Frequently Asked Questions
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Pricing and payment
How much does a website cost?
My Starter package is £900, Growth is £1,750, and Premium is £4,500. Every package includes design, development, testing, and launch. On top of the build, every client is on a maintenance plan covering hosting and support, which starts at £75/mo and doesn't begin until your site goes live. Every quote is a fixed price with no hidden extras.
What is the difference between the packages?
Starter is ideal for small businesses that need a clean, fast site of up to 5 pages. Growth adds a blog, CMS, booking integration, and advanced SEO for up to 10 pages. Premium includes everything in Growth plus payment processing, a client login portal, Shopify integration, an AI chatbot, and unlimited pages. Almost anything a package leaves out can be added to it as a paid add-on.
Can I add features that aren't in my package?
Yes, so you never have to jump up a tier just to get one thing. Extra pages start at £75, a blog is £200, a CMS is £400, booking integration is £350, payment processing is £250, and an AI chatbot is £400. The full list is on the pricing page, and the instant estimate will price up a combination for you.
How does payment work?
A 50% deposit is due during onboarding, before I start work. The balance is invoiced once the site is finished and ready for your final review, payable within 5 working days. Your site goes live 2 working days after you've signed it off and the balance is paid, and your maintenance plan starts on go-live day. The price we agree is the price you pay: it changes only if you ask for something new, and only after I've quoted it and you've said yes.
Do you charge VAT?
No. I'm not currently VAT registered, so the figure you're quoted is the figure you pay with nothing added on top. If I register for VAT in future, it would apply to fees from that date onwards.
Can I get a price without booking a call?
Yes. The instant estimate takes under a minute: pick the features you need and you'll see a fixed-price estimate straight away, with no waiting and no obligation. Book a free call when you're ready and I'll confirm everything.
How a project runs
How do I get started?
Book a free 30-minute call. I'll go through your project and give you a price on the call. I use fixed pricing, so it's an accurate figure, not a range. After that I'll send a brief to confirm the scope, then a fixed-price quote to approve in the client portal. Work starts once you've signed the contract, paid the deposit, and added a payment method for your plan.
Who will I be working with?
Me, from the first call to launch and beyond. Cactus is a one-person studio, so you're never passed between a separate designer, developer, and project manager, and you never have to explain your business twice.
How long does a website take to build?
It depends on the package. Starter builds go live in around 5 weeks, Growth takes 7, and Premium takes 11. Timelines start from the day you complete onboarding, not the first call, and the main variable is usually how quickly your content comes together.
Do I need to provide content and copy?
You know your business best, so I ask you to provide the core content. I offer copywriting support to help shape and polish it, and you'll get a clear brief telling you exactly what each page needs before the project begins. You don't need to be a writer.
What if I don't like the design?
About a week in, before the full build gets under way, I'll show you a real, working page of your site on a call. Not a flat mockup: the actual thing, on your phone and on a desktop. If the direction isn't right, tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it for free. If it's still not right after that, I refund your deposit in full and you've lost nothing but a bit of time.
How many revisions are included?
Starter and Growth packages include 2 rounds of revisions. Premium includes 3. The design direction call about a week in doesn't count towards them. Extra rounds can be added at £75 each.
Do you work with businesses outside the UK?
Yes. I work with clients anywhere. All communication and project management is remote-friendly.
What you get
Will my site work on mobile?
Yes. Every site I build is designed mobile-first and tested across devices and browsers before launch.
Will my site be accessible?
Yes. Every package is built to the WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standard, so your site works properly for visitors using screen readers, keyboard navigation, and other assistive technology. It isn't an upgrade or an add-on.
Can I update the website myself after launch?
Growth and Premium packages include a CMS so you can edit text, images, and blog posts without touching any code. Starter sites can have one added for £400.
Do I own the website when it's finished?
Once you've paid in full, the design work, illustrations, and any copy I write for you are yours outright, and anything you supplied is yours throughout. The underlying code and components I build on stay mine, and you get a licence to use them to run your site. If your maintenance plan ends properly, that licence becomes permanent, so you're never locked out of your own website. The full detail is in the terms.
Do I need my own domain name?
Yes, and that's deliberate: your domain stays registered in your name with your own registrar, so it's always yours. I don't register or renew domains on your behalf, but I'll configure the DNS to point it at your new site as part of launch.
Can you redesign an existing website?
Yes. A redesign follows the same process as a new build. I'll look at what's worth carrying over and what's better rebuilt, and the consultation call is the right place to start.
Can I see examples of your work?
Yes. The showcase has sample sites across a range of industries. They're concepts rather than client projects, built to the same standard as the sites I deliver, so you can judge the range and quality before we speak.
After launch
Do I have to be on a maintenance plan?
Yes. Every site I build is hosted and looked after on a maintenance plan, and setting one up is part of onboarding. It covers hosting, security, software updates, and monitoring, so your site isn't left to quietly go stale or fall over with nobody watching. Plans start at £75/mo and the first payment is taken on go-live day.
What does the maintenance plan include?
There are three plans. Essential (£75/mo) covers hosting, security, software updates, and uptime monitoring. Standard (£150/mo) adds 2 hours of content updates per month and a monthly analytics report. Pro (£275/mo) adds 4 hours of updates, priority support, and a quarterly strategy call. Pay monthly and cancel with 30 days' notice, or pay annually and get 2 months free.
What happens if I want changes after launch?
Ongoing changes are covered by your plan: Standard includes 2 hours of content updates per month, and Pro includes 4. Essential doesn't include update hours, so changes there, and anything beyond the included hours on Standard and Pro, are quoted separately depending on scope.
How quickly will I hear back if something goes wrong?
Within one working day, usually much sooner, and Pro plan messages go to the front of the queue. Your site is monitored around the clock and backed up regularly, so if it goes down overnight or at the weekend I'm alerted straight away rather than finding out on Monday.
Can I cancel my plan?
Yes. Monthly plans can be cancelled in writing with 30 days' notice. Annual plans can also be cancelled mid-term, with a refund of the unused portion calculated at the standard monthly rate. If you do leave, I'll give you what you need to point your domain at another host.
Let's talk about your project
Book a free 30-minute call. I'll go through your project with you, answer your questions, and give you a price on the call.
Free consultation · No commitment