Custom Web Design
Custom web design for small businesses that need a clearer offer, a faster site, and an obvious path from first visit to contact.
Good fit for
- Small service businesses with an outdated or unclear website
- New businesses that need a credible first site
- Owners who want to work directly with the person building the site
- Teams ready to replace a slow page builder or scattered web presence
Deliverables
- Offer and page-structure planning
- Custom responsive design and development
- Clear contact and conversion paths
- Form submissions that reach a real inbox, sent from your own domain
- On-page search foundations, structured metadata, and Google indexing setup
- Launch support and a practical handoff
Most websites fail on content, not code
Every web design article says the same thing. Mobile-first. Fast loading. Good CTAs. They’ve been saying it for a decade because it’s true.
What they don’t say: the platform doesn’t matter. Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, they all work. Your site isn’t failing because of the technology. It’s failing because it says nothing specific about your business.
So I start with the copy. What you sell, who’s buying it, and why someone should call you instead of the guy down the road. Then I build around that.
What the site has to do
Every site has one job and it’s different for every business. A phone call. A quote request. A booking. Somebody walking through the door.
I design around that job. Specific to your business, quick on a phone, and easy for you to update after I hand it over.
The part nobody checks until it’s broken
A contact form that quietly fails is worse than no form. So is a notification email that lands in spam because the domain was never set up to send mail, or a new site that Google hasn’t indexed a month after launch.
I set up the sending domain, point form submissions at an inbox you actually read, and confirm the pages are indexed. If you already have a site and that’s the only thing wrong with it, say so. It doesn’t need a rebuild.
What I need from you
- The services or products that actually make you money
- The customers you want more of
- Whatever you’ve already got: logo, photos, reviews, hours, service area
- Access to the current domain, analytics, or site if there is one
- One person who can give feedback and say yes
Hosting, domains, paid software, photography, ongoing content, and anything that turns into a real application get quoted separately. You see those numbers before you sign, not after.
How the work runs
- Step 1 Fit and facts
We work out the audience, the action the site needs to produce, what isn't working now, and the material already available.
- Step 2 Fixed scope
You get a written scope with pages, features, responsibilities, price, and timeline before production starts.
- Step 3 Structure and build
I shape the page hierarchy, design the system, and build the responsive site around the agreed business goal.
- Step 4 Review and launch
We test the important paths, make the agreed revisions, connect the final domain, and hand over the finished site.
See it in practice.
Awaken Reiki Studio
A custom seven-page website and live-availability booking path for a Maine Reiki practice, with search, accessibility, and lead-delivery foundations.
We've Got You Covered
A custom website and Square storefront for a Maine upholstery and marine-canvas shop, built to explain the work and make every next step clear.
Common questions
What does a custom website cost?
Most fixed-scope small-business websites start at $2,400. The final quote depends on page count, content, integrations, and any custom functionality. Those boundaries are written down before work begins.
How long does a website take?
Most fixed-scope sites take two to four weeks once the needed content and access are ready. Larger builds get a project-specific timeline.
Will I own the website?
Yes. The site is built for your business, and the project scope explains the source-code, domain, hosting, and account handoff in plain language.
Can you improve an existing site instead of starting over?
Yes. A redesign can preserve useful content and search value while replacing the parts that are confusing, slow, or difficult to maintain.
Do you write the website copy?
I can structure and edit the material you already have. If the project needs substantial original copywriting, research, or photography, that work is scoped separately so there are no surprises.
Do you work outside Maine?
Yes. Dead Pixel Design is based in Houlton, Maine, and works with clients nationwide.
Have a project that fits this service?
Send the brief, or look through the work before you decide.