Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about working with Groundwork Digital
Everything you need to know about working with Groundwork Digital
We offer two options:
Check out our Services & Pricing page for full details, or get a quote.
Three reasons:
See the full comparison for more details.
No hidden fees. The price you're quoted is what you pay for the website build.
Your ongoing costs are:
That's it. No monthly fees to us.
All websites include:
The difference between Single-Page and Multi-Page is simply the number of pages and customization level.
No. We use a 50/50 payment structure:
Bank transfer or credit card via invoice.
Yes, 100%. You own your website, all the code, content, images, and design. We set up your hosting account in your name, and once the project is complete and paid for, everything is yours. You're never locked in with us.
Absolutely. Because you own everything, you can take your website anywhere. We provide you with all login credentials and files. We'd rather you stayed with us for updates, but you're completely free to leave anytime.
Our websites are built with static HTML/CSS, which requires technical knowledge to edit directly. Most clients prefer to contact us when they need updates—we handle the changes so you can focus on running your business.
Just get in touch! We're happy to make updates whenever you need them. No monthly contracts—just contact us when you need something changed and we'll quote based on the work required.
We're not the best fit for that. Our websites are static HTML—fast, secure, and low-maintenance. But they require technical knowledge (or contacting us) to update.
If you need to publish regular blog posts, news updates, or frequently change content yourself, you'd be better served by:
Our service is ideal for businesses that need a solid online presence but won't be updating content weekly. Most tradies fall into this category—your services, contact info, and portfolio don't change often.
Most websites are completed in 2 weeks.
This assumes you provide content (text, images, logo) promptly after paying the deposit and respond to revision requests quickly.
Check out our How It Works page for more detail.
All websites include 2 revision rounds:
You can send clarification emails throughout—those don't count as revisions. A "revision" is when you formally review a draft and request changes.
No. We keep the process efficient to keep costs low.
You provide everything upfront. We build. You review and request changes. We make them. That's how $550 stays $550 instead of becoming $5,000.
Happy to discuss and clarify—but we don't do agency-style design reviews where we go through every pixel together.
The timeline can extend if you need extra time to gather content or take longer to respond to drafts. We'll always communicate clearly about any delays.
Yes. You provide the content (text, photos, logo, business info). We can guide you on what content you need and how to prepare it. If you don't have professional photos, we can work with what you have—most phone photos are fine for websites. If you need professional photography, we can arrange that for an additional fee (Auckland area only).
Yes! Phone photos work perfectly. We optimize all images for fast loading, so even basic phone photos will look great on your website.
We don't offer full copywriting services, but we can help polish and refine your text. Most clients find it easy to provide rough content (bullet points, existing brochures, etc.), and we format it professionally for the web. If needed, we can generate draft content, but this requires detailed information about your business—we don't create generic filler content.
Yes! Get in touch and we can share examples of websites we've built for businesses similar to yours.
No problem! Just send us what you have and we can use that as a starting point. We'll recreate and improve upon your existing design, making it fully functional. Show us what you've done and we'll provide a quote.
Yes. You purchase your own domain (e.g., yourbusiness.co.nz). This costs around $25-40 NZD per year.
You buy it, you own it forever. We'll recommend where to get one if you don't have one already.
We use a free hosting service that handles ~100 form submissions per month. Here's how it works:
We walk you through every step, or can do it for you. That's why there's no ongoing hosting fee for most small businesses.
The free tier allows 100 form submissions per month—plenty for most small businesses. If you exceed this, you'd upgrade to a paid plan (~$19/month) paid directly to the hosting provider.
There's nothing to manage.
These are simple static websites—no databases, no plugins, no security updates, no software to maintain. Once it's live, it just works.
If you want to update content, you can pay us for changes or learn to edit the files yourself. But there's no ongoing maintenance required.
Yes. All our websites are fully mobile-responsive. They look great on phones, tablets, and desktops.
Yes. All websites include a free SSL certificate (the padlock icon in your browser).
Email setup is separate from the website and is your responsibility. We can point you in the right direction, but it's not included in our packages.
