How We Work
Work out what's needed, build it properly, look after it for as long as you want us to.
How We Work
How We Work
The short version of how a Motley project goes.
Every job's different. A brochure site and a bespoke web app are not the same animal, and search work or automation is different again. But the shape of how we work barely changes, whatever we're doing: we figure out what you need, we build it, then we look after it. No jargon, no surprises at invoice time, and we don't disappear the day it goes live.
Plan
- Before anyone touches a keyboard, we get to know your business. How it runs day to day, where the friction is, what this thing has to do for you.
- Plenty of agencies skip this part, and it's the part that decides everything. Get it right and the rest is straightforward. Get it wrong and you end up with something that looks fine and doesn't earn its keep.
- Sometimes the answer here is smaller than you expected: a smarter process, a fix to what you've already got, or "don't spend the money yet". We'll say so.
Build
- Then we make it. Design and development done properly, tested before it goes anywhere near your customers.
- This is where the craft is. Clean design, a solid build, and none of the shortcuts that come back to bite you in year two. You'll hear from us as we go, in plain English, so there's nothing to brace for at the end.
- Bespoke means built around how your business works, not a template with your logo on it.
Launch and look after
- We get it live. And then we stick around.
- A lot of agencies hand over the keys and move on. Most of our clients stay with us for years, on hosting and maintenance, because a website or an app needs looking after, the same as anything else that earns you money. Updates, backups, monitoring, the small fixes, and someone to ring who knows your site.
- Our longest client relationship runs the full eighteen years, and several are past ten. That's the bit we'd point to if you asked whether we'll still be here.
From initial design concept through to final implementation no request was too much. He was flexible and adapted to our changing specifications with ease.
They trained me in using the back end of the system and even now, they still support me whenever I'm finding something tricky or just need to understand something better.
What that looks like for each kind of work
Websites
Fast, accessible, content-managed sites you can run yourself, built to last. Brochure sites, online shops and everything between. More on websites.
Web apps
For when a website isn't enough: bespoke applications built around how your business runs, with support you can hold us to. More on web apps.
Search and AI visibility
Getting found, on Google and in the AI tools people now ask instead. The fundamentals done well, and reporting you can read without a glossary. More on SEO and AI search.
AI and automation
Taking the repetitive work off your team's desk so they can do the parts that need a person. Practical, small first, and only where it pays for itself. If you're not sure you need software at all, start here. More on AI and automation.
Hosting and looking after
Hosting on 100% renewable energy, with the updates, backups and monitoring that keep a site safe and quick. More on green hosting and on maintenance and support.
The plan, build, look-after shape holds for all of it. A search project starts by working out what your customers are typing; an automation project starts by watching how the work gets done today. The portfolio shows the range.
Our CMS, and when we don't use it
Given the choice, we build on Motley CMS, our own system. We think it's better than the usual options for most business sites, and we'll tell you why.
It isn't always the right answer, though. WordPress, WooCommerce, Laravel and the other common platforms are all live options here, chosen per job, and now and then the right answer is a platform we don't work in at all. You'll get that answer too. What platform agnostic means in practice.
Where we are
We're in Sturminster Newton, in north Dorset. Most of the businesses we work with are in southern England, a fair few are elsewhere in the UK, and where you are has never been the deciding factor.
Questions people ask before they get in touch
How long does a project take?
It depends on what it is, and we'd rather give you a real date than a quick one. The timeline is set in the planning stage, once we know what's involved, and if it moves you'll hear about it from us first.
What does it cost?
Brochure sites are typically £3,000 to £5,000 and online shops £5,000 to £10,000. Web applications vary with what they have to do; we've delivered up to £250,000. Whatever the size, you'll know exactly what you're paying for before we start, and if the job changes the price changes in the open.
Who owns the website and the data?
You do. The site, the content and the data are yours, and if you ever want to move them elsewhere you can. We'd rather keep clients because they want to stay than because leaving is hard.
What happens after launch?
We look after it, if you'd like us to. Most clients stay on hosting and maintenance: updates, backups, monitoring, small fixes and someone to ring who knows your site. If you'd rather host elsewhere, we hand over properly and it still works.
Do we have to use your CMS?
No. We'll recommend it where it fits and say so where it doesn't.
Sound like your kind of thing?
Tell us what you're after and we'll give you a straight answer on whether we can help.
Get in touchSeriously useful emails for small businesses
Choose the emails that suit you:
- Once a month, we round up our latest articles on websites, SEO, practical AI and the day-to-day questions that come with running a small business.
- We also send Tools Worth Using: honest reviews of apps and practical ideas that could make running your business a little easier.
Choose one or both. You’ll receive no more than three emails in a month, and can change your choice or unsubscribe at any time.