About RenewSites
A one-person web design studio, and exactly how I work
I am Rafael, and RenewSites is my studio. I redesign outdated business websites, build new ones from scratch, handle the SEO that makes them findable, and maintain them monthly. You work directly with me - the person who builds your site - from the first email to long after launch.
- 48h
- Free written audit, delivered
- 1-2 wks
- Typical redesign timeline
- Yours
- Code, repository, domain and accounts
This is a new studio, and I would rather say that plainly than imply a history I do not have. What I can offer instead of a long client list is everything a client list is usually a substitute for: prices published on the site before you speak to me, a fixed quote in writing before any work starts, no lock-in on maintenance, and code that belongs to you the moment it is written.
There is one of me. That is a real constraint and I would rather you know it up front: I take on a limited number of builds at a time. It is also the point. There is no account manager relaying messages, no junior picking up the work once the contract is signed, and nothing lost in a handoff - because there is no handoff.
The work itself is narrow on purpose. Businesses get represented online by a website that no longer resembles them: not broken, just old. Slow on a phone, hard to find in local search, unconvincing to somebody comparing three companies before making a call. The business kept improving and the website stayed where it was. Closing that gap, and then keeping it closed, is the whole job.
Every engagement starts with a free written audit rather than a sales call, because you should be able to see the problem before you spend anything. And you do not have to take my word for the standard of the work - there are five redesigns in the portfolio, live and inspectable, with before-and-after comparisons you can drag through yourself and sites you can open and check.
Mission
To give small businesses the same standard of website that well-funded technology companies take for granted: fast, accessible, credible, and judged on enquiries rather than applause.
Vision
A web where a company website is the most accurate thing about it - as capable, as current and as trustworthy as the business behind it.
Modern websites, real results.
contact@renewsites.comWhat I do not do
Staying narrow is the only reason a one-person studio can be good at anything. These are not services I offer, and I will point you elsewhere for them.
Logo and brand identity
I will work carefully with the brand you already have, but I do not design logos or brand systems from scratch.
Social media retainers
No content calendars, no posting, no community management.
Paid advertising
I do not buy or manage ads. If paid traffic is what you need, a specialist will serve you better than I would.
Whether it is worth it
A website should pay for itself, and you should be able to check
Design awards do not show up on a bank statement. Before I quote anything, I work out with you what one extra customer is actually worth to your business. That number decides whether a redesign makes sense at all, and how much it is sensible to spend.
We start from the value of one job
What one closed job is worth to you, and how often you close them. Every decision after that - speed, structure, the wording of a form - gets measured against that number, not against taste.
I quote against payback
If I cannot see how a build pays for itself in a reasonable time, I will say so and suggest the smaller piece of work that would.
Measurement is set up before launch
Analytics and form tracking are configured before the new site goes live, so the before-and-after comparison is something you can check rather than something I assert.
You run the numbers, not me
The free audit does this calculation with your figures, not with an example. If your numbers do not support the work, that is a useful answer too.
Why a studio
A template is cheap until you price the leads it loses
There is nothing wrong with a website builder if your website is a formality. If it is how you get hired, the difference shows up in the numbers.
Load time on mobile
- DIY builder
- 3-8 seconds
- Lowest-bid freelancer
- Unpredictable
- RenewSites
- Under 1 second
Built for search
- DIY builder
- Generic defaults
- Lowest-bid freelancer
- Sometimes
- RenewSites
- Technical + local SEO included
Accessibility
- DIY builder
- Not addressed
- Lowest-bid freelancer
- Rarely
- RenewSites
- WCAG 2.2 AA baseline
Who owns the code
- DIY builder
- The platform
- Lowest-bid freelancer
- Usually them
- RenewSites
- You, permanently
After launch
- DIY builder
- You maintain it
- Lowest-bid freelancer
- They disappear
- RenewSites
- Monthly plan, named contact
Conversion design
- DIY builder
- Template guesses
- Lowest-bid freelancer
- Visual only
- RenewSites
- Measured and iterated
Reporting
- DIY builder
- None
- Lowest-bid freelancer
- None
- RenewSites
- One page, every month
Quality
What high-end actually means here
Premium is not a visual style. It is a set of standards that are either in the contract or they are marketing.
A performance budget in writing
We agree a speed target before design starts, and the site does not go live until it meets that target on a real mid-range phone.
WCAG 2.2 AA as the floor
Keyboard navigation, screen reader testing and contrast checked on real assistive technology. Accessibility is never quoted as an upgrade.
Semantic HTML and real schema
One H1, a correct heading hierarchy, and Organization, Service and FAQ markup - the difference between being crawled and being understood.
Code you own outright
The repository is in your name. No proprietary licenses, no per-seat editor fees, nothing you must keep paying me for to keep your own website.
Backups that get restored
An untested backup is a guess. Restores are exercised on a schedule, so recovery is a procedure rather than a hope.
Measured, not asserted
Speed and conversion tracking are configured before launch, so the before-and-after comparison is something you can check yourself.
How we build
The stack behind a fast site that stays fast
We build on the same foundations used by the software companies whose products you use every day - because speed, accessibility and search visibility are engineering outcomes, not design opinions.
Next.js and React
Server rendering and static generation so pages arrive fully formed, instantly, on any connection.
TypeScript
Type-safe code that catches whole classes of bugs before they ever reach your customers.
Performance budgets
A hard limit on page weight, agreed up front and enforced on every single deploy.
Structured data
Organization, LocalBusiness, Service, FAQ and Article schema so Google understands exactly who you are.
Headless CMS
Your team edits content in a clean interface without touching code or risking the layout.
Edge hosting
Served from data centers near your customers, with instant rollback if anything looks wrong.
Accessibility testing
Keyboard, screen reader and contrast testing on real assistive technology, not just automated scans.
Analytics from day one
Conversion tracking configured at launch so the before-and-after comparison is honest.
How I work
You work with me directly
The person you email is the person writing the code. No account manager, no handoff, no relayed messages.
A limited number of builds at once
I take on few projects at a time, so yours gets real attention rather than a place in a queue.
Evidence, then opinion
Recommendations trace back to something measured or observed - a Search Console query, a slow page, a form nobody completes - not to preference.
Plain English
If I cannot explain a technical decision in terms of your business, it is not a decision worth paying for.
Dates in writing
A written schedule at kickoff, staging links throughout, and a launch date I defend rather than renegotiate.
Launch is not the exit
Monitoring, updates and reporting are a maintenance plan you can cancel or switch whenever you like - not an upsell at handover.
What I commit to
Prices in the open
What things cost is on this site, before you contact me. You should not have to book a call to find out whether you can afford the work.
Plain language
If I cannot explain a decision in terms of your business, it is not a decision worth making.
You own what you pay for
Your code, content, domain and accounts stay yours. No lock-in, no licenses held over you.
No lock-in on maintenance
Change your plan or cancel it whenever you want. Staying should be your choice each month, not a contract term.
Speed is a feature
A performance budget is agreed at the start and defended for as long as I maintain the site.
Accessible by default
A site that excludes people excludes customers. WCAG 2.2 AA is the baseline, never an add-on.
Let us build something better
Send us your website. We will tell you exactly what is holding it back - in writing, within 48 hours, at no cost and with no sales sequence.
- No sales sequence. One reply from a real person.
- Fixed-fee quote in writing before any work starts.
- Your details are used to answer your request and nothing else.