Our approach
Hiring a studio shouldn't feel like a leap of faith
Most small businesses have a story about a web project that went sideways — vague quotes, months of silence, a result nobody asked for. Our whole process is designed so that story never happens here.
What we believe
Four promises, every project
Plain answers
You'll never need a glossary to read our emails. We explain what we're doing, why, and what it costs — in the language you'd use with a customer.
Fixed scope, fixed quote
You approve a number before work starts, and that's the number. If you want more later, that's a new conversation — not a surprise invoice.
Boring, reliable tech
We build on proven, widely-supported tools — not this month's framework. Your site should outlive trends and never depend on us to keep breathing.
You own everything
Domain, hosting, code, content, accounts — all in your name from day one. If we ever part ways, everything keeps working and it's all yours.
The process
From first call to steady state
Typical timeline shown — confirmed in your quote before we start.
Week 1
Discover
A 30-minute call about your business, customers and where the hours go. You get a plain-language plan and a fixed quote — no obligation, no jargon.
- A 30-minute call — your business, your customers, where the hours go
- A one-page plan in plain language
- A fixed quote and timeline, no obligation
Weeks 2–4
Design & build
We design, you react, we refine. Short weekly check-ins, work you can see in your browser, and no surprises at the end.
- Design you can react to in your browser, not a PDF
- A short check-in each week — fifteen minutes, no slide decks
- Copy and structure built around getting inquiries
Launch week
Launch
Domains, hosting, analytics, redirects — handled. We launch carefully, with your first workflow live from day one, and stay close through the first weeks while real visitors arrive.
- Domains, hosting, redirects and analytics handled for you
- A careful launch checklist — redirects mapped, links tested, boring on purpose
- If you bought automation, your first workflow live on launch day — and a walkthrough of it all
Ongoing
Run
The monthly side kicks in. On Care, the site stays fast, updated and backed up. On an automation retainer, workflows fire, we watch and tune them, and a monthly plain-language note tells you what ran and what it got you.
- Your workflows monitored and tuned — failures flagged to us the moment they happen
- Content changes done for you by email — every package includes a monthly allowance
- A monthly note: what ran, what it won you, what we'd improve next
Start a project
Ready to stopdoing it by hand?
Tell us what you're working with. You'll get a plain-language reply — and if we're not the right fit, we'll say so and point you somewhere good.
Prefer email? contact@theharbortree.com
Tell us what you need
Three fields. Takes about thirty seconds.