Start a Project · Client onboarding
Let’s build your website
Every great website starts the same way: a logo on a napkin, a pile of photos on your phone and a little bit of nerve. This page turns that pile into a plan.
Work through the to-do list — gather your content, write your words, pick your colors, grab your domain and hosting in your own name — then send it all to me for a quote. No tech degree required. I’m the one-stop shop that takes it from there.
Your website to-do list
01
Logo, photos and the good stuff.
02
Talk like you, not a brochure.
03
Find the look that feels like you.
04
Your address online — in your name.
05
Managed WordPress or a server.
06
One form, files included.
07
I take it from here.
How it works with me
You own it. I build it.
I want you in control from day one. That’s why I ask clients to buy their domain and hosting in their own name — I’m added as a helper, never the owner. No hostage situations, ever.
Yours — always
What you own
- Your domain name
- Your hosting account
- Your website and everything in it
- Your content — words, photos and logo
- Your admin logins and your data
Mine
What I own
The design — the custom look, layout and craft I create for your site.
If someone else registers your domain for you, they control your business’s address online. Keeping it in your name means you can never be locked out.
How I charge
Fair and up front
My pricing is based on the amount of work your site takes and on you liking what you’ve been provided.
Send your details through the form below and I’ll review everything and come back with a quote — before any work starts.
Your website to-do list
Check these off and you’re 90% there
You don’t need every box ticked before you reach out — but the more you send, the faster your site goes from idea to launch day. Print it, screenshot it, stick it on the fridge.
Content
- Logo file (the biggest, cleanest one you have)
- 10–20 photos of your work, team or space
- Business name, phone, email, address and hours
- A list of services or products
Words & style
- A short paragraph for each page
- Three things that make you different
- Colors you love — and any you can’t stand
- Two or three websites you like
Setup
- Domain registered in your name
- Managed WordPress hosting — or ask me first
- Auto-renew and two-factor login turned on
- Me invited as a helper, not the owner
01
Step one
Gather your content
Content is the number-one thing that slows a website down — not the design, not the code. The good news: you probably have more than you think. Gather what you can; it doesn’t need to be perfect, and I’ll help fill in the gaps.
Your brand
- Your logo — the original file if you have it (AI, EPS, SVG or a large PNG)
- Brand colors and fonts, if you already use them
- Business name and tagline exactly as you want them written
Your words
- One document per page: Home, About, Services, Contact
- Services or products, with prices if you show them
- Address, phone, email, hours and social links
Your photos
- Original photos — not screenshots or images from Google
- Your team, your space, your products, your work
- Stock photos only if you’ve licensed them
Inspiration
- Two or three websites you like, and what you like about them
- Competitors you want to stand out from
- Anything you don’t want — that helps just as much
Your goals
- What should a visitor do: call, buy, book or fill out a form?
- Who your customers are
- Any deadline — a launch, an event, a season
What you already have
- Your current website address, if any
- Where your domain and hosting are — just the company names
- Never email passwords; I’ll set up safe access with you
Treasure hunt
Content you already have
- Your Google Business Profile — photos, hours and reviews are already there
- Your Facebook or Instagram page — your best photos are probably posted
- Old brochures, menus, flyers and business cards — the words are already written
- Proposals, quotes and emails you’ve sent customers — that’s how you really describe your work
- Customer reviews and thank-you notes (ask before quoting someone by name)
Phone photography 101
Great photos from your phone
- Shoot in daylight near a window — skip the flash
- Hold your phone sideways for wide shots; it fits website banners
- Clean up the background first; clutter steals the show
- Take more than you need — 30 shots to find the 5 great ones
- Don’t use the zoom; walk closer instead
- Send the original files, not screenshots or texted copies
Tip
Keep it organized in one folder
Make a folder named after your business with three folders inside: Logo, Photos and Text. Name files by page — home-hero.jpg, about-team.jpg — and you’re ready to send.
