Everything you need to know about working with Groundwork Digital
Our packages start from $549 + GST for a Business Card website, with Starter at $1,249 + GST and Standard at $1,990 + GST. For fully custom websites, we provide tailored quotes based on your specific requirements. Check out our Services & Pricing page for full details.
No hidden fees. The price you're quoted is what you pay. Hosting is free for most small businesses (under 1,000 form submissions per month). If you outgrow the free tier, hosting typically costs around $19/month paid directly to the hosting provider. There are no mandatory ongoing fees with us.
Each package includes different features. All packages include mobile-responsive design, contact forms, SEO optimization, and post-launch support. The main differences are the number of pages, revision rounds, and advanced features like galleries, video embedding, and custom animations. See our package comparison table for specifics.
No. We use a 50/50 payment structure: 50% deposit required (work will not commence until deposit is paid), and the remaining 50% before launch (website will not go live until final payment is received).
We accept 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 standard websites are static HTML/CSS, which requires technical knowledge to edit. Most of our clients prefer our pay-per-update service ($50-100 per request) or management packages—we handle the updates so you can focus on running your business.
Just contact us! We offer simple pay-per-change pricing. Small updates (like changing text or swapping a photo) start from $49. Larger changes are quoted based on the work required. No monthly contracts—you only pay when you need something updated.
Most websites are completed in 2 weeks regardless of package:
This timeline assumes you provide content (text, images, logo) within 2-3 days of paying the deposit and respond to revision requests promptly.
Here's the simple version:
Check out our How It Works page for more detail.
It depends on your package:
You can send unlimited clarification emails throughout the project—these don't count as revisions. A "revision" is a formal feedback round after you've reviewed a draft.
The timeline can extend if you need extra time to gather content, request changes outside the original scope, or take longer to respond to drafts. We'll always communicate clearly if there are any delays and work with you to get things back on track.
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! Check out our case studies to see websites we've built for businesses like yours, including Strongtracks, KAM Auto Electrical, and West Trades Group.
No problem! Our Fully Custom package is perfect for this. We can recreate and improve upon designs you've started elsewhere, making them uniquely yours and fully functional. Just show us what you've done and we'll provide a custom quote.
Every website is custom-built for your business. We don't use pre-made templates. We design and code each site from scratch to match your branding, industry, and specific needs. That said, websites in the same package tier may have similar layouts and structure—we focus on making your content and branding shine rather than reinventing the wheel each time.
We typically use Netlify, a professional hosting service with a generous free tier. We set up the hosting account in your name and provide you with login credentials. You own and control the account.
The free tier allows up to 1,000 form submissions per month, which is plenty for most small businesses. If you exceed this, you'd upgrade to a paid plan (around $19/month) paid directly to the hosting provider. We'll help you monitor usage and upgrade if needed.
Yes, absolutely. All our websites are fully mobile-responsive. They look great and work perfectly on phones, tablets, and desktops. Mobile-first design is standard for all packages.
Yes. All websites include a free SSL certificate, which means your site uses HTTPS (the padlock icon in the browser). This is important for security, trust, and SEO.
If you don't already have a domain (e.g., yourbusiness.co.nz), we can purchase one for you. The cost is typically $20-40 NZD per year and will be added to your invoice. You own the domain outright.
Domain-based email addresses are separate from website hosting. We can guide you through setting this up with services like Google Workspace or Outlook, but it's not included in our website packages.
No. Our websites are built using static HTML/CSS, which means they rarely need maintenance. Once your site is live, it just works.
Unlike WordPress or CMS platforms: Static websites don't require constant security updates, plugin updates, or regular maintenance. They don't have databases or server-side code that can break or become vulnerable over time.
Simple and stable: Your website will continue working exactly as designed without any monthly maintenance required. You only need to contact us when you want to update content or add new features—not for technical maintenance or security patches.
This is one of the key advantages of static websites for small businesses—less complexity, lower long-term costs, and more reliability.
All our websites include SEO setup (meta tags, sitemap, fast loading, mobile-friendly, etc.). This gives you a strong foundation for being found on Google. However, SEO is ongoing work—your ranking depends on factors like content quality, competition, and how long your site has been live.
