Frequently asked questions

Businesses, professional practices and organizations that want a website that fits how they actually work. Independent professionals are welcome too. Some come in with years of photos, copy and ideas; others have a goal and a mostly blank page. Both are fine. The sites I've launched so far are for a multimedia artist and speaker (Art of Andres), a handmade decor and pet-memorial business in Colorado (Oddity Decor Store) and a new apparel brand's online store (Rogue Beast Co.).

Emberwright is based in Charleston, South Carolina, and I work with clients anywhere. We can meet by video or phone or in person around Charleston, and I'm open to traveling for the right project.

Me, Dave Rao. Emberwright is one person on purpose: the same person learns your business, makes the recommendations, builds the site, takes your feedback and launches it. You won't be handed off to an account manager or a junior designer. Your domain and accounts stay in your name, the finished files are yours once the project is paid in full, and every site comes with a written build log and a Launch Guide, so the site never depends on me alone.

It depends on what your business needs. Every project starts with a free conversation and a written quote with the price, timeline and payment schedule. You'll always see the exact total before you pay. The packages page shows what each of the three website packages includes.

Most sites take about 2 to 4 weeks, depending on size and how quickly we can trade feedback. With quick replies, some sites can be ready in a week or two.

Nothing organized. Bring what you have (notes, existing copy, social posts, photos, rough ideas) and tell me what you want the site to accomplish. You can start with a few lines through Get a quote, or with the website questionnaire if you already have details. Short answers and bullet points work fine in both. Then we talk through anything that needs more context.

Every site gets the same standard, whichever package you choose: secure connections and sensible protections, the SEO basics (page titles and descriptions, sitemap setup, search-friendly structure and Google Search Console in your name), checks across phones, tablets and computers with accessibility considered throughout, forms and links tested before launch, a personalized Launch Guide and a 30-day Launch Warranty.

Every site is set up to be found: page titles and descriptions, a sitemap, search-friendly structure and Google Search Console in your name. Nobody can guarantee rankings or instant results, and I don't promise them. A new site can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to show up in search. Blog writing, ads and link building aren't part of any package. SEO and site-speed check-ins are part of both care plans.

Yes. Once the project is paid in full, the finished website files are yours. Your domain, hosting and other accounts stay in your name, and you're not locked into a care plan just because I built the site.

Yes. Tell me what's working and what isn't on the current site, and I'll recommend what to keep, what to rebuild and what to leave out. When the new site replaces it, I also set up redirects from your old site's pages so existing links still land in the right place. That's part of every package, sized in your quote to how many pages the old site has.

A custom-built site for your business, with the pages you actually need (whether that's Home, About, Services or Work, Contact, and a gallery, shop, or booking section), delivered live on your own domain and ready to share.

No generic website templates. I design each site around the business, its content, customers, and goals. That doesn't mean reinventing every technical component from scratch; it means the finished website isn't forced into somebody else's predefined layout or identity.

Bring whatever you already have: notes, existing copy, social posts, photos, or even rough ideas. I'll use that material to shape a first direction, then we refine the wording together until it sounds like you and fits the site.

Yes. The site can be built around what you want visitors to do: contact you, request a quote, book, buy, submit an inquiry, or follow another project-specific flow.

It depends on the scope. Every project starts with a free conversation and a written quote with the price, timeline and payment schedule. When a website starts with a homepage preview, the preview comes within 7 days of your first payment and the photos and content I need for the homepage. The full timeline depends on scope and is confirmed in your quote. Send a short request through Get a quote, and I'll follow up with the details.

After full payment, you own the delivered custom website files. Your domain, hosting, and third-party accounts stay in your name.

Both, or a tracker, calculator, form, intake flow, or simple web tool when that fits better. Tell me how the work happens now and I'll recommend the practical fit.

Yes. I build macros or Apps Script so routine emails, reminders, and reports go out without you doing them by hand, and include a short how-to guide.

Yes. Send it over and I'll clean it up, add the automation that saves you the most repetitive work, and make it dashboard-ready.

