Frequently asked questions

Most projects start with a short discovery chat so I can understand your business, your audience, and what “good” looks like for you.

From there, I’ll usually suggest:

1. A structured discovery or audit – to review your current site, content, and tech stack.
2. A proposed approach and estimate – including scope, assumptions, and what’s in/out.
3. A simple agreement and timeline – so everyone knows who’s doing what and when.

For agencies, I’m happy to work white-label and join your existing process, as long as we’re clear on responsibilities and communication channels.

At a minimum, I’ll need:

• A clear primary goal for the site (more leads, better credibility, online sales, etc.)
• Any existing branding (logo, colours, typography)
• Access to the current site, hosting, or relevant accounts (where applicable)
• An idea of who will be responsible for content – you, your copywriter, or someone on my side

If you already have a design in Figma or Webflow, that’s great. If not, we can work with your existing site as a starting point and refine structure and content as we go.

You don’t need to live in the project, but you do need to stay involved at key points.

Typically I’ll ask you to:

• Confirm the scope and priorities at the start
• Review and approve structure and key pages
• Provide or approve content and messaging
• Give feedback during milestone reviews

For ongoing care or retainers, we’ll agree a simple rhythm – for example, a monthly or quarterly check-in to review performance, updates, and any tweaks.

Yes – in fact, that’s often the best setup. I’m very used to working with:

• Designers who provide Figma or Webflow layouts
• Copywriters who handle brand voice and long-form content
• Marketing agencies who need someone to “make it all work on the web”

We’ll set up a simple workflow so everyone knows who owns design, content, and development, and how we’ll review changes together.

For most projects I work on a fixed scope with an estimated range, based on an hourly rate and the complexity of the work.

In practice that usually looks like:

• A clear statement of work – pages, features, integrations
• An estimated range of hours and a likely cost
• Progress billing at agreed milestones (for example: 30% / 40% / 30%)

For smaller pieces of work, audits, or one-off fixes, I may simply bill on time spent, with a minimum block so nobody’s counting five-minute increments.

You do.

Once the project is complete and invoices are paid, you own:

• The website content (copy, images provided by you, etc.)
• The site build (templates, components, and configuration)
• Any custom code I write specifically for your project

Third-party tools (fonts, plugins, services) remain under their respective licences, but I’ll always explain what’s being used and who holds which subscription.

Yes. I prefer not to “build and disappear”.

I can provide:

• Care and maintenance – updates, backups, security checks
• Performance and optimisation – ongoing improvements to speed and UX
• Small change requests – new sections, content tweaks, minor feature additions

This is usually done on a monthly plan or a block of hours, depending on what suits your business best.

Scope changes are normal – priorities shift, ideas evolve.

When that happens, we’ll:

1. Identify what’s changing and why
2. Confirm the impact on time and cost
3. Decide whether to:
   • Swap something else out, or
   • Treat the new work as a separate mini-phase

That way the project stays controlled, and there are no surprises at invoice time.

Usually, yes – but the right approach depends on what we find.

I can:

• Audit your current setup (hosting, theme/builder, plugins, assets)
• Identify what’s causing slowness or breakage
• Recommend whether to repair, refactor, or rebuild

Sometimes a tune-up and some smarter front-end work is enough. Other times, especially on very old or heavily “patched” sites, a clean rebuild is faster and more cost-effective in the long run. I’ll always explain the trade-offs before you commit.

I use modern tools where they make sense, but I don’t just drop in generic templates and call it a day.

My focus is on:

• Semantic, well-structured HTML
• Clean, maintainable CSS (using modern approaches like design tokens and consistent naming)
• Performance and accessibility, not just how it looks on a big screen

If I use a visual builder, it’s there to speed up implementation – not to replace proper front-end disciplines.

Yes, that’s the default, not an optional extra.

I build with:

• Responsive layouts tested across common screen sizes
• Sensible font sizes, spacing, and contrast
• Proper heading structure, labels and link text for accessibility

While I don’t claim full formal WCAG certification on every project by default, I do align with best practices so your site is usable for as many people as possible.

I don’t offer “SEO packages” full of gimmicks.

What I focus on is:

• Technically solid foundations – good HTML structure, performance, and indexable content
• Clear information architecture so people (and search engines) can find what matters
• Integrating basics like page titles, meta descriptions, and open graph data

If you’re working with an SEO specialist or content strategist, I’m happy to collaborate and implement their recommendations.

Yes. A large part of my work is supporting small and mid-sized agencies who need a reliable dev partner.

I can work fully white-label, or as a named technical partner, depending on how you like to present things to your clients.

I’m comfortable joining your existing process, but typically we’ll:

• Agree who owns UX, UI, and content
• Set up shared tools (for example: Figma, a project board, Slack or email)
• Define simple handoff points – when designs are “dev-ready”, and how changes are requested
• Use staged environments so you and your client can review work before it goes live

The goal is to slot into your team without adding friction.

Often, yes. If you’ve inherited a site from another developer, or a project has stalled, I can:

• Review the current codebase and hosting
• Identify risks, technical debt, and “gotchas”
• Recommend whether to stabilise and continue, or draw a line and rebuild

We’ll be very clear with your client about what’s realistic and what it will take to get things back on track.

No – but I do prefer working within compatible time zones so communication stays easy.

I’m based in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, so I’m naturally well-aligned with:

• Aotearoa and Australian clients
• Some Asian time zones

For agencies further afield, we just need to agree on communication windows that work for both sides.