02
Step two
Write your words
You don’t need to be a writer — you need to be you. Nobody knows your business better, and customers can tell when a real person wrote the page. Rough notes and bullet points are a perfectly good start; I’ll help shape them into pages.
Eight rules for words that work
- Write like you talk. If you’d say it to a customer at the counter, it belongs on the site. Skip the corporate buzzwords.
- Lead with what you do and where. “Family dentistry in San Antonio” beats “Welcome to our website” every time.
- Give each page one job. Home says who you are, Services says what you do, Contact says how to reach you.
- Answer the questions customers already ask. Price ranges, timelines, areas you serve, what to expect on the first visit.
- Keep it short. Two or three sentences per paragraph. People scan before they read.
- Use the words your customers search for. Say “roof repair,” not “exterior envelope solutions.” Google speaks customer.
- Show proof. Years in business, certifications, before-and-afters and real reviews do the bragging for you.
- Tell people what to do next. Call, book, buy, get a quote — every page should end with a next step.
Fill-in-the-blank starters
Stuck staring at a blank page? Copy one of these, fill in the brackets, and you’ve got a first draft.
Home page headline
We help [who you serve] in [your city] [get what result] — without [the headache they hate].
About page opener
[Business name] started in [year] because [the reason you started]. Today we [what you do], and what sets us apart is [your difference].
A service description
[Service name] is for [who it’s for]. You get [what’s included], usually in [timeframe]. Most customers choose it because [main benefit].
Call to action
Ready to [result]? Call [phone] or [book / request a quote] — we’ll get back to you within [timeframe].
“Your website is your hardest-working employee. It never calls in sick, never takes a lunch break, and it’s open at 2 a.m. when your next customer is searching.”
— Let’s make sure it makes a great first impression.
03
Step three
Pick your colors & style
Colors do a lot of talking before anyone reads a word. Whether it’s a brand-new site or a redesign, here’s how to figure out what you like — even if right now the answer is “I’ll know it when I see it.”
Trustworthy & professional
Banks, law firms, medical, consulting
#1F3A5F
#4A90C2
#EEF3F8
#2B2B2B
Warm & welcoming
Restaurants, salons, bakeries, family businesses
#C8553D
#F2A65A
#FFF4E6
#3B2A20
Fresh & natural
Landscaping, wellness, organic, outdoor
#2F5D50
#9BB59A
#F4F1EA
#3D4A4F
Bold & energetic
Fitness, racing, tech, entertainment
#DA291C
#1A1718
#FFC93C
#FFFFFF
Luxury & calm
Spas, jewelry, real estate, boutiques
#111111
#BDA884
#FBF8F3
#8A7F72
Playful & creative
Kids, events, artists, pet services
#6C4BD8
#FF6F61
#3EC9A7
#F7F7FB
How to find your colors
- Start with your logo. Your logo colors are the foundation — the site should feel like it belongs to the same family.
- Look around your space. Your storefront, uniforms, trucks and packaging already say a lot about your style.
- Screenshot what you love. Websites, Instagram posts, magazine ads, even a paint chip — send them all.
- Check out the competition. If every competitor is blue, a different color helps you stand out.
- Follow the 60-30-10 rule. One main color for most of the page, a second for support, and a bright accent for buttons.
- Tell me what you hate, too. “Anything but orange” is just as useful as a favorite color.
What colors say
A quick cheat sheet. There are no wrong answers — just different first impressions.
- Blue · trust & calm
- Red · energy & urgency
- Green · growth & health
- Yellow · optimism & attention
- Purple · creativity & luxury
- Orange · friendly & fun
- Black · bold & premium
- Gold · quality & elegance
- White space · clean & modern
Classic or modern?
Don’t forget fonts
Serif fonts (with the little feet) feel classic and trusted. Clean sans-serif fonts feel modern and simple. Bold, condensed fonts — like the headlines on this site — feel loud and confident.
Tell me your favorites in the “Colors & style” box in the form
04
Step four
Register your domain — in your name
Your domain is your address online (like yourbusiness.com). It costs a small yearly fee, it takes about ten minutes, and it should always belong to you.
