How we work

A web design process you can see, check and approve at every step.

You approve the page map before any design starts, approve every page before it goes live, and check the finished site on a private staging address first. Every website project with us runs in four steps: research, content then design, build, and launch and grow. After launch, retainer and care-plan clients get one plain-language report each month.

Why our process puts the words first

Website projects that disappoint tend to go wrong between the steps. A design gets approved before anyone knows what the pages will say, so the copy is cut to fit boxes. Pages come from a template, so the services customers search for never get a page. Speed gets tested after launch, when fixing it means rebuilding.

We order the work to avoid each trap: research decides which pages exist, copy comes before design, and speed is a budget set before the build. Each step ends with something you can open, read and approve.

Examples of businesses on our client list: Cooper & Company, Retirement Planning Solutions, Curve Technology, Resource Oro, Dr Cooper MD, Moonica Corp, QNA Himalayan Salt, Ehre Belting, ANA Trading and Eskayse Art.

Step 1: Research and the page map

We start with the facts only you know: your services and prices, the areas you serve, and the customers you want more of. Then we pull the search data: the words your customers type and who ranks for each today. From that we draw the page map: every page the site needs, the query it targets and the questions it must answer.

On Growth and Scale the map sets the page count inside the package price, since a page counts when the data shows demand for it. Starter stays within 12 pages. You get the keyword list and page map as a shared document, can add, cut or reorder pages, and approve the map before we write a headline.

Step 2: Content first, then design

With the map approved, we write the real copy for every page. Each draft opens with a direct answer to the page's main question and carries specific facts in place of general claims. On Growth and Scale, each page also gets a Quick Facts block and an FAQ block, written for your customers and for the AI answers that quote them.

Every draft passes our quality gates: a linter that blocks filler and padding, a check that every price and fact matches what you told us, and a plain-language read. Anything you need to confirm is flagged. Once you approve the copy, we design around it for the phone first, then scale up for desktop.

Step 3: The build

Once the design is approved, we build the site as static HTML, or in WordPress if you want to edit it yourself (how the ways to build a site compare). Each page is generated ahead of time as a plain file, so crawlers get the full content on the first request (why static HTML matters for crawlers).

Every page gets its title, meta description, internal links, analytics and Search Console coverage. Starter pages carry basic schema, the structured data that tells search engines who you are and what you sell. Every Growth and Scale page carries a full schema stack. We build your intake form, send its submissions to an inbox you own, and count each one as an analytics event.

If you are replacing an old site, we map every old URL to its new address so links, bookmarks and search results land on the right page.

The staging site and the performance budget

Everything is built first on a private staging address. Before the build starts we write down a performance budget, the limits the site must stay inside. Our targets: the main content appears in under 2.0 seconds on a mid-range phone over 4G (largest contentful paint), and the mobile Lighthouse score, Google's speed score out of 100, is 95 or higher.

To stay inside them we keep JavaScript close to zero, serve AVIF and WebP images sized for each screen, and self-host the fonts. We measure each page on staging, fix anything that misses, and share the scores with you. You then click through the staging site on your phone, send a test inquiry, and approve each page. Nothing goes live until you have approved it.

Step 4: The launch checklist

Launch day is a checklist, worked through item by item.

  • Indexing verified in the live HTML. Each page loads, tells search engines it is the main version of itself, is open to indexing, and shows its full text in the code a crawler reads.
  • Redirects tested. Every old URL on the redirect map is opened and confirmed to land on its new page.
  • Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Both are set up and verified for your domain, with your sitemap submitted to each.
  • Analytics events. A real test inquiry goes through the form and is confirmed in analytics and in your inbox.
  • AI crawler access check. Nothing on your site or hosting may block the crawlers AI answers rely on, such as Googlebot and OAI-SearchBot. Our AEO and GEO service lists the full set and builds on this check.
  • Baselines recorded. Your rankings and your visibility in each AI engine are recorded on launch day as a fixed starting point, including for website-only clients.

After launch: support, care and growth

Every website includes a support period after launch: 30 days on Starter, 60 days on Growth and Scale. Scale adds 90 days of SEO work, with a monthly report during those 90 days. After that you choose how much help you want.

A care plan, from $150 a month, covers hosting on our account, updates, backups, uptime and speed monitoring, and up to an hour of small edits a month, done within two business days. Unused time does not roll over, and bigger changes are quoted first. There is no minimum term, and its monthly report covers uptime, speed and backups.

An SEO retainer, from $1,499 a month, keeps adding content and maintains your Google Business Profile and Bing Places listings on a schedule. It runs for a 3-month minimum, then month to month with 30 days' written notice. Its monthly report shows where you rank and whether ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode mention you, each on its own line.

