Web design and development in Vermont

WordPress suits a team that publishes often and wants to edit most of the site itself. Its choice of plugins gives you ways to add features, although someone needs to keep WordPress updated for security. Before choosing it, think about who will make those updates alongside the content work.

A custom-coded site in Next.js suits a design that needs freedom from template limits, fast pages and tight security. Structural changes usually need a developer. A headless setup adds a separate content editor to a custom front end, which is useful for heavy editing but creates more parts to host and maintain.

Hosted builders such as Wix, Squarespace and Webflow suit smaller sites that an owner wants to run alone. You give up some control over code and speed, and moving away later might mean rebuilding the site. We recommend WordPress or Next.js after learning how your team works, so the editing arrangements are clear before the platform is chosen.

For a business open to the public, US Department of Justice guidance says the ADA covers goods and services offered on the web and identifies WCAG as helpful guidance. Agree an accessibility target in your brief. We set up a clear heading structure and design desktop and mobile pages against that target, then refine the layouts with your feedback. The same search-ready structure includes page titles, descriptions and an XML sitemap.

Bring the material you already have, along with the decisions your team still needs to make.

• Your logo in SVG, AI or EPS, plus brand colours and fonts, or a note that these need creating.
• A ranked list of the services or products you want to feature.
• Your main goal, such as quote requests or calls, and who handles each enquiry.
• Real photos of your team, premises and finished work.
• Case studies, permitted client logos, testimonials and certifications in a folder.
• Sites you like and dislike, with a short reason for each choice.

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  Leaving content until the end

  Use real headings and paragraphs during design so layouts reflect the space your copy needs.

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  Reviewing only on a large screen

  Check every page on a phone before approving the design.

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  Putting accounts in an agency’s name

  Hold the domain and hosting accounts in your business name and grant access to the people doing the work.

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  Leaving search checks until after launch

  Check page titles and the sitemap, and remove any indexing block left from development.