- Pick a name. Short, easy to say and spell, no hyphens. Go for .com when you can.
- Use a well-known registrar such as GoDaddy, Namecheap or Cloudflare.
- Sign up in your name with your own email address and business name.
- Turn on auto-renew, two-factor login and privacy protection so it never lapses or gets hijacked.
- Invite me as a delegate or team member when we’re ready. Most registrars have this — it’s safer than sharing your password.
Step-by-step: registering your domain
- Go to the registrar’s website and type the name you want into the search box.
- If it’s taken, try your name plus your city or trade — or a different ending like .co or .net.
- Add it to your cart. One to two years is plenty to start.
- At checkout you can usually skip the extras — website builders, extra email and SEO add-ons. I’ll handle the website. Do keep privacy protection.
- Create the account with your email and business name, then pay with your own card.
- Turn on two-factor login and auto-renew in your account settings.
- Send me the domain name and the registrar’s name. That’s it — I’ll take care of pointing it to your new site.
Choosing a great name
Make it easy to remember
- Say it out loud — if you have to spell it for people, keep looking
- Your business name plus your city works great when the plain name is taken (smithplumbingcleveland.com)
- Skip hyphens and numbers; people forget them
- Buy the common misspelling too if it’s cheap, and point it to your main site
Already have one?
Tell me where it lives
Just send the registrar’s name. If a past designer or company registered it for you, ask them to move it into your own account — I’ll walk you through the transfer.
Email at your domain
you@yourbusiness.com
A professional email address looks better than a free account. I can connect Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 to your domain.
05
Step five
Choose your hosting
If your domain is your address, hosting is the building your website lives in. For most sites I recommend managed WordPress hosting — the host handles the plumbing so your site stays fast, safe and backed up. Buy it in your name too, or ask me first and I’ll point you to the plan that fits before you spend a dollar.
Most sites
Managed WordPress hosting
Small businesses, portfolios, nonprofits and local shops. The host keeps the server fast, updated and backed up, so you don’t have to.
Stores & busy sites
Managed WordPress, bigger plan
Online stores and sites with steady traffic need more power — a WooCommerce-ready plan with a CDN and more resources.
Large corporate sites
A server built for you
Heavy traffic, integrations or compliance needs call for a dedicated or cloud server. I set it up and look after it: build, firewall, SSL, backups and monitoring.
What to look for in a host
- Automatic daily backups
- A staging site for safe testing
- Free SSL certificate (the padlock)
- Malware scanning and a firewall
- Automatic WordPress updates
- Current PHP version
- Real, reachable support
Step-by-step: signing up for managed WordPress hosting
- Pick the plan that matches your site — a single small-business site rarely needs the biggest plan. Not sure? Ask me first.
- Create the account in your name, with your email and your card.
- If you’re asked where to host, choose the data center closest to your customers.
- Skip the drag-and-drop site builder and extra plugins at checkout — I’ll set WordPress up properly.
- Turn on two-factor login.
- Invite me as a user or collaborator. Most managed hosts have a team or user-access setting for exactly this.
- Don’t install anything yet. Send me the host’s name and I’ll take it from there.
The one-stop shop
One call. Everything handled.
No juggling a designer, a developer, a hosting company and an IT person who all blame each other. You work with me from first idea to launch day — and after.
Design & branding
Logos, layouts and a look that’s yours.
WordPress build
Custom block themes you can edit yourself.
Domain, DNS & email
Set up, connected and pointed right.
Hosting & servers
Managed plans or full server setup.
Security & SSL
Hardening, firewalls and certificates.
Computer repair
Slow, broken or infected — I’ll fix it.
06
Step six
Send it for a quote
This is the fun part. Fill out what you can — rough ideas are fine, and “I don’t know yet” is a perfectly good answer. I’ll review everything and come back with a plan and a quote.
Prefer to talk it through?
Not a form person? No problem.
Some people would rather just talk — and that’s perfectly fine. Call or email me and we’ll go through these questions together, at your pace.
