Own your website, not a subscription to one
When I build your website you own it: the code, the content, the domain in your name and a GitHub repository in your account. Nothing is rented, so you are never locked in.
Ownership passes to you when the project is paid for in full.
What you own
You own four things outright: the code, the content, the domain and the repository that holds them. None of it sits inside a platform that can change its prices or its rules.
The code
The full source of your site sits in a GitHub repository in your account, not mine. Any developer can open it, change it and deploy it.
The content
Every word, image and page is stored as plain files in that repository, so it is readable and movable. Nothing is locked inside a platform.
The domain
Your domain is registered in your name, so the address your customers know can never be held by anyone else.
The GitHub repository
A free GitHub account in your name holds the code and its whole history, so every change is recorded and can be undone.
How editing works
You change your own content in a browser editor, no code involved. New sites get one called Keystatic, which saves every edit to your repository.
Log in
Go to your site's editor address and sign in. Only the people I set up can get in.
Change what you need
Edit text, swap a photo, update a price or write a blog post in a simple form, with the page beside it.
Press save
The change is saved to your repository and the live site updates in a minute or two. Every edit has a history, so a mistake is one click to undo.
Bigger changes, such as a new kind of section, are a job for me or any developer you choose. The editor is for the everyday things: a price, a photo, opening hours, a new post.
If we part ways
If you ever want to leave, you leave with everything and I help you do it cleanly. There is no exit fee and nothing held back.
You tell me
A short message is enough. There is no exit fee and I will not try to talk you out of it.
I check it is all in your name
The repository, the domain and any accounts the site depends on are confirmed as yours, and I transfer anything that is not.
I send a handover note
A plain-English page on how the site is built, where it is hosted, what it connects to and how to deploy a change.
Any developer can take over
Hand them the repository and the note. I answer their questions for 30 days after handover at no charge. Care plans run month to month and end with 30 days' notice.
Rented website or your own code
A rented website is cheap to start and easy to edit, and you hold an account on someone else's platform. Your own code costs more to build and nobody can take it from you. Here are the differences side by side.
| Topic | Rented website (Wix and monthly builders) | Your own code |
|---|---|---|
| Who holds the site | The platform. You hold an account on it. | You. The code is in your own GitHub account. |
| If you stop paying | The site goes offline. | The site and its code are still yours. You only renew the domain and any hosting or care plan you choose. |
| Moving to someone else | Most hosted builders do not let you export a working copy, so a move usually means a rebuild. | Hand the repository to any developer. |
| The domain | Often bought and renewed through the builder. | Registered in your name. |
| Monthly cost | A plan fee for as long as the site exists. | No platform subscription. A care plan is optional. |
| Speed and search | Limited by the template and what the platform allows. | Built to a performance budget, with full control of the markup. |
| Editing | Drag-and-drop, which is easy. | A browser editor for content. A developer, me or anyone else, for bigger structural changes. |
A website builder is a fair choice if you need something online this week for very little and do not mind rebuilding later. If the site is how customers find you for years, owning it is worth the difference.
Questions people ask
Do I own the website?
Yes. Once the project is paid for in full, the code, the content and the domain are yours, and the code sits in a GitHub repository in your account. The tools and components I reuse across projects stay mine, and you are licensed to use them in your site.
What is GitHub, and do I have to use it?
GitHub is where code is stored with a full history of every change. You get a free account to hold the repository, and you never have to open it. Your developer, whoever that is, uses it.
Can I edit the site myself?
Yes, for content. New sites get a browser-based editor called Keystatic, where you change text, photos, prices and blog posts and press save. Anything bigger, such as a new kind of section, is a job for me or any other developer.
What if you stop answering emails?
Then any other developer can take over from the repository in your account, which is the point of owning the code. Nothing about the site depends on me being reachable.
Do I pay anything to keep owning it?
No fee to own it. Most small sites fit inside Cloudflare's free hosting tier, so without a care plan you usually pay only your domain renewal.
See your new website before you pay a cent.
Tell me about your business and I'll build a free demo of your new site: a real, working preview, no payment details and no obligation. Love it, and I launch it.