Feedback and communication

We are a remote-first studio. Before work starts, your written scope sets a fixed price and a timeline, with dates or milestones for each step. Payments follow those milestones. A Starter site is paid half at the start and half at launch. On Growth and Scale you pay in three parts: 40% when we kick off, another 40% once you approve the design, and the last 20% at launch.

Day to day, the project runs like this:

  • Email. Email from contact@flamcom.com is the main channel, and every email gets a reply within one business day (Monday to Friday).
  • Shared files. The page map, the drafts and your comments sit in shared files, listed by page.
  • Live pages. We send a private link to each page as soon as it exists. You open it on your own phone, tell us in your own words what to change, and get it back with a note of what changed.
  • Calls. Calls are booked at a time that suits you.
  • One approver. If several people want a say, name one person to give final approval.

What we need from you

  • Logins. Access to your domain registrar and DNS, your current hosting and site, and any Google Analytics or Search Console accounts.
  • Brand assets. Your logo files, brand colors if you have them, and any photos of your work, premises or products you want used.
  • Facts. Your services and prices, the areas you serve, opening hours, licenses or memberships you hold, and the questions customers ask you most.
  • Approvals. Sign-off on the page map, the copy and design, and every page before it goes live.

Who owns what

Once the final payment is made, the site, its design, its content and the full source repository are yours, and we hand the repository over whenever you ask. The domain is registered in your name throughout. On a care plan, we host the site on our account; cancel with 30 days' notice and we move it to your own hosting at no charge. The code uses a documented open-source framework any competent developer can work with.

This page covers website projects. App projects start with the $299 Production Readiness Audit on our vibe-coded app to production page, and every other service is listed on our services page.

How we work: Quick Facts

Flamcom runs every website project in four steps, research, content then design, build, and launch and grow, and the client approves every page before it goes live.

Flamcom builds every new site on a private staging address against a performance budget that targets a largest contentful paint under 2.0 seconds on a mid-range phone.

Flamcom's launch checklist verifies indexing in the live HTML, tests every redirect, sets up Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and checks AI crawler access.

Process
Four steps: research, content then design, build, launch and grow
Approvals
You approve the page map, the copy and design, and every page before it goes live
Speed targets
Largest contentful paint under 2.0 seconds on a mid-range phone over 4G; mobile Lighthouse 95+
Typical build time
3 to 4 weeks on Starter, 5 to 8 on Growth, 8 to 12 on Scale, kickoff to launch; exact dates in your written scope
Payments
Starter 50% at the start and 50% at launch; Growth and Scale 40% at kickoff, 40% at design approval, 20% at launch
Support after launch
30 days on Starter, 60 days on Growth and Scale; Scale adds 90 days of SEO work
Monthly report
Care plans cover uptime, speed and backups; SEO retainers show rankings and each AI engine on its own line
Ownership
Domain in your name; site, content and source repository yours on final payment

Questions about our web design process

How does a web design project work at Flamcom?

A Flamcom project runs in four steps. Research produces a page map you approve. We write the copy, then design around it. We build on a private staging address against a performance budget, and launch with a checklist once you have approved every page. Our pricing page shows what each package includes.

How do I give feedback on the design?

You give feedback on live pages in your browser. We send a private link to each page, you open it on your phone, and you add comments to a shared file listed by page. We make the changes, note what changed, and you approve each page when it reads right.

How long does a website project take?

A Starter site usually goes from kickoff to launch in 3 to 4 weeks, a Growth site in 5 to 8 weeks and a Scale site in 8 to 12 weeks. Those are typical ranges, and they hold when you send feedback within two business days and get content and access to us on time. The exact date for each step is set in your written scope.

What happens on launch day?

On launch day we work through a checklist. We verify indexing in the live HTML, test every redirect, set up Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools with your sitemap, confirm analytics with a real test inquiry, check that AI crawlers can reach your pages, and record your starting rankings.

Who owns the website when the project ends?

You do, from the final payment on. The domain is in your name throughout, and the site, its content and the full source repository belong to you whether or not you keep working with us. If you are on a care plan and decide to leave, give 30 days' notice and we move the site to your own hosting at no charge. See our care plan and retainer prices if you want us to keep looking after the site.

What happens after the website launches?

Every site includes support: 30 days on Starter and 60 days on Growth and Scale, with Scale adding 90 days of SEO work. After that you can choose a care plan from $150 a month with no minimum term, an SEO retainer from $1,499 a month with a 3-month minimum, or run the site yourself.

See the process on your own project.

Send us your current site, or a short note if you do not have one yet. Within one business day (Monday to Friday) we reply by email with your free assessment.

Want to compare options first? Browse all Flamcom services or our website packages.

If you send your website address, your free assessment includes:

  • A mobile speed check using Core Web Vitals (Google's speed and stability scores)
  • A list of the pages your market searches for that you do not have
  • A test of whether AI assistants currently mention your business