Alex Marcus

My Approach

My process is collaborative, well-organized, and iterative. To kick things off, we'd meet to talk through your goals and working style. From there, I put together a shared project tracker so you always know where things stand.

Before any code gets written, I ask your team a few questions that shape everything that follows:

• What's working well on your current site (if you have one)?
• What are the must-haves on the new site?
• Are there other websites you love the look and feel of?

From there, I "design in code" by building and publishing updates to a private site regularly, so you can see real progress rather than mockups. I ask for feedback often, especially at milestones. You'll see the messy middle, and I think that's a good thing. It keeps the final result aligned with what you actually wanted.

We wrap up once all tasks are complete, your team has done user testing, and any remaining issues are resolved. Then we flip the switch and your new site goes live.

What's Included

Every project runs through these phases. Depending on the scope of your site, some phases are lighter than others, but nothing gets skipped.

Introduction We meet, align on goals, and get organized

• Meet your team, discuss goals and priorities
• Agree on a meeting cadence and communication style
• Set up a shared project tracker and asset storage space

Ideation Research and design direction

• Gather input from your team on style preferences and inspirations
• Research comparable sites for visual and functional reference
• Document design guidance to keep us aligned throughout the project

Setup Platform and content preparation

• Register and configure your site platform (e.g. Squarespace, WordPress, static code)
• Download and store existing site assets if migrating from another platform
• Identify content to carry over and content to retire
• Build a site skeleton with planned pages and structure
• Define requirements for interactive elements like galleries, forms, or member areas

Development Building the real thing

• Implement all planned pages and migrate existing content and photos
• Apply your visual identity: colors, fonts, favicon, and overall style
• Build responsive layouts that look great on phones, tablets, and desktops
• Implement interactive elements (galleries, forms, etc.)
• Follow accessibility best practices throughout
• Apply SEO best practices so your site is easy to find

Testing Making sure everything works

• User acceptance testing with your team
• Validate responsive design across device sizes
• Validate accessibility and SEO
• Check loading performance, especially for image-heavy pages
• Resolve any issues raised during testing

Deployment Going live

• Transfer or purchase your domain and update DNS to point to the new platform
• Final validation of the live site

Post-Launch Handing off the keys

• Training your team on how to manage and update the site
• Documentation for ongoing maintenance
• Resolution of any immediate post-launch issues

Pricing

I price projects at a fixed rate based on scope, so you always know what you're getting into before any work begins. I'm specifically aiming to make custom websites accessible for local artists and organizations, and that goal is reflected in my rates.

Beyond my development fee, you'll also have ongoing hosting costs, which are typically low. For example, platforms like Squarespace offer tiers starting around $16/month that cover most small sites, including support for your custom domain. Domain purchase and renewal runs around $20/year and renews automatically.

Post-launch support beyond the initial scope is available at a separate hourly rate. I'll always be upfront about what that looks like before you commit to anything.

The best way to get a quote is to just reach out. We can talk through what you need and I'll put together a fair number for the scope of your project.

Examples

Here are a few projects that reflect the kind of work I have done for local organizations.