Start a project
Web design & software studio · Nationwide

We build the website — and the software behind it.

Custom sites for small businesses, plus the systems most studios can't build: online ordering, customer accounts, dashboards, subscription billing. Every line coded from scratch.

  • Live in days, not months
  • Fixed price up front
  • You own the domain and the code
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30+Sites launched
5Platforms built
1–5Day turnaround
100%Custom coded
Selected work

Projects built to perform, not just impress.

Client websites and platforms I designed, coded and launched. Every one is live right now — click through and use them.

The BuildBy1st website Live
01 — 05

BuildBy1st

SaaS Platform · Our own product

A full website-builder platform: a customer answers a few questions, gets a real multi-page site generated around their industry, edits it live, and publishes it on their own domain — with subscription billing behind it.

SaaSPaymentsAIMulti-tenant
The Boobadoo BBQ website Live
02 — 05

Boobadoo BBQ

Restaurant · Ordering system

A Central Texas BBQ joint in Dallas, GA that sells out most Saturdays. The site isn't a brochure — it's the ordering system: live menu, cart, pickup scheduling, and an owner dashboard that confirms or declines each order by email.

Online orderingLive menuEmail alertsAdmin dashboard
The MarketBy1st website Live
03 — 05

MarketBy1st

SaaS Platform · Our own product

A marketing department in a subscription: a library of 104,000+ finished, industry-specific marketing assets that render live in the browser, brand-kitted to the customer and downloadable in minutes.

SaaSDesign systemPaymentsScale
The PlayBy1st website Live
04 — 05

PlayBy1st

Game Platform · Our own product

Fifteen original browser games under one arcade — shared accounts, profiles, achievements, real-time multiplayer parties, and zero downloads. Every game written from scratch.

Real-timeMultiplayerAccountsCanvas
The 1st Step Learning Academy website Live
05 — 05

1st Step Learning Academy

Childcare · Local business

A licensed early-learning center in Powder Springs, GA. The whole site is built around one action a worried parent wants to take: schedule a tour — with the trust signals that make them comfortable doing it.

Local SEOTour bookingTrust-firstMulti-page
What I build

Everything your business needs to get found and get booked.

From a single landing page to a platform with accounts and payments — same person, same standard.

Custom website design

Designed around your business, not pulled off a shelf. Every layout, color and line of copy is chosen for what you sell and who buys it.

Multi-page business sites

Services, menus, teams, programs, policies, booking flows — structured so a customer finds what they need in one move, on a phone.

Landing pages

One focused page built to do one job: launches, promos, ad traffic, link-in-bio. Fast to ship, fast to load, pointed at a single action.

Ordering & booking systems

Real workflows, not a contact form. Carts, pickup scheduling, live menus, deposits, admin dashboards and instant email alerts to you.

Web apps & custom software

Accounts and logins, subscription billing, customer dashboards, multi-tenant platforms. The software behind the business, not just the front of it.

SEO & local search

Titles, structure, schema, sitemaps, page speed and location targeting done at build time — so you can actually be found for what you do.

Why BuiltBy1st

Most studios stop at the website. That's where the business starts.

A site that looks good but doesn't take an order, book an appointment or tell you a lead came in isn't finished — it's decoration.

Days, not quarters

Most sites go live in one to two weeks. A landing page can be up in a few days. You talk to the person writing the code, so nothing waits on a scheduling call.

Actually custom

No page builders, no bought themes. Hand-coded means it loads fast, ranks better, and does exactly what your business needs — including the things templates can't do.

Built to convert

A pretty site that doesn't produce customers has failed. Every section is built toward one action: call, book, order, or send the form.

The system behind the site

Orders, bookings, dashboards, email alerts, payments. When your website should be running part of your business, that's the part I build.

One person, start to finish

Strategy, design, code and launch — same person. No account manager relaying your feedback to someone who never spoke to you.

You own it

Your domain, your accounts, your content. No proprietary platform holding your site hostage, and no surprise renewal that doubles.

1stletter, founder of BuiltBy1st 1stletterFounder · Designer · Developer
The person behind it

You talk to the person writing the code.

I'm 1stletter — I design it, build it and launch it myself. No hand-offs, no "dev team" queue. And so you're never waiting on an answer while I'm deep in code, Shay in Client Relations keeps every conversation moving — quotes, scheduling, updates.

30+ sites shipped5 platforms built Clients nationwideReplies in 24h

— 1st

How it works

From first message to live site in three steps.

