Brand, Content & Media
Websites that load instantly and sell while they do it
Most agency websites are slow because they were assembled in a page builder that ships a megabyte of JavaScript to render a headline. We build the theme instead. This site is the reference implementation.
Monte Vista builds custom WordPress sites with hand-written themes rather than page builders, which removes the largest single source of page weight on a typical WordPress site. Builds target Core Web Vitals in the field, ship structured data and AEO-ready content structure from day one, and include full redirect mapping on any migration so existing search equity is preserved.
How we run it
The plays, in order
Hand-built themes, not page builders
A page builder is convenient for the person assembling it and expensive for every visitor after. We write the theme: system-font-adjacent variable typography in one file, CSS under ten kilobytes compressed, no jQuery, no framework runtime.
Performance is a build constraint, not a plugin
Core Web Vitals are designed in: critical CSS inline, everything else deferred, images in modern formats at correct dimensions, third-party embeds lazy-mounted so someone else's JavaScript never blocks your first paint.
Search and answer engines from day one
Clean heading hierarchy, structured data across templates, an answer-first content structure, working canonicals, a real sitemap and verified crawler access. Retrofitting this later costs several times more than building it in.
Migrations that keep the rankings
A full inventory of the old URLs, a mapped redirect for every one of them, and verification after cutover. Most traffic lost in a replatform is lost to redirects nobody mapped, not to design.
Conversion built into the layout
Persistent calls to action on desktop and mobile, the answer above the fold, proof next to the ask, and forms that only collect what you will actually use.
You own everything
Your hosting, your domain, your repository, your admin. Handover documentation is part of the deliverable, not an upsell after you ask.
- Design system: type scale, colour tokens, component library
- Custom WordPress theme, hand-written, no page builder
- All page templates, responsive from 320px up
- Structured data across every template
- Persistent CTAs on desktop and mobile
- Analytics and conversion tracking wired at launch
- Full redirect map on any migration, verified after cutover
- Security hardening and a backup strategy
- Handover documentation and a training walkthrough
The terms, up front
Nothing you find out at the end
The clauses people usually discover when a relationship ends are the ones we put at the start of it. These apply to every line we sell, this one included.
Term
Month to month after 90 days. Projects are fixed-scope.
Notice
30 days in writing, either direction, no penalty.
Ownership
Accounts, data, content and files are yours. In the SOW.
Ad spend
Paid to the platforms from your accounts. Never marked up.
Common questions
Before you ask
Why WordPress and not a website builder?
Because you own it, it can be made genuinely fast when it is built rather than assembled, and it will not hold your content hostage behind a proprietary editor. The speed problem people associate with WordPress is a page-builder problem, not a WordPress problem.
How long does a website build take?
Six to twelve weeks for most marketing sites, depending on template count, content readiness and integrations. Content is the usual critical path, not development.
Will we lose our rankings when we relaunch?
Not if the migration is done properly. Every old URL gets inventoried and mapped to a redirect, and we verify the map after cutover. Traffic lost in a relaunch is almost always lost to redirects nobody mapped.
Can you work on a site you did not build?
Yes. Speed work, tracking, CRO and SEO fixes on an inherited site are a large part of what we do, and none of it requires a rebuild.
Often bought alongside
Conversion Rate Optimization
Funnel teardowns, landing-page rebuilds and structured testing. Usually the cheapest growth lever you own.
Answer Engine Optimization
Be the answer when a buyer asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google AI Overviews about your category.
Marketing Audits
A free written teardown of your site, tracking, search and ads. Owner, effort and what it unblocks on every line.
Next step
Scope website design & development in 20 minutes
Tell us what you are working on. We will come back with an honest read on whether this is the right line for you, and a scope and a number if it is.
No retainer requirement · No long contract · You own everything we build