment goes through Contra, with 30% at the start and the balance once you approve the website. The pricing page details each offer, and my article on how much a website costs compares freelancers, agencies and doing it yourself.

How long does it take to design and build a website?

Two to three weeks, for most complete websites. Here is how that time is spent:

1. Before week 1: a free 30-minute call, a fixed price the same day, then a questionnaire about your business.
2. Week 1: I write the copy and design the homepage. Nothing else gets built until you say yes.
3. Week 2: the other pages take shape on a private link, with your real text and images.
4. Week 3: domain, SEO settings, mobile testing and training videos, then launch and one month of support.

Option Médiation, a bilingual website for a business mediator, brand identity included, went live in three weeks. Projects with a lot of content take longer, and I tell you up front. Mon Vet Nature, an integrative veterinary clinic, came to me after a first website project had stalled for months with another provider. Hers took several months, with services, training programs, ebooks and a health assessment to organize, and its first three weeks online brought 32 clicks to her appointment booking.

What should a website designer for coaches ask you first?

A good website designer for coaches asks about your clients before your colors. If the first conversation is about fonts, the website will look nice and say very little.

These are the questions I bring to every discovery call:

• Who exactly do you help, and what are they trying to fix when they find you?
• What makes them hesitate before booking: price, timing, trust?
• Which offer matters most this year?
• What should a visitor do on the website: book a call, join your list, buy a program?
• Which tools already run your business, such as Calendly, Cal.com, Kajabi or MailerLite?

The answers decide the pages, the order of the sections and where each button leads. If you coach or consult, the pages on coaching websites and consultant websites go deeper into what those visitors look for.

Which platform should a custom website use?

For most service businesses, Framer: pages load fast, there are no plugins to update, and you edit text, images and articles yourself. I explain that choice on my Framer websites page. When your business already depends on WordPress, Shopify or Webflow, I build there instead, and either way the website stays in your own account.