Resources
Frequently Asked Questions.
Straight answers to the questions most NZ small business owners ask before getting in touch. If the answer to something isn't here, the contact page is.
Do I Need a Website?
I get most of my work through word of mouth — do I still need a website?
Yes — because word of mouth leads people to Google before they call. Even a personal recommendation from a trusted source ends up with a quick search to check you out. If someone can't find you online, or finds something outdated and unprofessional, the referral goes cold right there. A website is the second handshake — it confirms the recommendation and moves the conversation forward.
Can't I just use Instagram or Facebook instead?
Social media is rented land — the algorithm controls who sees your content, the platform can change its rules, and you don't own any of it. More importantly, people don't use Instagram to find a plumber or a café they've never heard of. They use Google. Social media is great for staying in front of people who already know you. Search is where people go when they need something and don't know who to call — and that's where buying decisions for local services still start.
I already have a Facebook Business page — isn't that enough?
For staying in touch with existing customers, a Facebook page has some value. For getting found by new ones searching "electrician South Auckland" or "café near me" — no. Facebook Business pages don't rank well in Google for local service searches. A website with basic local SEO and a Google Business Profile is what puts you in front of people who are actively looking for what you do.
Why do people still use Google when social media exists?
Because intent is different. Social media is for discovering things you weren't looking for. Search is for finding something specific right now — a plumber, a quote, a café open on Sunday. Google processes 8.5 billion searches every day, and the majority of local service decisions still start with a search. When someone needs your service, they don't scroll Instagram hoping you show up. They search.
My competitors don't have websites — do I even need one?
That's the opportunity, not the reason to skip it. If your competitors aren't showing up on Google and you are, every local search in your category goes to you by default. A market where competitors don't have websites is a market where a basic, fast, well-structured site can dominate with very little effort. The bar is low — which means it's worth clearing quickly, before they do.
Pricing
How much does a website cost in New Zealand?
Website costs in New Zealand range from around $1,500 for a simple 3–5 page brochure site to $5,000+ for something with more pages, custom functionality, or CMS integration. The main drivers are the number of pages, whether you need a content management system, and the complexity of the design. Most small business sites sit in the $1,500–$3,000 range. Get an instant estimate with the project calculator.
What's included in the price?
The project price covers design, build, and launch — including DNS setup, sitemap submission to Google, and a handover session where you receive full access to everything: domain, hosting account, and source code. There's no ongoing fee from JD IT. to keep the site running. Maintenance, hosting assistance, and SEO work are available separately if needed.
Do you charge a monthly fee?
No ongoing fee from JD IT. Hosting costs $5–15/month depending on the platform — Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, or similar — and is paid directly by you to the provider. It's not marked up or bundled through JD IT. You keep full control of your own accounts.
Can I pay in instalments?
Yes — payment split across project milestones is standard. A deposit is required upfront to begin, with the remainder due on completion and handover.
The Build
How long does it take to build a website?
A simple 3–5 page site typically takes 2–3 weeks from brief to launch. More complex projects run 4–6 weeks. The most common bottleneck is content — getting copy and images from the client — not the build itself.
Do I need to know anything technical?
No technical knowledge is required. What you need to provide: the words and images for your site, feedback at the review stage, and access to your domain registrar to point the domain when the site is ready. Everything else is handled.
Will I be able to update the site myself?
It depends on what you need. Static sites don't have a WordPress-style dashboard by default. For clients who need to update content themselves, a lightweight CMS (Keystatic or Decap) can be integrated. Most small business sites don't change often enough for a CMS to matter — for occasional updates, changes go through JD IT. for a small fee.
What do I need to provide before we start?
A clear brief — who the site is for and what it needs to do. Existing brand assets: logo, and brand colours if you have them. Copy for each page, or confirmation that copywriting help is needed. And photos of the business or team if applicable. The clearer the brief, the faster the project moves.
WordPress & Technology
Why don't you build on WordPress?
WordPress is expensive to run well, slow by default, and requires constant maintenance — plugin updates, security patches, and compatibility fixes are ongoing costs most clients don't anticipate. Static sites load faster, cost less to host, and don't have a monthly update cycle that breaks things. There's no database to query and nothing to assemble on every page request. See Why Is My Website Slow? for the full explanation.
I already have a WordPress site — can you help?
Yes — two options. An audit of the existing site to identify and fix what's wrong, or a full migration to a faster static build. The right path depends on the site's complexity and your goals. See Upgrade from WordPress for more detail.
What technology do you use?
Astro for static site generation, deployed to Cloudflare Pages or Netlify. Sites are fast by default — no database, no PHP, no plugin overhead. Sub-second load times are typical on a standard connection.
Will my site be secure?
Static sites have no database to inject, no admin panel to brute-force, and no plugin vulnerabilities to patch. The attack surface is effectively zero compared to a WordPress installation — there's nothing to compromise at the server level.
Working Together
Do I need to meet you in person?
No. Everything works over video call and shared tools — a discovery call at the start, review calls during the build, and a handover call at the end. Most clients are never in the same room and the work is exactly the same quality.
Do you work outside Auckland?
Yes — remote-first by design. Current clients are spread across Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch. Geography isn't a constraint.
What happens if something breaks after launch?
Get in touch and it gets fixed. Static sites rarely break — there's nothing to go wrong at the server level. If something does need attention (a content error, a DNS issue, something unexpected), expect a same-day response on business days. There's no support ticket queue.
Will I own the site when it's done?
Yes — fully. The code, the domain, and the hosting account are all yours. Nothing is tied to JD IT.'s accounts or held behind a subscription. This is a deliberate policy: you should be able to walk away and take everything with you at any point.
SEO & Performance
Will my site show up on Google?
The site launches with SEO foundations in place — correct title tags, schema markup, a sitemap submitted to Google, and a fast load time (which Google uses as a direct ranking signal since 2021). Showing up for competitive search terms takes time and content. What "built-in SEO" gives you is a technically sound starting point; ongoing visibility for competitive terms requires ongoing content and link-building work.
How fast will my site load?
Under one second on a good connection is typical. Static sites serve pre-built files directly — there's no server to query, no database to hit, no PHP to execute. A typical JD IT. site scores 95–100 on Google Lighthouse for performance.
What's the difference between a cheap website and an affordable one?
A cheap website costs less upfront and more over time — slow shared hosting, plugin subscriptions, maintenance that compounds, and eventually a full rebuild. An affordable website is priced fairly for what it is and doesn't generate ongoing costs. The goal is the lowest total cost over the lifetime of the site, not the lowest invoice on day one. If the cost of running a website keeps growing month by month, it isn't actually cheap.
Do you offer ongoing SEO services?
Yes — as a separate engagement after the build. This covers Google Business Profile optimisation, content strategy, local citation building, and regular reporting. See SEO & Marketing services.
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