Web Design FAQ

A professional small business website typically costs $1,500-5,000 for a custom build with 5-15 pages, responsive design, basic SEO, and contact forms. Template-based sites are cheaper ($500-1,500) but look generic and perform worse in search. I price projects based on complexity: a simple 5-page marketing site is at the lower end; a bilingual site with dozens of pages and custom features is at the higher end. Ongoing hosting and maintenance adds $50-100/month.

Static HTML sites are faster, more secure, and cheaper to host. They're ideal for businesses that update their site infrequently (brochure sites, portfolios, service pages). WordPress is better if you need to update content frequently (blog posts, product listings, news), need e-commerce (WooCommerce), or want non-technical staff to make changes. I build both, and I'll recommend the right approach based on your actual needs — not just defaulting to WordPress because that's all most developers know.

Use WordPress when: you need a blog with frequent posts, you want non-technical staff to edit content, you need e-commerce, or you need integrations with specific WordPress plugins. Use a custom-built site when: you want maximum speed and security, your content changes infrequently, you need a unique design that templates can't achieve, or you want to avoid ongoing WordPress maintenance (plugin updates, security patches, database optimization).

A template can work for businesses that need a basic online presence quickly and cheaply. But templates come with tradeoffs: your site looks like thousands of others, they include bloated code from features you don't use (slowing your site down), and customization is limited. A custom website costs more upfront but loads faster, ranks better in search, and gives you exactly what you need without the bloat. For businesses serious about their online presence, custom is worth the investment.

A simple 5-page marketing site takes 1-2 weeks. A larger site with 15-30 pages, custom features, and SEO optimization takes 3-4 weeks. Complex projects like bilingual sites (100+ pages), web applications, or e-commerce platforms take 4-8 weeks. The biggest variable is content — if you have your text, images, and branding ready, the build goes much faster. I provide a timeline estimate before starting any project.

Every website I build is mobile-first — meaning I design for phone screens first, then adapt for tablets and desktops. Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices, and Google uses mobile-first indexing, so your mobile experience directly affects your search rankings. I test every site across multiple screen sizes and browsers before launch.

Yes, and this is one of my specialties. I've built sites with 170+ pages in both English and Spanish, complete with proper hreflang tags (telling Google which language version to show each user), separate URL structures (/es/ prefix for Spanish), localized SEO (different keywords for each market), and language toggle navigation. Based in the USA and Colombia, I write natural content in both languages — not Google Translate output.

PHP is a server-side programming language that powers dynamic features: contact forms, chat systems, user authentication, database queries, and content management systems like WordPress. If your site is purely informational (text + images + contact info), you may not need PHP — a static HTML site will be faster and simpler. If you need forms, a CMS, e-commerce, or any backend logic, PHP is the most widely supported and cost-effective option.