Custom Websites
One-of-one designs, no cookie-cutter templates. Built lean in HTML, CSS, and the smallest possible JavaScript so the page loads before the user blinks.
Web Design, SEO & GEO for Local Business
Hand-Forged Websites,
Built to Rank.
Fast, search-optimized sites for plumbers, bakers, dentists, contractors, etc.: the local trades that need to show up first when neighbors search. No bloated templates. No monthly hostage fees. Just sharp work.
- Lighthouse 90+ on every build
- SEO & GEO baked in (Google + AI search)
- Yours to own, no platform lock-in
Services
What Comes Off the Anvil
Four offerings, sized for local-business budgets.
Local SEO
Structured data, on-page targeting, and fast Core Web Vitals. Built around the keywords your neighbors actually type into Google.
GEO (AI Search)
Generative Engine Optimization for ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Schema, llms.txt, quotable content so your business shows up when customers ask an AI.
Ongoing Care
Optional hosting, updates, monthly SEO checks, content tweaks, and a real human you can text when something breaks.
The Forge
Recent Work
Real sites for real local businesses. Click through and run them through Lighthouse yourself.
Performers Playhouse
Kids' music & theater summer camps in Eastmark, Mesa, AZ. Visit site →
Anvil Awaits
Your business could be the next case study. Start a project →
Anvil Awaits
Your business could be the next case study. Start a project →
Jonathan reached out to us with a playhouse site already built as a pitch. We tweaked a few things to fit our brand and launched a couple days later. It's fast, works perfectly on phones, and he made the whole process easy.
Process
From Ore to Finished Blade
Four steps. No mystery, no monthly creep.
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Heat
A conversation about what your business needs to win. Goals, audience, the keywords your customers are actually typing.
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Hammer
Design and build in one cycle. See the website immediately, with real progress every few days, not a six-week black box.
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Quench
Launch day. SEO, structured data, and analytics lined up. Your site goes live ready to rank.
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Polish
Optional ongoing care after launch. Monthly tune-ups, content updates, ranking reports. You keep the site.
About
A One-Person Shop, On Purpose.
Two years in SEO and web marketing, trained one-on-one by the owner of my previous agency, before founding Fully Forged Studios. The fundamentals I learned there (structured data, on-page targeting, Core Web Vitals, the slow patient work of ranking a local business) are the same ones I apply here.
Big agencies bill big-agency rates and hand your project to a junior. Fully Forged Studios is a one-person shop. You talk to the person building your site. That keeps the work sharp and the price honest.
I focus on businesses that serve a community: plumbers, bakers, dentists, contractors, summer camps. The kind of business where a fast, well-ranked site can change how many customers walk through the door this month.
FAQ
Common Questions
If you didn't get a chance to ask, the answers are probably here.
How long does it take to build if I reach out to you?
Expect a rough first version of the site within a week of our kickoff call. From there we iterate on copy, colors, layout, and content based on your feedback until we're both happy. Most projects launch within two to three weeks of that first call.
What if you reached out to me with a site already built?
Then you're looking at a working draft I built for your business as part of the pitch. From there, it's usually a day or two to handle any changes you'd like (wording, colors, content swaps) before we launch. The heavy lifting is already done; we just dial it in to your taste.
Do I own the site when it's done?
Yes. The code, the design, the domain, the hosting credentials, the analytics account, all yours. No platform lock-in. You can move the site anywhere you want at any time.
Why hand-coded instead of WordPress or Squarespace?
Speed and SEO. A hand-coded site loads in one to two seconds; a typical WordPress build loads in five to eight. No plugin bloat, no monthly platform fees, no plugin updates breaking your site at 2am. The page that loads first ranks first. See Google's Core Web Vitals for why load speed maps directly to ranking.
What's included in a custom build?
Design and development, on-page SEO, JSON-LD structured data, Core Web Vitals optimization, mobile-responsive layout, accessibility, Google Analytics setup, sitemap, robots.txt, and launch support. Every build ships with Lighthouse scores of 90 or higher.
Will my site actually rank in Google?
SEO is a long game. The build sets up the technical foundation (structured data, fast load, on-page targeting, local schema) so the site can rank as content and links accrue. Anyone who promises specific positions in specific timeframes is lying. The work is real, the results take patience.
What if I need changes after launch?
Optional Ongoing Care after launch: hosting, monthly content updates, security patches, monthly SEO check-ins, ranking reports. You always keep the site.
Contact
Start the Forge
Pick up the phone or fire off an email. I reply within one business day.