A custom site is worth the money when the template is costing you something: speed, credibility, the ability to explain a service that does not fit a standard layout, or the flexibility to add a booking flow or a quoting tool later.
We build in Next.js and React, statically rendered where possible, which is why our sites load quickly on a phone on mobile data. That matters commercially. Most local service enquiries arrive on a phone, and load time is one of the few things you control that affects both ranking and conversion.
Every build is designed around the enquiry. Where the phone number sits, how quickly a visitor can tell whether you cover their suburb, what the form asks for, and what happens after they submit it.
We are based in Canberra and most of our clients are here: trades in Fyshwick and Mitchell, professional services in Civic, and businesses across Belconnen, Gungahlin, Woden, Tuggeranong and out to Queanbeyan. Being local matters less for the code than it does for the brief. We know which suburbs your customers mean, and what a Canberra buyer expects to see before they pick up the phone.
“Zane single handedly doubled my work load and call volume within days of him implementing his website and strategy’s.”
“Fantastic service, knowledge and ability to problem solve.”
“Zane has done an incredible job updating The Canberra Antiques Centre website. It looks fantastic, is much easier to navigate, and really showcases the Centre and what we have to offer. A huge thank you to Zane for all the time and effort that has gone into it!”
“Very happy with the service and website functionality. Zane did a great job.”
What is included
Design in your brand
Layouts and a type and colour system designed for your business, including dark mode where it suits, rather than a theme with your logo dropped in.
Built for speed
Static rendering, correctly sized and lazy-loaded images, minimal client-side JavaScript, and Core Web Vitals checked before launch.
Technical SEO from day one
Clean URL structure, unique titles and descriptions, structured data, sitemap, robots rules and canonical tags built in rather than retrofitted.
Content editing
A CMS or an admin area so you can change copy, prices and images without calling us. We hand over the login and show you how.
Forms that reach you
Enquiry forms with spam protection, email notification, an acknowledgement to the customer, and a record stored so nothing is lost to a mail filter.
Analytics and tracking
Analytics configured with conversion events for calls, form submissions and bookings, so you can see which pages produce work.
How we work
- 01
Discovery
We work out who the site is for, what they need to see before they call, and which pages have to exist for search reasons.
- 02
Structure and copy
Sitemap, page structure and headings first. Design is easier and better when the argument on each page is already settled.
- 03
Design and build
Design in the browser, reviewed on real devices, built as we go rather than handed over as flat images.
- 04
Launch
DNS, redirects from every old URL, Search Console verification, sitemap submission, analytics live, then a post-launch check that indexing is happening.
What we do differently
- Redirect mapping on every rebuild, so a decade of accumulated search equity is not thrown away at launch
- Real device testing, because a site that is fine on a desktop and awkward on a phone is a broken site
- Accessible markup and contrast as a build standard, not an afterthought
- A hosting and deployment setup you could take to another developer tomorrow
Rebuilding an existing site
If you already rank for something, the rebuild plan starts with protecting it. We export the existing URL list, map every page to its replacement, keep the headings that are earning traffic, and watch Search Console closely for the first month.
This is the step most rebuilds skip, and it is the reason so many businesses see traffic fall off a cliff after a redesign that looked like an improvement.
Moving off WordPress
Plenty of Canberra businesses are on WordPress and are not happy about it. The usual complaints are the same three: it got slow, it needs constant plugin updates, and something breaks every time one of those updates runs.
We migrate WordPress sites to a statically rendered Next.js build. There is no plugin stack to patch, no database for a bot to probe, and no monthly maintenance retainer to keep the lights on. The content you edit still lives behind a login; what disappears is the machinery that kept breaking.
The migration itself is the careful part. Every existing URL is mapped and redirected, media is re-exported at the right sizes, and the pages already earning search traffic keep their headings and their copy. We have done this on sites from a handful of pages up to a 6,863-URL cutover, and the method does not change.
What it costs to keep running
A static site has close to no running cost, and we think you should be able to see that rather than take our word for it. Hosting on a global CDN is typically free to a few dollars a month at the traffic a local business gets, and the domain is the usual annual fee.
There is no mandatory maintenance plan. Nothing on the site needs patching monthly to stay secure, because there is no plugin stack and no database exposed to the internet. If you want us on call for changes we will quote that as its own line, and you can drop it whenever you like without the site degrading.
Frequently asked questions
What does a custom website cost?
It depends on page count and functionality. We quote a fixed price per project after a discovery conversation, so you are not exposed to hourly drift.
Can I edit the site myself?
Yes. Every build includes an editing path for the content that changes, and we walk you through it at handover.
Do you host it?
We deploy to modern hosting with a global CDN and can manage that for you as an annual line, or hand the project to your own account if you would rather own it directly.
Will I lose my Google rankings when we relaunch?
Not if the migration is done properly. Redirect mapping, preserved headings and a Search Console watch are standard on every rebuild we do.
Do you work with businesses outside Canberra?
Yes. We are based in Canberra and work with clients along the coast and interstate. The work is done remotely with scheduled calls.
Can you rebuild my WordPress site without losing my rankings?
Yes, and it is a normal part of the job rather than an extra. We export every existing URL, map each one to its replacement, keep the headings and copy that are already earning traffic, and put redirects in place before the cutover. Search Console is then watched for the first month so anything that slips is caught while it is still cheap to fix.
How long does a website build take?
A straightforward brochure site for a local service business is usually four to six weeks from the discovery call. Anything with a booking flow, a quoting tool, a customer login or a large catalogue takes longer, and we give you a date range at quote time rather than after you have committed.
Do I have to pay a monthly maintenance fee?
No. The sites we build are statically rendered with no plugin stack to patch, so there is nothing that has to be maintained monthly to stay secure. If you want us available for changes we quote that separately and you can stop it at any time.
What do you need from me to start?
A conversation about how you currently win work, access to your domain and any existing site, your logo and brand assets if you have them, and photos. If the photos do not exist yet we will tell you early, because that is the single most common reason a build stalls.
Related work
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Resort Trailers has been building custom trailers in Queanbeyan since 1984. Their website sat on a subscription platform that charged every year and gave them very little back. We rebuilt it as a fast static site on hosting they control, carried every ranking URL across on cutover day, and added a 3D configurator that lets a customer build their trailer on screen and send the exact specification straight to the workshop.
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Or see every service we offer.