Website development company in Washington, United States

WordPress suits a team that publishes often and wants to edit most of the site itself. Its choice of plugins gives you options for adding features, while regular updates become part of the work needed to keep the site secure. Think about who will handle those updates as well as who will publish the content.

A custom-coded site in Next.js suits a company that wants fast pages, tight security and a design without template limits. It asks for a different working arrangement: you should be happy for a developer to handle structural changes when the site needs them. That distinction is useful when you are deciding how much control your team needs over the layout.

A hosted builder such as Wix, Squarespace or Webflow suits a small site that an owner wants to run alone. You give up some control over code and speed, and moving away later can mean rebuilding. We recommend WordPress or Next.js after learning how your team works.

For a business open to the public, accessibility belongs in the brief. US guidance says the ADA covers goods and services offered on the web and points to WCAG as helpful guidance. We agree a WCAG target with you before design work starts, using the success criteria to guide the pages. For a state or local government website, we use the required WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard as the target for the build.

Put your case studies, testimonials and other proof of work in one folder, including any client logos you have permission to show.

• Brand filesYour logo in SVG, AI or EPS, plus your colours and fonts, or a note that these still need creating.
• Website examplesSites you like and dislike, with a short reason for each choice.
• PhotosImages of your team, premises and finished work; arrange a photo shoot ahead if you need one.
• A goalDecide whether you want quote requests, calls or job applications, and who handles each enquiry.
• Account accessFind the logins for your domain, hosting, email, analytics and Search Console, or identify who holds them.

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  Choosing a platform too early

  First decide who will update the site and how often. Use those editing needs to guide the choice.

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  Designing with placeholder text

  Put real headings and paragraphs into the layouts early, before their length disrupts an approved design.

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  Copying every old page

  Review what visitors need and keep service pages clear, so the site is easier to scan and maintain.

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  Leaving search setup until after launch

  Check page titles, the sitemap and any development indexing block before the site goes live.