The problem with most small-business websites
They're built backwards. A template gets picked, content gets poured in, and search gets bolted on at the end — if at all. The result looks finished and performs like it doesn't exist: slow on phones, invisible on Google, and quietly costing the owner enquiries every week. (If that sounds familiar, I wrote up the eight most common reasons a website stays invisible — most trace back to how the site was built.)
I build in the opposite order: structure and search first, then design that makes the structure beautiful. Both jobs, one person, so they never fight.
What every Mkista build includes
- The right platform, chosen honestly. Wix for set-and-forget reliability, WordPress for content at scale, Shopify for commerce, custom code when speed and design are the selling point. I'm certified at Wix's top partner tier and build on all of them weekly — here's my unrigged comparison.
- Speed as a feature. Sites engineered to load fast on a phone on mobile data — because that's where your customers actually are, and because Google measures it.
- SEO wired in from the first wireframe. Clean headings, schema markup, per-page titles and meta, sitemap, Search Console — the launch-day site is already the site Google wants to rank.
- Copy written for humans. The way you'd explain your service across a counter — not keyword soup, not corporate filler.
- Lead capture that reaches you instantly. Forms that land in your inbox and on WhatsApp the moment they're submitted — because a lead answered in five minutes is worth three answered tomorrow.
- A straight written scope. What gets built, what it costs, in writing before anything starts.
Recent builds you can click
Real projects, live right now: an Italian restaurant in Brisbane, migration agents in Perth and Sydney, a mortgage broker's ninety-page finance site in Melbourne, an international yoga school, removalists, healers, retailers — the full list with links is on the homepage work section. Every one of them is a working business tool, not a portfolio piece.
How a project runs
- Strategy call — free, twenty minutes. What you sell, who buys it, what the site must do.
- Scope in writing — pages, platform, timeline, price. No surprises later.
- The build — you see progress over WhatsApp as it happens, not at a big reveal.
- Launch + foundations — analytics, Search Console, indexing submitted, redirects handled if we're replacing an old site (done carelessly, this is where rankings die — we're careful).
- After — grow it with SEO and content, or take the keys and run. Your call; no forced retainers.
Common questions
Which platform will my site be built on?
Whichever fits your business. Brochure site that must never break — usually Wix. Publishing-heavy growth plan — usually WordPress. Store — Shopify. Speed-and-design showcase — custom code with a headless backend, which is exactly how this site is built. The recommendation follows your needs; I profit the same either way.
How much does a website cost?
Scoped and priced individually, in writing, after the free call. Costs vary too much with size and platform for an honest flat number — but you'll have yours before anything starts, and the invoice will match it.
How long does a build take?
Depends on scope — a focused service site moves quickly; a large multi-page build takes longer. The written scope includes the timeline, and you watch progress live rather than waiting for a reveal.
Can you redesign my existing site without losing my Google rankings?
Yes — that's a migration done properly: every old URL mapped and redirected, structure preserved or improved, Search Console watched through the switch. It's a speciality of ours, including full platform moves.