All our websites include SEO foundations (meta tags, sitemap, fast loading, mobile-friendly, etc.). This gives you a solid starting point for online visibility. However, SEO is ongoing work—your ranking depends on factors like content quality, competition, and how long your site has been live.
Note: We don't guarantee rankings—no one can. SEO results vary and take time.
No. Anyone who promises "#1 on Google" is being dishonest. We set up your website with SEO foundations in place, but rankings depend on many factors outside our control (competition, search algorithms, content quality, domain age, etc.).
We build your site to be search-friendly, but we make no guarantees about rankings or traffic.
Yes, analytics setup is included with our multi-page website package. This lets you track visitor numbers, page views, and other useful metrics about your site traffic.
We offer limited social media setup as an add-on (subject to availability). This includes creating accounts and basic strategy. Ongoing social media management is not something we currently offer.
Contact us when you need changes—we'll handle the updates for you.
No monthly fees, no contracts. Just email us what you want changed and we'll take care of it.
Some clients have had success using AI chatbots to make simple code changes. However, we'd advise caution—these tools can be unpredictable and may break things in ways that aren't immediately obvious.
If you want to go this route, take the time to learn how your website's code works first. Otherwise, we recommend getting in touch with us for updates—it's usually faster and safer.
Yes. You own everything—the code, the design, the content. You can take your website anywhere.
Yes. When someone needs a plumber, electrician, or builder, they Google it. If you don't have a website, you're invisible to those customers—they'll find your competitor instead.
A website also makes you look professional and established. Customers check you out before they call. A proper website builds trust in a way that a Facebook page alone can't.
At minimum, your tradie website needs:
Check out our tradie website packages to see what's included.
You have three main options:
For most tradies, hiring an affordable professional is the sweet spot—professional result without the agency price tag.
It depends on your priorities:
For tradies who just need a professional online presence to get enquiries, we recommend having it built professionally. It saves you time and looks better than DIY.
You can do either. The question is: what's your time worth?
DIY builders like Wix take 10-20+ hours to learn and set up properly. If you're comfortable with technology and have spare time, go for it.
If you'd rather spend that time on your business (or with your family), hiring a professional makes sense. Our websites start at $550—less than the value of your time spent learning Wix.
For a truly professional-looking website, your options are:
Over 3 years, our approach often costs less than Wix when you factor in monthly fees—and you get a professional result without spending hours learning to build it yourself.
Free plans have major limitations:
To remove these limitations, you'll need a paid plan ($15-$40/month). At that point, the "free" builder isn't really free—and it still requires your time to build.
It depends on your situation:
See our detailed comparison for more.
Three reasons:
Agencies charge $5,000-$20,000+ because they have expensive staff and offices to pay for. We don't.
Ranking on Google involves several factors:
All our websites include SEO foundations (meta tags, sitemap, fast loading, mobile-friendly). We can also help you set up Google Business Profile.
Google typically indexes new websites within 1-4 weeks. However, ranking well (appearing on page 1) takes longer—usually 3-6 months for new domains.
Factors that affect this include:
No, but it can help.
Google Ads puts you at the top of search results immediately, but you pay per click ($2-$20+ depending on your industry). Once you stop paying, you disappear.
Organic search (SEO) takes longer but doesn't cost per click. Most tradies benefit from a combination—Ads for immediate leads while building organic rankings over time.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation): Making your website appear in the "organic" (non-paid) search results. Free clicks, but takes time to rank and requires ongoing effort.
Google Ads: Paying to appear at the top of search results. Instant visibility, but costs money every time someone clicks. Results stop when you stop paying.
Our websites include SEO foundations. Google Ads management is a separate service we can discuss if you're interested.
Yes, absolutely! We're based in Auckland but work with businesses all over New Zealand. Everything is done remotely via email and video calls, so your location doesn't matter.
For Auckland-based clients, we can arrange an in-person meeting if needed. However, most projects are completed entirely remotely, which saves time and keeps things efficient.
All websites include 30 days of post-launch support. During this time, we fix any technical issues and answer questions.
After that, we're still here for updates and changes—just get in touch when you need something.
Email us at enquiries@groundworkdigital.co.nz. We respond to all enquiries promptly.
We're happy to help! Get in touch and we'll answer any questions you have.
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