Straight answers about
working with me.

Most custom websites from Northwest Web Development fall between $3,500 and $12,000 depending on scope, functionality, and complexity. A straightforward site for a contractor or local business typically lands in the $3,500-$6,000 range. E-commerce, custom web applications, and larger builds run higher. Every project starts with a direct conversation about what you actually need - no ballpark quotes based on a contact form.

A typical custom website takes 4-8 weeks from signed agreement to launch. Simpler contractor and local business sites often land on the shorter end. Larger e-commerce builds or custom web applications run longer depending on scope. Timeline is always discussed upfront - no surprises mid-project.

With an agency, your project gets handed off - account managers, junior designers, rotating developers. With Northwest Web Development, you work directly with Patrik Hertzog, the same person who has built and maintained websites for clients averaging 8+ years. No handoffs, no markups on subcontracted work, no re-explaining your business every time you call. For businesses that want a long-term technical partner rather than a vendor, that difference matters.

Yes. While Northwest Web Development is based in Wenatchee, WA and serves many clients across Chelan County, Douglas County, and the broader Wenatchee Valley, roughly half the client base is located elsewhere in Washington state and across the US. Location has never been a barrier - most projects are managed entirely remotely.

Site Care (~$75-95/mo) covers hosting, software updates, security monitoring, and backups. It keeps your site running correctly without requiring you to think about it. The Digital Retainer (~$350-500/mo) adds two hours of development time per month, priority response, quarterly strategy check-ins, and ongoing SEO monitoring. It's the right fit for businesses that want ongoing improvements, not just maintenance.

AI tools are changing how websites get built, but they haven't replaced the judgment required to build systems that work correctly for a specific business. AI can generate code and content quickly - evaluating whether that output is sound, secure, and appropriate for your situation requires experience. Northwest Web Development uses AI tools to accelerate delivery and reduce costs, while 25 years of systems and database experience provides the critical layer AI can't replicate. The risk isn't AI replacing developers - it's businesses using AI-generated sites without the expertise to know what's wrong with them.

WordPress is the primary platform for most custom websites and local business sites. WooCommerce handles e-commerce on the WordPress stack. For larger or more complex e-commerce, BigCommerce or Shopify are also options. Custom web applications are built to fit the requirements of the project rather than forced into a platform. If you have an existing site on a specific platform, that's worth discussing before assuming a rebuild is necessary.

It means getting your business found - in Google search results, in Google Maps, and increasingly in AI-generated answers from tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews. This includes technical SEO, Google Business Profile optimization, schema markup (structured data that helps search engines and AI tools understand your business), and content structured to answer the specific questions your customers are asking. Most local businesses in North Central Washington haven't started optimizing for AI-generated answers yet - which means there's real ground to gain for those who move early.