Web development
Web development for your next site or application.
We build business websites, content sites and custom PHP applications. The work starts with what your visitors need to do and what your team needs to manage, from publishing a page to running an integration.
Start with the work the site has to do
For a content site, the difficult decisions are often about publishing: which page types you need, who edits them and how they stay consistent. For an application, we also need to understand accounts, calculations and the systems it connects to.
We settle those questions before implementation. They determine whether the public site needs a database and an application server, and what your team will have to maintain after launch.
Sites and applications we build
Business websites
A browser editor for your pages and an agreed performance budget for the public site.
Publishing and documentation
Categories, authors and archives, with fields that help editors keep related content consistent.
Custom PHP applications
Accounts, calculations and live integrations built with PHP 8 and selected Symfony components.
E-commerce
Catalogues, checkout and connected systems. See our e-commerce work.
Improvements to an existing site
Page structure, speed, structured data and redirects when the existing build can be retained.
Maintenance after launch
An optional maintenance scope that you can cancel or transfer to another developer.
Editing, hosting and handover
For content sites we use Astro, Tailwind and Keystatic, with content kept in git. Where the project needs application logic, we use PHP.
You receive the repository and the instructions needed to build and run it. We consider who will publish changes and maintain the system when choosing the architecture.
An editor built around the content
Defined fields for pages, images and links, with version history for committed changes.
Hosting in your name
A static-capable host for content sites, or an appropriately sized server for applications.
A documented build
Dependency installation, configuration and build commands included with the repository.
The editor has to work, too
On our own site, twelve published pages looked correct but would not open in Keystatic. The build check compared definitions without reading the content. We changed it to validate the values used on every site and restored the defect once to confirm it failed.
Read how we found the editor failure. It is a useful example of why a successful public build is only part of the handover.
Planning the website project
How long does a small site take?
Four to six weeks for something in the ten-to-fifty-page range, and most of that is content decisions rather than code. The build is rarely the slow part.
Who writes the content?
Usually you, with editorial feedback from us. We can also scope writing as part of the project when that is useful.
Where does it get hosted?
On a static-capable host for content sites, or an appropriately sized server for applications. You own the account either way.
What if you disappear?
You have the repository, the content, the accounts and the build instructions. A developer familiar with Astro or PHP can take over without moving the project first.
Can you work with our designer?
Yes. Share the design before implementation and we can identify costly or fragile interactions while they are still easy to change.
Tell us what the site needs to do.
Send your brief or existing URL, who will use the site and any systems it needs to connect to.