How it works

A four-week project, start to launch.

Most studios are vague about how they actually work. TruNode publishes the playbook. Same approach every time, week by week, with no agency theatrics.

4 weeks to launch
2 revision rounds
1 person, end-to-end
The timeline

Week by week, no surprises.

Here's exactly how four weeks unfold. The schedule starts the day a signed agreement and deposit arrive.

01
Foundation

Discovery & direction

A 30-minute kickoff conversation, then I get to work on the visual direction. By the end of the week, you'll see the actual look and feel of your site — not a sketch, a real working preview.

What gets done

  • Kickoff conversation (30 min)
  • Sitemap and content architecture
  • Visual direction (color, type, layout)
  • Homepage mockup, reviewable in browser
  • Tech stack decisions and hosting setup

What you provide

  • Logo files and brand assets
  • Existing photography
  • Reference sites you like (or don't)
  • A clear sense of who the site is for
  • Access to existing site, if there is one
02
Build

The core build

With the visual direction approved, the rest of the site gets built. Homepage, navigation, footer, and the most important inner pages all come to life. By Friday you can click through a working preview and feel how the site behaves.

What gets done

  • Homepage finalized
  • Navigation and footer
  • Inner pages: About, Services, Contact
  • Mobile responsive layout
  • Working preview link sent end of week

What you provide

  • Reactions to the Week 1 preview
  • Final copy for inner pages
  • Bio and About page narrative
  • Service descriptions or product list
03
Connect

Content & integrations

The remaining pages, your real content, and any third-party integrations get wired up. Analytics, forms, e-commerce, mailing list — everything that makes the site work as a tool, not just a brochure.

What gets done

  • All remaining pages built
  • Forms (contact, booking, inquiry)
  • E-commerce or membership (if applicable)
  • Google Analytics, social auto-publishing
  • Mailing list signup and welcome email

What you provide

  • Product details, prices, photography (if e-com)
  • Social account access
  • Stripe or payment processor access
  • Final media: gallery photos, videos
04
Launch

Polish & ship

Two rounds of revisions land in this week. Final QA across browsers and devices. A 60-minute training session walks you through running the site yourself. Then the domain points to the new build, and you're live.

What gets done

  • Two rounds of revisions applied
  • Browser, device, and performance QA
  • Pre-launch security pass and backup
  • 60-minute training session
  • Domain cutover and go-live
  • 301 redirects from existing URLs

What you provide

  • Consolidated revision feedback (one round at a time)
  • Attendance at training session
  • Final payment
  • Launch authorization
The honest part

About AI-assisted development.

Modern AI tools have changed how software gets built. TruNode doesn't hide that — it's how four-week projects at small-business prices are even possible. Here's exactly what that means.

// what stays human

The craft decisions.

Design judgment. What your site looks like, how it feels, what makes it specific to your business — those decisions come from a person who's looked carefully at your business and your audience.

Scope and architecture. Choosing the right tech stack, anticipating how the site will need to grow, knowing what to leave out.

The relationship. Reading your feedback, translating "I don't love it" into actual changes, knowing when to push back and when to defer. AI can't do this. A real designer can.

// what AI does

The repetitive lift.

Code generation. Drafts of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP get written faster than I could type them by hand. I review and refine every line before it ships.

Boilerplate elimination. Form validation, responsive grids, accessibility audits, SEO scaffolding — work that used to take hours now takes minutes.

Bug-catching. A second set of eyes that never tires, reviewing code for problems before launch.

The questions worth asking.

Will my site look like every other AI-built site?
No. AI generates code from instructions; the design decisions — what your site looks like, how it feels, what makes it specific to your business — come from me. Every project starts from a blank page and a real conversation about who you are and who you serve.
Is the code maintainable?
Yes. Whether your site is custom-coded or built on WordPress, the code follows standard practices and is documented clearly. Any developer (or AI tool) can pick it up later — there's no proprietary framework, no platform lock-in, no special TruNode-only black box.
Are you training AI on my business data?
No. The AI tools I use are commercial products with privacy policies that prohibit training on customer code. Your business information, your brand, and the code I write for you stay between us.
What if the AI makes a mistake?
Same answer as if I made one — I QA everything before it goes live. The 30-day post-launch warranty exists exactly because no software is perfect on day one. If something breaks in the first month, I fix it. Free.
If AI is doing so much, why does it still take four weeks?
Because the code is the easy part. Most of those four weeks is spent on the parts AI can't do well: understanding your business, making good design decisions, gathering and curating your content, integrating third-party services, and the back-and-forth with you. Without AI, the same project would take three to four months.
The toolbox

No mystery stack.

Here's what's under the hood of a typical TruNode build. Everything is industry-standard and replaceable — your site is yours to run, modify, or move.

Build

Foundation & front end

The actual structure of your site. Standards-based. No proprietary frameworks. Hand-coded for performance.

  • HTML 5
  • CSS 3
  • JavaScript
  • WordPress
  • Kadence theme
  • Shopify
Integrate

Services & plumbing

Third-party tools your site connects to. All pay-as-you-go to vendors directly — no markup, no middleman.

  • Stripe
  • WooCommerce
  • Google Analytics
  • MailPoet
  • Mailchimp
  • Fluent Forms
  • The Events Calendar
  • Jetpack
Operate

AI assist & workflow

The tools that make the four-week timeline real. Used by me, behind the scenes — never required of you.

  • Claude
  • GitHub Copilot
  • Cursor
  • Git
  • VS Code
Where TruNode sits

Three honest paths, different trade-offs.

TruNode isn't the right answer for everyone. Here's an honest comparison so you can pick the path that genuinely fits your situation.

The DIY route

Templates & marketplaces

$0 – $500 · weekend project
What you doPick a template, configure it, write your own copy, set everything up yourself.
What you getLooks fine. Works. Likely matches a thousand other small-business sites.
SupportForum threads, YouTube tutorials, your own troubleshooting time.
Best forSide projects, very simple needs, hobbies. Not a serious business presence.
TruNode Digital

Custom without overhead

$1,000 – $5,000 · 4 weeks
What you doBrief me on your project. Review along the way. Provide content. Show up to one training call.
What you getA site custom-designed for your business, not adapted from a template.
SupportDirect access to the developer. Same person, kickoff to launch and beyond.
Best forReal small businesses serious about their online presence — who need quality and speed without paying agency overhead.
The agency route

Full-service shops

$8,000 – $50,000+ · 3–6 months
What you doDiscovery calls, kickoff meetings, account managers, weekly status reports.
What you getCustom design, often beautiful. Frequently locked into the agency's preferred CMS and hosting.
SupportTiered. Account-managed. Usually retainer-based.
Best forEnterprise brands, complex multi-stakeholder builds, businesses that need a team rather than a person.
Let's build something

Ready when you are.

Four quick questions and you'll have a fixed-price quote back, usually within a day. No discovery-call gauntlet, no marketing-funnel email sequences.

Start a project →