Get a faster, more accurate quote
- Tell me what you want visitors to do — call, book, buy or request a quote
- List your must-have features, even if they seem small
- Share two or three websites you like (and one you don’t)
- Mention any deadline — a grand opening, an event, a busy season
- Attach your logo, even if it’s a rough copy or a photo of your sign
Sending files
- Attach up to 5 files — images, PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint or text.
- Each file can be up to 5 MB, 15 MB in total.
- Bigger files or vector logos? Share a folder link instead.
How do I share a folder link?
Google Drive: right-click the folder › Share › under General access choose “Anyone with the link” › Copy link.
Dropbox: hover the folder › Share › Copy link.
OneDrive: right-click the folder › Share › Copy link.
Paste the link into the “Link to your files” box in the form.
✓
No pressure, no obligation
Sending this form doesn’t commit you to anything. It just starts the conversation.
✓
Your information stays private
Your details and files come straight to my inbox. They’re never posted, shared or kept on the website.
What happens after you hit send
Your details land in my inbox — not a call center. I read everything, look at your files and the sites you like, and reply personally with questions, next steps and a quote.
07
Step seven
Design, build & launch
You’ve done the hard part. From here on, I take the wheel — and you get to watch your site come together.
01
Review & quote
I go through your content and goals, ask questions, and send a clear quote.
02
Design
Mockups matched to your brand and the colors you picked, so you see and approve the look up front.
03
Build
A custom WordPress site you can edit yourself, tested on phones and every major browser.
04
Launch & protect
DNS, SSL, security hardening and backups set up — then support after launch.
Computer trouble?
How to get the details to me
Not here for a website? No problem. You don’t need to know what’s wrong — you just need to tell me what you see. These six steps give me what I need to help fast.
01
Describe what’s happening
What were you doing when it started? Is it slow, frozen, making noise, showing pop-ups or not turning on?
02
Take a screenshot
Windows: press Windows + Shift + S. Mac: press Shift + Command + 4. Can’t? Take a photo of the screen with your phone.
03
Copy the exact error
Write down any error message word for word — even the code numbers. They point straight to the problem.
04
Find your model & system
Windows: Settings › System › About. Mac: Apple menu › About This Mac. Note the model and version.
05
Note what changed
A recent update, new program, new printer, a spill or a drop? Anything new helps narrow it down.
06
Back up what you can
If the computer still works, copy important files to a USB drive or cloud storage before anything else.
!
Watch out for scams
A pop-up that says your computer is infected and gives you a number to call is a scam. Don’t call it, don’t let anyone you don’t know connect to your computer, and never pay with gift cards. Close the browser or restart, then reach out to me.
Send me the details
Use the contact form with what you found, or email your screenshots to 2barquack@gmail.com. Need help right away? Call 440-225-6392.
Questions
Good to know
Still wondering about something? There are no silly questions — just ones nobody asked yet.
Do I need a domain and hosting before I contact you?
No. Send what you have and I’ll help you choose and set them up — in your name.
How much does a website cost?
It depends on the pages, the features and how much work the site takes. Send the project form and I’ll review it and give you a quote before any work starts.
Who owns the website?
You own your domain, hosting, website and content. The design is my work.
I’m not a writer. Do I have to write everything myself?
Nope. Send bullet points, voice notes typed out, old brochures — whatever you’ve got. I’ll help shape it into clear pages that still sound like you.
I have no idea what colors I want. Is that okay?
Totally normal. Send a few sites or photos you like and tell me what you don’t like — I’ll suggest a palette that fits your business.
Can you redesign or move my current site?
Yes. Include your current website address and, if you know it, where it’s hosted.
Do you work on large corporate sites?
Yes — including setting up and securing the server they run on.
What if I don’t have photos or text yet?
Start with what you have. We’ll figure out what’s missing together during the review.
Ready when you are.
Send your project or call 440-225-6392 — I’ll write back personally. Let’s build something you’re proud to share.