Frequently Asked Questions

We build on Shopify, Squarespace and Subbly, and occasionally WordPress. Shopify suits most online stores, including subscription stores. Squarespace suits service businesses, creatives and smaller brands. Subbly is the right fit for some subscription-first brands. We'll recommend the best fit in your quote, and we're happy to talk it through with you first.

It depends on how ready you are. If your branding, copy, imagery and product details are complete and ready to go, most builds take 2-4 weeks. If some of that is still in progress, expect 4-8 weeks, because we design and build around your content and start once we have it. Not sure where you're at? Tell us about your project and we'll work out a realistic timeline together.

Depending on our current workload, we may be able to fit in a rush project. Your content needs to be complete and ready to go, and a rush fee applies, quoted according to the scope of your project. If you have a deadline in mind, tell us early so we can say honestly whether it's realistic.

Everything lives in your client portal: your homework, the tasks we're working on, comments and feedback. We send project updates as short Loom video walkthroughs that you can comment on directly or reply to in the portal. Bigger updates, with lots to say and lots of links, come by email. We'll also jump on a Zoom call when it helps. People like to work in different ways, so you can choose what's easiest for you, and we'll keep meetings to the ones that are useful. If you're on hourly or retainer support, you'll also see your tracked hours and reporting in the portal.

Not straight away. Ranking on Google takes time, and it depends on your content, your competition and the ongoing work after launch. What we do at launch is connect your new site to Google Search Console and Google Analytics, so you can see how people find you. For online stores, we also connect Google Merchant Centre and Meta, so your products can show up in Google and on Instagram and Facebook. For ongoing SEO, paid ads and content writing, we're happy to refer you to specialists.

Yes. We offer ongoing support after launch, and we'll quote something that suits you. For Shopify and Squarespace sites, support is usually on an ad hoc, hourly basis. For online stores that need regular help, ongoing eCommerce management is available hourly or on a fixed retainer. For WordPress sites we recommend a care plan, so talk to us about what that would look like.

Yes, that's the goal. You shouldn't need a developer for everything. At handover we show you how your site works through recorded Loom videos, or a training call that we record so you can watch it again. Sometimes we add a short written how-to guide too. Anything unique to your setup, like custom sections or app settings, is documented for you. If you'd like us to keep looking after things, ongoing support is available too.

Yes. Learn the Ropes is our guided Shopify training for small business owners who'd rather do it themselves. We work through your store with you on live Zoom calls (recorded, so you can watch them again), set up the tricky bits behind the scenes, and show you how it all works. It's billed by the hour, at your own pace. Find out more about Learn the Ropes.

Yes, it's a speciality of ours. Most subscription stores now suit Shopify, which has strong subscription tools, and we set up the app, delivery options and customer portal so it's simple to run. For subscription-first brands, we also build on Subbly, a platform made for subscription eCommerce. Not sure which suits you? Tell us about your products and we'll help you decide.