02 — Website Design & Development
A website that takes the booking, not just the enquiry
Most small business sites are a brochure with a phone number. This is a site that shows real availability, lets a customer choose a service and a time, and takes a deposit to hold it — while you are with someone else.
A phone number is a conversion step that only works when somebody is free to answer it. If you are mid-appointment, the enquiry goes to whoever picks up instead — and because most people decide outside your working hours, that is most of them.
A site that converts does three things from the customer’s side: shows real availability rather than "call for hours", lets her commit to a specific service at a specific time, and lets her pay something to hold it. And one thing from yours — the booking lands somewhere you will actually see it, with the payment already attached.
Everything is built custom on modern frameworks rather than assembled from a page builder, so it stays fast on a phone on a weak signal, which is where your customers actually are.
What you get
Mobile-first, genuinely
Designed for a phone first and a desktop second, because that is the order your customers use them in. Fast on a weak connection, not just on your laptop.
Online booking with real availability
Your services, durations and prices, against a calendar that reflects when you are actually free — not a contact form that starts a conversation.
Deposits taken at the moment of decision
Card payment to hold the slot, straight into your own payment account. You receive your customers’ money directly; it never sits with us.
An owner’s dashboard
One place to see what the night booked, with payments recorded against each booking. Built for the person running the business, not for a developer.
Ownership, in your name
Domain, hosting, source code and every connected account registered to you from day one. You can move it, hand it to another developer, or sell it with the business.
How it works
What you sell, and how
Your services, prices, durations and the shape of a normal booking. Most of the design follows from this rather than from a mood board.
A date and a fixed price
Written scope, one figure, and a delivery date. Engineered carefully, delivered on a date, supported long after launch.
Build and review
You see it working on a real URL and use it as a customer would before it goes live.
Launch and hand over the keys
Live, with every account in your name and a walkthrough of how to run it. Optional maintenance afterwards if you would rather not think about it.
Running in production
muriellehairbraids.com is a braiding studio running this build — booking with deposits, a product shop with live shipping rates, SMS reminders and a full back office. Open it on your phone and book as far as the deposit screen. muriellehairbraids.com ↗
Common questions
How much does a small business website with online booking cost?
A complete build starts at $1,500 as a one-time fee, with no monthly platform charge. That covers the site, online booking, deposit collection, an owner’s dashboard and mobile-first performance. Larger builds are scoped and quoted in writing before any work begins.
Do I own the site, or am I renting it?
You own it. The domain, the hosting account, the source code and every connected account are registered in your name from day one. On most subscription platforms you are licensing a site that stops working when you stop paying, and the code is not yours to take.
How long does it take?
A focused site is usually a few weeks; a full booking platform with payments takes longer. You get a date in the written scope before work starts, and the date is the commitment — not an estimate that drifts.
Can you work with my existing site?
Sometimes. If the foundation is sound we can extend it; if it is a page builder that cannot do booking or payments properly, rebuilding is usually cheaper than fighting it. We will tell you which one it is honestly, including when the answer is that you do not need us.
Do you work with businesses outside the United States?
Yes. The studio is a US company and works with clients anywhere — the work is remote, and pricing is quoted in US dollars.