For ongoing basic SEO monitoring and recommendations, our Premium Management service ($299/month) includes simple keyword tracking, basic audits, and content recommendations. 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 properly for SEO and can provide basic ongoing monitoring through our Premium Management service, but rankings depend on many factors outside our control (competition, search algorithms, content quality, domain age, etc.).
Our Premium Management includes basic SEO monitoring—keyword tracking, simple audits, and recommendations—but we make no guarantees about rankings or traffic.
Yes, analytics setup is included in our Standard and Fully Custom packages. This lets you track visitor numbers, page views, and other important metrics.
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.
You have two options:
Most clients prefer the pay-per-update model - you focus on your business, we handle the tech when needed.
For most businesses, our pay-per-update service ($50-100 per request) is the best choice. Here's why:
Pay-per-update benefits: No monthly fees, no contracts, no hassle. You email us changes, we update your site quickly. No training required, nothing to learn or maintain.
Quick math: If you update your site 3 times per year = $150-300. That's more affordable and easier than managing updates yourself.
If you need frequent updates (weekly or more), consider our Premium Management service which includes up to 2 content updates per month plus SEO monitoring and technical management.
Simple updates cost $50-100 per request depending on complexity:
There are no monthly fees or contracts - you only pay when you need something updated.
If you need regular updates (weekly or more), our Premium Management service ($299/month) includes up to 2 content updates per month, plus full technical management, basic SEO monitoring, and priority support. This is perfect for businesses that want to stay active online without doing the work themselves.
We strongly advise against using AI tools to edit your website code directly. While AI can be helpful for many tasks, using it to modify website code is risky and time-consuming.
The problems with AI editing: AI can hallucinate (make up) code that doesn't work, break existing functionality, introduce security vulnerabilities, or cause unexpected behavior. Even experienced developers need to carefully review and test AI-generated code.
Better option: Our pay-per-update service ($50-100 per request) is faster, safer, and more reliable than trying to use AI to make changes yourself. You tell us what you want changed, we handle it correctly, and you can focus on running your business instead of debugging broken code.
We offer two optional management tiers for clients who want hands-off website management: Essential Management ($29/month) and Premium Management ($299/month). These are completely optional—all websites include free hosting setup by default.
No. All our websites come with free hosting setup as standard. Management services are optional add-ons for clients who want us to handle domain renewals, hosting monitoring, analytics, SEO, and content updates so they never have to think about it.
Essential Management includes:
This is perfect if you want a completely hands-off experience and never want to worry about domain renewals or technical management. You can pay monthly ($29/month + GST) or annually ($25/month + GST = $300/year).
Premium Management includes everything in Essential Management, plus:
Limited time offer: Pay annually and get 30% off ($209/month + GST = $2,508/year instead of $3,588).
If you need us to write blog content for you, that's available at $79 per blog post.
With Premium Management, you can send us up to 2 content updates per month (roughly every 2 weeks). This could be:
Important: Updates can replace existing content but cannot add entirely new sections or pages. If you need us to write the content, that's $79 per blog post.
Yes! The $29/month (or $25/month annually) includes your domain registration and renewal. You don't pay separately for the domain—it's all covered in the monthly fee.
Yes! You can upgrade from Essential to Premium anytime, or downgrade from Premium to Essential with 30 days' notice. You can also cancel and switch back to managing your own hosting if you prefer.
You can cancel anytime with 30 days' notice. We'll transfer full ownership and login credentials to you for your domain and hosting. You'll need to manage renewals and hosting yourself going forward, or you can choose to move to another provider.
Premium Management includes basic SEO monitoring—not a full-scale SEO campaign. This includes:
What it's NOT: This isn't guaranteed rankings or aggressive SEO campaigns. It's basic monitoring and recommendations to keep your site healthy. Perfect for early clients who'll get more hands-on attention as we build this service.
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.
Every package includes a post-launch support period:
During this time, we're available for questions and fixing any technical issues. After that, we're still here for updates and changes—just on a pay-per-change basis.
Email us at enquiries@groundworkdigital.co.nz. Once you've paid your deposit, you'll receive direct contact information for faster communication during your project.
We're happy to help! Get in touch and we'll answer any questions you have.
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