Straight talk, not marketing fluff.

A web app is more than a website. A website displays information — a web app lets you interact with it: bookings, customer accounts, administration, calculations. Rule of thumb: if your customers or staff need to do anything on the page beyond reading, you need a web app. Pure information? A website is enough.

CMS stands for Content Management System. It is the interface through which you can edit your website content yourself — text, images, news, price lists — without having to call us every time. Without a CMS you depend on your provider for every text change. With a good CMS you update content the same way you edit a Word document.

WordPress works well when you want to maintain a lot of content yourself, write blog articles, or need a standard CMS. It is widely used and straightforward to extend. We choose Next.js when performance and individuality come first — fast load times, bespoke design, and no compromises on architecture. Overkill for simple sites; the better choice for demanding projects.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) means building and describing your website so that Google shows it near the top for relevant searches. This covers technical aspects (fast load times, clean code, mobile optimisation), content measures (the right text with the right terms), and external signals (links from other websites). SEO is not a one-time switch — it is an ongoing process.

Responsive means the website adapts automatically to every screen size — smartphone, tablet, desktop. This is no longer an optional extra; it is a baseline requirement. Mobile-first means building the website for smartphones first, then scaling up. It makes sense because over 60 % of website visits today come from mobile devices.

A logo is a single image. Branding is the complete picture of your company — logo, colours, typefaces, visual language, tone of voice, business cards, letterhead, social media presence. Strong branding means your customers recognise you everywhere and get a consistent sense of who you are — regardless of where they encounter you.

The domain is your address on the internet — for example musterfirma.ch. You rent a domain from a registrar (typically CHF 15–30/year). Hosting is the storage space where your website files live — the server that delivers them. Depending on the provider and requirements, hosting costs between CHF 5 and several hundred francs per month. You need both, and both are separate costs.

Organic SEO is the long game: you optimise your website so Google shows it for free near the top — takes months, but works long-term. Google Ads is paid advertising: you buy visibility for specific searches — visible immediately, but only for as long as you pay. Ideal when you need results quickly or want to be seen in highly competitive areas. In the long run, both complement each other well.

Two tiers: — Launch from CHF 3,500: a fast, professional start (approx. 5–7 pages, one language, basic SEO, CMS, imprint/privacy). We use modern tools — you pay less for routine work, more for quality and handover. — Business from CHF 5,500, typically CHF 5,500–12,000: bespoke design, more pages/languages, stronger SEO and ongoing support. What costs less (Wix, pure AI generators, template offers from CHF 1,500): works for simple business-card sites, but is often hard to extend and technically/SEO-wise weaker. What costs more (from CHF 18,000): web apps with booking, login, or a custom backend — no longer a straightforward website.

Usually because it is not the same thing. Budget offers are almost always based on templates, site builders, or a heavily restricted scope (1–3 pages, no bespoke design, no real CMS). The problems appear later: you cannot extend the site freely, it loads slowly, or you pay a monthly platform fee that locks you in. We build on open standards — the difference shows after 2–3 years.

Common hidden costs in web projects: — Monthly platform fees (Wix, Webflow, Shopify, etc.) that add up — Premium plugins or extensions that become necessary after launch — Translations or professional copywriting — Photography or image licences — Domain and hosting (often not included in the project price) — Post-launch changes billed at an hourly rate With us: a fixed-price quote with every line item listed. Ongoing costs (hosting, domain) are communicated upfront.

Both — it depends on your expectations. What is genuinely necessary: security updates (especially for WordPress sites), regular plugin/framework updates, backups, and monitoring. Realistic cost when handled professionally: CHF 80–200/month. What is sold beyond that as 'maintenance' (content updates, small changes, reports) is legitimate, but optional. We separate the two clearly in our quotes.

For local SEO (being visible within a town or canton), a one-time baseline optimisation at build time (included in our projects) plus occasional content upkeep is often enough. For ongoing SEO — new content, link building, ranking monitoring — budget CHF 500–1,500/month for meaningful activity. Less than that rarely pays off because the effort is constant. Avoid 'SEO packages' for CHF 99/month — that is money wasted.

Below CHF 500/month in ad spend, Google Ads is rarely efficient for most SMEs — too much setup effort, too few clicks to gather meaningful data. From CHF 800–1,000/month it becomes worthwhile if your product or service has a clear target audience and the cost per click is not too high (check this beforehand). We always prepare a keyword and cost estimate before a campaign starts — so you know what to expect.

Basic hosting for a small website: CHF 80–200/year (shared hosting with Hosttech, Infomaniak, etc.). Professional hosting on scalable infrastructure (Vercel, Render, dedicated server): CHF 200–600/year for mid-sized SME sites. For web apps with a database and significant traffic it can be more — we plan that per project.

When your website is an active sales channel (bookings, enquiries, shop), Business over Launch often pays for itself quickly. A few thousand francs more invested in speed, SEO, and structure can be recovered within a year through additional enquiries. When your website is purely an online business card ('so people can find us'), Launch is usually enough. We will tell you that honestly — even if it means we don't win the project.

1. First contact & briefing (30–60 min): we understand your goal, your budget, your customers. 2. Quote: a fixed-price quote with clearly listed line items, within 3 business days. 3. Kick-off: once you confirm, we start. We clarify open questions and define milestones. 4. Design phase: prototype / mockup, you give feedback. 5. Development: we build, you can view progress at any stage. 6. Content integration: text, images, and content are added. 7. Review & testing: you check everything, we polish. 8. Launch: we go live, test, and hand over all credentials. 9. After launch: 30-day guarantee on bugs, then an optional maintenance contract.

Realistically: 8–15 hours spread across the project duration. In practice: 2–3 sessions of 60–90 minutes each (briefing, mid-review, pre-launch), plus supplying content and giving feedback on designs and prototypes. We try to respect your time — you have a business to run. Clear questions, concrete feedback rounds, no long email chains.

You provide: text (or raw material for text), logos and brand assets, photos or imagery, information about your offer and target audience, feedback during review phases. We provide: design, development, technical infrastructure, CMS setup, baseline SEO optimisation, copy editing (copywriting on request, quoted separately), launch, and handover documentation.

Usually we write the copy — you set the direction. In conversation we establish tone, target audience, and key messages; from that we create content that fits your business. We use AI assistance, which we review carefully, edit, and prepare for SEO. If you prefer to write yourself, we support you with editing and feedback on SEO suitability.

The first 30 days: we fix all bugs and minor issues at no charge — that is our launch guarantee. Afterwards: either you take over everything yourself (all credentials belong to you), or we handle ongoing maintenance on a monthly contract. Monthly cancellable, no minimum term. Newly discovered requirements and extensions are quoted as separate projects — never billed without discussion.

Small adjustments within the agreed scope: no problem, that is part of the process. Larger changes — a different design concept, new pages, altered functionality — we discuss openly. If it means additional work, you receive a short supplementary quote. We never work extra hours in silence and then surprise you with the bill.

On content or design questions: you decide — you are paying for it. On technical questions (security, performance, accessibility, SEO): we give a clear recommendation and explain why. You can still decide differently — but we will not let something harmful pass without saying so clearly. We are your partner, not your yes-man.