Questions
Everything people ask before hiring me.
Including the price ranges. If a number here makes the project a non-starter, that's useful for both of us to know now rather than after three meetings.
Cost & timeline
- How much does a website cost?
- Websites start at $1,000. That's a focused site for a single-location business where you provide everything — photos, logo and the words — and I design, build and launch it. From there the price depends on how much I create for you: new photography, a short film, on-site interviews or written copy typically put a project between $3,500 and $9,000. Larger builds get quoted on scope. Every project gets a fixed written price before any work starts, so the number never moves after we begin.
- What does hosting and upkeep cost after launch?
- Care plans run $125 to $250 a month. That covers hosting, a secure domain and SSL, software updates and backups, small content edits when you need them, uptime monitoring, and a quarterly check on how the site is performing in local search. It's month to month with thirty days' notice. If you'd rather host it yourself, you can — the site is yours either way.
- How long does a project take?
- Photography comes back in about ten days. A short film takes around three weeks. A website with new photography is usually live in four to six weeks. Brand work adds a few weeks at the front. The most common cause of delay is not design — it's waiting on content and approvals, so we set those dates at the start.
- Do you offer monthly partnerships?
- Yes, and most clients end up there. A partnership covers hosting, updates, quarterly photography, local search maintenance and a monthly review, for a fixed monthly fee. It's month to month with thirty days' notice — there's no annual lock-in, because a partnership you'd have to be trapped in isn't worth having.
- How do projects begin?
- With a thirty-minute call about the business, not the deliverables. If it makes sense to continue, you get a written proposal within three business days with a fixed price, a scope, and a delivery date. Half is due to begin, half on delivery.
Websites
- Can you help if I already have a website?
- Often the answer is that you don't need a new one. Plenty of sites need better photography, clearer wording, faster loading and a proper Google Business Profile — not a rebuild. If that's your situation I'll say so, and the work costs a fraction of a new build.
- Will my website work on mobile?
- Yes, and it's designed on mobile first, because that's where the majority of your visitors will be. Every page is checked on real phone widths, not just resized in a browser.
- Will I own my website and domain?
- Completely. The domain stays in your name, you hold the registrar and hosting logins, and you keep every file. There is no proprietary platform you'd have to leave behind and nothing that stops working if you hire someone else.
- Do you provide hosting and maintenance?
- Yes, as part of a monthly partnership, or you can host it yourself — I'll set it up either way and hand over the keys. Hosting through me includes updates, backups, uptime monitoring and security patches.
- Can you update my website after launch?
- Yes. The first thirty days of adjustments are included at no cost. After that, you can make edits yourself using the training I provide, request changes ad hoc, or have them covered under a monthly partnership.
- What happens after launch?
- We check analytics and search performance at thirty and ninety days and fix what the data points at. Launch is when you start learning what visitors actually do, and the first two months usually surface a handful of easy improvements.
- What if I only need a website?
- That's a normal project. I'll ask what photography exists, because a well-built site with weak images underperforms — but if you have good photography already, we use it and I don't sell you a shoot you don't need.
Photography & video
- Can you photograph our business?
- Yes, and it's the work I'd recommend to most businesses first. A day on site photographing your space, your team and your work gives you material that improves the website, the Google profile, social, hiring and print all at once.
- Do you create video content?
- Yes. Usually one short film of sixty to ninety seconds, plus vertical cuts for social. Longer isn't better — a focused ninety seconds outperforms a five-minute company overview almost every time.
- What if I only need photography?
- Then we do photography. Half-day and full-day shoots are a standard offering and plenty of clients start and stop there. You own everything, so it's useful whether or not we ever do anything else together.
- Can you manage our social media?
- I produce the material and the plan; I don't post around the clock or run community management. Most businesses are better served by a library of real content their own team publishes than by an outside agency writing in their voice.
Working together
- Do I need all of your services?
- No — and I'll tell you when you don't. Most businesses should fix one thing well rather than five things partially. The services are designed to reinforce each other over time, not to be bought at once.
- Can you help with SEO?
- Yes, focused on local search, which is what actually moves the needle for a business serving a region. That means an accurate and photographed Google Business Profile, consistent listings, proper page structure and site speed. I don't sell national keyword campaigns or guarantee rankings, because nobody can.
- How do we measure success?
- We agree on two or three numbers before we start — calls, form submissions, bookings, direct traffic, applications — and set up tracking so they're visible. Design opinions get argued forever; numbers settle it.
- How often will we communicate?
- A short check-in each week during a project, plus a shared document that always shows the current status and what's waiting on you. During a partnership, a monthly review call. You'll always know who owes what.
- Can you work with businesses outside Connecticut?
- Yes. Photography and film need me on site, so those work best within a few hours' drive of Pomfret — Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island. Brand, website and strategy work happen remotely for clients anywhere.
About MKN
- Can you redesign our existing brand?
- Yes, and often the right answer is a careful refresh rather than a replacement. If people already recognize your sign or your truck, throwing that away costs you something real. We keep what has equity and fix what's inconsistent.
- What makes MKN different?
- One person does the strategy, the photography and the build, which means the pieces are designed to fit together and nothing gets lost between vendors. It also means I take fewer projects at once. That's a genuine trade-off: you get a partner who knows your business, not a team that can turn around ten projects a month.
Still have a question?
Ask it directly — I'd rather answer an awkward question early than have it sit in the back of your mind.
I reply to every message personally, within one business day.
I'm taking on two new projects next month.
Not ready to start a project? That's completely fine.
Send me your website address and I'll record a free five-minute video walking through the three things I'd improve first. Yours to keep, whether we ever work together or not. No pitch at the end.
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