No lengthy onboarding, no discovery deck, no account manager. Just a clear scope, a fixed price and a date.

Tell us what you need

Send the form or an email. What your business does, who you're trying to reach, what the site has to accomplish, and any examples you like. That's enough for me to quote a fixed price and a real date.

I design and build it

You get a preview link early and watch it come together, not a black box for three weeks. Revisions happen while it's being built, which is why this stays fast.

We launch — and you own it

It goes live on your domain with SSL, forms, analytics and search setup done. I walk you through managing it, and I'm here after launch if you want it.

Pricing

Websites from $199. No hourly surprises.

Fixed prices agreed before anything starts — and a care plan from $25/mo if you want the site maintained for you.

Starter Website

$199
one-time

A clean, professional online presence — live fast, done right.

  • 1-page custom website
  • Mobile-responsive design
  • Business info & services sections
  • Contact section with social links
  • Basic SEO setup
Start with Starter

Best for: getting a professional presence online, fast

Most popular

Business Website

$349
one-time

The main event — a full custom site built to bring in customers.

  • Up to 5 custom-designed pages
  • Mobile-responsive design
  • Contact / quote form to your inbox
  • Google Maps integration
  • Social media integration
Start a business site

Best for: most small businesses — this is the one

Business Pro

$499
one-time

Everything in Business, plus the working parts — bookings, orders, payments.

  • Everything in Business Website
  • Up to 7–8 pages
  • Booking, order or request functionality
  • Advanced forms & newsletter signup
  • Payment integration
Go Business Pro

Best for: businesses that take bookings, orders or payments

Custom Build

$750+
quoted per project

When the site becomes software — dashboards, accounts, real systems.

  • Customer dashboards & admin panels
  • Databases and user accounts
  • Full ordering systems
  • Memberships & subscriptions
  • Complex payment flows
Scope a custom build

Best for: web applications and platforms

🏷 First-time clients: $50 off any package 🤝 Referrals: earn $100 per launched site
Client results

Real clients, real words

★★★★★
“Man... I owe you.. at least a free dinner or lunch for you & the fam. People love the site. Consistently higher pre orders. It's been just a great help overall.”
Boobadoo BBQRestaurant owner · Dallas, GA
★★★★★
“When he finished the site, all I could say was WOW. Genuinely impressive work — better than I expected.”
LizNail artist · Liz The Nail Tech
★★★★★
“Simple, clean, and to the point. He understood the vision immediately and delivered a landing page exactly what I wanted.”
CortezPersonal brand · Ask Cortez
FAQ

Questions, answered straight

How long does a website take?

A Starter site is usually live in 2–4 days. A full business site takes 1–2 weeks. Custom builds with ordering, accounts or payments are scoped individually — most land between three and six weeks.

The biggest variable is content: if photos and details are ready when we start, it moves fast.

What does it actually cost?

Websites start at $199. The most popular package — a full custom business site — is $349, Business Pro with bookings, payments and advanced forms is $499, and custom builds and web applications start at $750, quoted per project. You get a fixed price before any work begins — no hourly surprises. First-time clients get $50 off, and referrals earn $100 toward your next project.

Do I own the website?

Yes, completely. It's launched on a domain you own, on hosting in your name, with your accounts. There's no proprietary platform and no monthly fee required to keep your own site online. If you ever want to take it elsewhere, it goes with you.

Do you build with WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace?

No. Everything is hand-coded. That's why these sites load faster, score better in search, and can do things a template can't — like a live menu, an ordering system, or a customer dashboard. If you already have a site on one of those platforms, I can rebuild it and move it over.

Can you do more than a website?

That's the main difference here. I've built and shipped complete software platforms — subscription billing, customer accounts, multi-tenant publishing, AI features, real-time multiplayer. If your business needs the system and not just the storefront, that's the same person and the same conversation.

What about ongoing changes after launch?

You can handle edits yourself, hire me per change, or put the site on Website Care ($25/mo — hosting, SSL, monitoring, backups and minor updates) or Website Care+ ($50/mo — plus monthly content changes). Nothing is mandatory — the site keeps working either way.

Let's build

Ready to get your website built?

Your competitors are already online. Let's make sure that when someone searches for what you do, they find you first — and trust what they see.

Or reach us directly — shay@builtby1st.com

Message sent ✓I'll get back to you within 24 hours.