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Web design for startups and new businesses.

Website design for startups has one job at the start: make the business look as real as it is. Here's what a new business website needs, in the order it needs it, and the two ways we build it.

Launch program

New and owner-run?

by application $1,500

Apply to the Launch program. When we have room, we select new businesses for a custom website, with the same design and attention to detail as our full-price sites. It's our way of giving back.

Apply to be selected

Open a while, funded, or building something bigger?

from $3,500

A complete custom site with strategy, design, copy guidance, and the SEO foundation, up to e-commerce and integrations.

See our website packages

Timing

What a startup website needs, and when.

  1. Before you open

    A name and a domain. A home page that says what you do and where. A way to reach you. A Google Business Profile, so you show up on the map.

  2. Opening week

    What you sell, with prices if you can. Real photos. Hours, service area, and one clear way to book or call.

  3. First 90 days

    Analytics, so you can see what's working. Your first reviews, linked from the site. A page for each service you want to be found for.

  4. Year one

    Fresh photos and content. An email list. Ads, once you know what a customer is worth to you.

Site map

What pages a startup website needs.

Good startup website design starts small and grows with the business. These are the pages to launch with.

Every new business

Home
What you do, who it's for, and where. One clear next step.
What you sell
Each service or product, with prices if you can share them.
About
The people behind it. A new business earns trust with real faces and a real story.
Contact
A form, a phone number, and when you'll get back to people.

Tech startups add

Product
What it does, shown with real screens or a short demo, not described.
Pricing
Plans in plain numbers, so visitors don't have to ask.
Waitlist or sign-up
One field, so you collect interest before launch day.
Press kit
Logo, screenshots, and founder bios, so writers can cover you.

Common mistakes

Four mistakes we see new businesses make.

Building on a builder you'll outgrow
A do-it-yourself builder is fine as a placeholder. Moving off it later usually means rebuilding the site from scratch.
Launching with stock photos
Customers can tell. Phone photos of your real work, your space, and your team do more for a new business than any stock library.
Skipping the map
For a local business, the Google Business Profile can bring in as many calls as the website. Set it up before you open, and link the two.
Paying for features you don't need yet
Portals, stores, and booking systems can wait until customers ask for them. Start with a site that explains the business well.
The Houston Toro Loco home page

Launch program recipient

Houston Toro Loco opened with a custom site, not a template.

A mechanical bull and party rental business in Houston and Spring, and the first site we built through the Launch program.

Apply to be selected See the project

Related services

Works with

Startup website questions

How much does startup web design cost?

Agencies typically charge $3,000 to $20,000 or more for a small business website. Our websites start at $3,500. New, owner-run businesses can apply to our Launch program for a custom website at $1,500, plus $50 a month for hosting and upkeep. A Launch site isn't an entry-level package: it gets the same design and attention to detail as our full-price sites. About the Launch program

When should a startup build a website?

Before you open, if you can. Even a simple site with your name, what you sell, and how to reach you gives customers and Google something to find on day one. It can grow as the business does.

Do you do website design for tech startups?

Yes. Tech startups usually need a product page, pricing, and a waitlist or sign-up on top of the basics. New, owner-run startups can apply to the Launch program. If you're funded or further along, our websites start at $3,500.

Should a startup use Wix or Squarespace?

They're a reasonable placeholder if you have the time to build it yourself. If the website needs to bring in customers through search, a custom site with the search foundation built in does more, and it won't look like the template your competitors used.

How long does it take to build a startup website?

Most of the wait is content: words, photos, and a logo. Once those are in, the build moves quickly. We give you a timeline on the planning call.