Custom Web Design
A custom website from ANTHONY. is hand-coded rather than assembled from a template. Each build is designed around the business's primary next step — a phone call, quote request, booking, or purchase — and is tested against an agreed performance and accessibility target before launch. You own the code and can move it to another host. Clear structure, useful content, and strong technical foundations make the site easier for people and search systems to understand, but no build can promise a particular speed score, ranking, or conversion result. This service is for owners in Rome, Utica, New Hartford, Syracuse, and the surrounding Central NY market who want a site that reflects the business rather than a generic template.
Custom websites designed to look great, load fast, and turn visitors into customers. Built from scratch for your business.
Starting at $499 one-time. See full pricing →
Who this is for
If any of these sound like your business, this is the right fit.
- Service businesses in Central NY (HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical, landscaping) whose phone is the lifeblood of the business
- Owners launching a new brand who don't want to start on a template CMS and inherit the maintenance debt
- Contractors and trades who get most of their leads from Google but are losing them to faster competitor sites
- Local restaurants, salons, and shops that need a single beautiful page that loads instantly on a phone
- Established businesses with a tired 2015-era site that no longer reflects what they actually do
Starting at $499
One-time project fee.
What's included
- Up to 20 pages, hand-coded
- Mobile-first design and representative-device performance review
- Schema markup, semantic HTML, AEO answer blocks
- Google Analytics 4 + Search Console connected
- 30 days post-launch support
- You own the code on day one
Optional add-ons
- + Edge Hosting on Cloudflare — $40/yr
- + Local Visibility — Growth — $150/mo (unlimited edits, SEO, GBP)
- + Studio-Managed Build upgrade — $1,499 (adds Sanity CMS)
What changes after we work together
Real metrics our clients see, not vanity numbers.
How fast the main content appears on mobile
Technical quality at launch
Build schedule
Ongoing cost after launch
How we work
A structured approach to ensure your project stays on track.
- ● Strategy & Blueprinting We map out the user journey and site architecture before a single pixel is placed.
- ● Design & Interaction Visual drafts and prototypes are refined until the aesthetic matches your brand perfectly.
- ● Deployment & Launch Final testing, a Google speed score you can read yourself, and a launch window you actually pick.
Why this stack wins
We focus on the metrics that actually drive calls and revenue.
Mobile-First Design
Most customers find you on their phone. We build sites that look and work perfectly on every screen.
Performance Tested
We set a practical performance budget for the approved page and verify it on representative devices before launch.
Conversion Driven
We do not just make it pretty. We design layouts that guide visitors toward your primary calls to action.
How this differs from the standard approach
Side-by-side: what most agencies do vs how we do it.
| Aspect | Traditional approach | ANTHONY. |
|---|---|---|
| How the site is built | Template or builder implementation | Hand-coded TypeScript + React, deployed to Cloudflare |
| Who owns the code | You rent the site — cancel and it disappears | You own 100% of the code on day one — full GitHub handoff if you want it |
| Page weight | 4–7 MB per page (jQuery, sliders, ad scripts) | A performance budget set for the approved page and audience |
| Mobile load time | Varies with the platform, content, and third-party scripts | Tested on representative devices before launch |
| Lock-in | 12-month contract, monthly fee in perpetuity | Five pages from $499 or Flex Pay at 3 × $175. Hosting is $39.99/yr and optional |
| Updates and edits | Support terms vary by provider | Direct support with timing agreed to the requested change |
| SEO baseline | Generic meta tags from a Yoast wizard | Schema markup, AEO answer blocks, internal linking from launch |
FAQ
Everything you need to know about this service.
How long does a custom website build take?
Fast Track is reserved for a focused, defined launch scope. The delivery window is confirmed in writing after intake, content, integrations, and approvals are known. Larger custom builds, CMS-heavy work, e-commerce, or multi-location architectures are scoped separately before work starts.
How much does a custom website cost?
The five-page package is $499 one-time or Flex Pay at 3 × $175. Ten pages are $799 or 3 × $280, and up to twenty pages are $999 or 3 × $350. Hosting is a separate $39.99/year, and you can host elsewhere if you want. Custom-function scopes get a written price before work starts.
Do I own the website when you are done?
Yes. You own 100% of the code, content, and assets the day final payment clears. If you ever want the GitHub repo handed off so you or another developer can take it from there, just ask. That is not how the big-media bundles or most agencies work — they rent the site to you forever.
What if I already have a WordPress site? Do I have to ditch it?
We can rebuild your content on a modern stack while keeping your domain, copy, and photos. We map relevant old URLs to their new counterparts and validate redirects, which is the responsible way to reduce migration risk. Search engines ultimately determine how signals are processed after a move. See our Website Rescue & Rebuild service for that scope.
Will my new site rank on Google?
Every site is built with clear structure, semantic markup, useful metadata, and a sitemap. When access is available, we can connect Search Console at launch. Those are technical foundations, not a ranking guarantee: search visibility depends on competition, relevance, content, reputation, and search-engine systems outside anyone’s control.
Can I edit the site myself after launch?
If you want a CMS to edit content yourself, look at the Studio-Managed Build ($1,499 — includes Sanity CMS embedded at admin.designedbyanthony.com). The focused custom build starts at $499 and is hand-edited by us; you text or email the change, and we publish it.
What is the catch?
There are trade-offs. You will not get drag-and-drop page editing by default, because the chosen architecture prioritizes a controlled, maintainable build. You are working directly with Anthony rather than a large support desk, and response timing is agreed by scope. We also avoid publishing thin pages that do not help customers or strengthen the site’s information quality.
Do you do e-commerce or just lead-gen sites?
Both. Lead-generation sites for service businesses are a core service. For e-commerce, we build on Shopify, Stripe Checkout, or a custom cart depending on catalog size and integrations. E-commerce builds start at $1,499 because of the additional payment, inventory, and tax-handling work.
Sources & citations
- Google considers page experience alongside many other signals. It does not publish a universal speed-score threshold or a ranking guarantee for a particular implementation. — Google Search Central, Page Experience update (2021)
- Page experience can affect whether visitors can use a site comfortably. The appropriate performance target depends on the page, connection, device, and third-party services. — Google / SOASTA Research, Mobile Page Speed Industry Benchmarks
- Page weight and loading behavior vary widely by page content. Each build uses a performance budget appropriate to its approved media and functionality. — HTTP Archive Web Almanac, Page Weight chapter
- Cloudflare distributes content through a global network. Actual latency depends on routing, caching, the visitor’s connection, and the page itself. — Cloudflare Network status page
Related services
Often combined with this work to compound results.
Managed Hosting & Support
Fast, secure website hosting with hands-on support. We handle updates, security, and backups so you do not have to think about it.
AI-Ready Local Visibility
Help your business show up when local customers search, compare, and ask AI systems for a trusted recommendation.
Website Rescue & Rebuild
Fix a slow, outdated, or broken website with a modern, mobile-friendly technical foundation.