How we build a site
ProcessSix steps, from your first conversation with us to launch. You approve every fact before the site goes live.
Talk
You email the person who will build your website. We ask about your business, your customers and what they need to find, then agree the scope and price in writing.
Facts
We send a short list of the facts we need: your address, registrations, prices and any genuine customer reviews you have permission to publish. We never guess them.
Design
We show you the first screen early and explain our choices. Two review rounds are included, with feedback grouped into one list per round.
Build
We build a standalone website without a page builder. Fonts and images load from your own site.
Check
We check every page at phone and desktop sizes, test keyboard access and contrast, and check for third-party requests.
Launch
You sign the site off in writing and settle the setup balance, or the build balance if paying outright. It goes live on your domain, with hosting managed by us for subscriptions or in your account for outright builds. Subscription billing begins at launch, monthly in advance with no minimum term.
What every site includes
- A standalone website
- No page-builder subscription or plugins to maintain. Content, domain and hosting still need periodic checks.
- Fonts on your site
- Licensed fonts load from your own website, without contacting an external font service.
- No advertising trackers
- Our standard client builds exclude advertising trackers and embedded third-party services. Northlane uses Cloudflare’s cookieless Web Analytics to understand visits and website performance.
- A privacy page
- Drafted from what your site does, for you to review and approve. You are responsible for its final content.
- Accessibility
- We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA, including readable contrast, keyboard access, labelled forms and image descriptions.
- Your accounts
- Domain and email accounts in your name from the start. We manage subscription hosting; outright builds use your hosting account.
- Placeholders, not guesses
- Any fact we do not have stays marked until you confirm it in writing.
Questions
Is a cookie banner needed?
Our standard client build has no analytics or advertising trackers. Northlane uses cookieless Cloudflare Web Analytics, explained in our privacy notice. We check what each finished site loads before deciding whether a consent banner is needed.
Who writes the words?
We draft them from what you tell us. You check every claim, price and registration before launch, and we keep your written answers.
Who owns the site?
With a subscription, we retain the code and design; you have use of the website while subscribed. Cancel by email before your next billing date, with no minimum term, cancellation fee or remaining build balance. Your site goes offline and management and the licence end after the paid period. With an outright build, portable files and copyright pass after full payment before launch, subject to third-party licences. Your domain and supplied content stay yours throughout. We retain our general reusable building blocks; showing your work in our portfolio needs your separate permission.
Do you use AI tools?
We use AI-assisted coding tools. We review and test every page ourselves before it goes live.
Is this legal advice?
No. We build to the UK rules we follow on every site, and we tell you when a question needs a solicitor.
Can you build an online shop?
We do not build online shops. Our packages cover information websites with direct contact options, not online sales or booking systems.
How long does a site take?
We aim to launch a compact site within 4 weeks of receiving your facts and deposit, or a more involved site within 8, subject to scope and capacity. A compact Plus site does not automatically need 8 weeks. We agree the date in your quote; the schedule may change if we are waiting for information or approval.
Where is the site hosted?
On Cloudflare Pages by default. Both subscriptions include hosting for the agreed website and one domain up to £15/year, registered in your name. You keep the domain after cancellation and take over future renewals. Outright builds use your hosting account; hosting and domain fees remain separate. Email, extra domain costs and paid licences are agreed separately.
Can the site change later?
Essential includes 3 small website update requests each month; Plus includes 6. Email us changes to existing wording, prices, hours or supplied photos. We confirm what is included and when it will be ready before starting. Requests do not roll over; routine maintenance and fixes to our own errors do not use the allowance. New pages and larger changes are quoted separately. From your 13th paid subscription month, an annual existing-site review is also included: up to one hour for Essential or two for Plus. Optional outright care includes the same request counts and the annual review from launch. See update examples and the full scope.