Yes. I build clean, guided tools and include a short how-to (plus a walkthrough video on bigger builds).

For projects involving business data, I'll only ask for what's needed, and I can often work with sample or dummy data when appropriate.

Yes. Final logo files include editable vector formats such as SVG, EPS, and PDF, plus transparent PNGs, so you have flexible files for web, social, and print use.

Your final logo is custom-designed for your brand, and I don't resell or reuse a client's final logo as another client's mark.

Every tier includes a set number of revision rounds (three on Logo, four on Brand Identity and the Complete Brand Pack) to refine your favorite concept.

Commercial usage rights for your final logo apply after full payment under the project agreement.

Yes. Higher tiers add a full logo suite, brand guidelines, and a social kit.

Yes. Price lists, order forms, one-pagers, and product visuals can be built alongside the logo or the website so everything matches. They're quoted based on scope rather than sold as fixed tiers.

Usually not. Start by sending at least one clear reference photo (a phone snap is fine), and we can confirm what the project needs.

Usually not. For an existing product, send at least one clear reference photo so the finished visuals stay faithful to the real item. For a concept or pre-launch product, we can work from detailed references or specifications.

I work from your reference material and use the package's revision rounds to keep the finished visuals faithful to the product while improving the lighting, background, and presentation.

The project can include clean white-background images for marketplaces plus lifestyle shots and short clips for ads and social, sized for the platforms you plan to use.

Yes. Current packages include short product clips that can be sized and prepared for the social, web, or advertising uses agreed for the project.

Final images and clips are provided for commercial use in the channels agreed for the project. Any limits tied to client-supplied or third-party materials would be identified as part of the project scope.

Every build comes with a 30-day Launch Warranty: bug fixes, typos, broken links, and display glitches on current phones, tablets and computers are fixed at no charge. It's part of the job.

No. Plans are optional, and you can add one any time after launch. Without a plan, one-off updates are billed by the hour. Hourly work is estimated before I start, and I check with you before going past the estimate.

Website Care gives you up to 45 minutes of updates every month (new content, dates, pricing, and copy changes), SEO and site-speed check-ins, and a watch on your domain, HTTPS, and uptime. Priority Care raises that to 2 hours of updates or new sections a month and puts your requests on a 24–48 hour turnaround. Blog writing, ads and link building aren't part of either plan.

No. Care plans run month to month, and you can cancel anytime.

No. Your domain is paid directly to your registrar, and hosting on your own Cloudflare account is free for many sites; if yours needs a paid plan, that's in your quote. A plan covers the updates themselves, plus the watch on your domain, HTTPS, and uptime so problems get caught early.

Your written quote sets out the price and the payment schedule before anything starts, and no work starts until the first payment is made. Larger projects are paid in stages as the work moves forward. Hourly work is invoiced after the work is done, and care plans are billed monthly. You'll always see the exact total before you pay.

When a website starts with a homepage preview (your quote says whether yours does), you get one page and one round of changes, delivered within 7 days of your first payment and the photos and content I need for the homepage. If you decide not to continue after the preview, you owe nothing more. The preview stays with Emberwright, and I won't publish it or reuse your materials in it.

If you change your mind and email me within 24 hours of your first payment, it's refunded in full. After 24 hours, the first payment isn't refundable. It pays for the first stage of work; on a website that starts with a homepage preview, that's the preview. If you cancel partway through, I keep the payments already made for the work done so far, and you don't owe the milestones not yet reached. Unfinished work isn't handed over and stays with me. If you pay the rest of the project price within 60 days of canceling, I hand over the work as it stood the day you canceled. If I can't finish the project, or can't deliver your homepage preview, I'll refund the part of what you've paid that covers work not delivered, including the first payment, unless I've had to end the project because a payment is 30 days late.

Hourly work is billed for time worked. Care plans can be canceled anytime before the next billing date. Partial months aren't refunded. Domains, Shopify and other third-party services are paid to those companies directly, so their refund rules apply. Problems after launch are covered by the 30-day Launch Warranty.