Published prices · USD

Clear prices, fixed after scoping.

Every package shows its starting price, exactly what it includes and what it leaves out. After a free call you get a written proposal within 48 hours. For websites and stores it carries a fixed, itemized price that only changes if the scope does; for apps, the fixed build price comes out of the paid discovery step. Monthly plans are flat and start at $450/mo.

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Packages 18 packages

Pick a starting point.

Choose what you need. Every card lists what is included, what is not, how long it takes and how payment works.

Monthly Plans

Flat monthly plans that keep your site maintained and work every month on making it easier to find on Google and in AI assistants like ChatGPT. Every plan lists exactly what the month includes. They run month to month, so you can cancel before any billing date. For sites that have never had a proper search setup, there is also an optional one-time setup.

  • Monthly plan

    Essentials

    Flat rate

    $450/mo

    Website care, Google search work and AI-search checks every month. $450/mo, or $600/mo for Shopify and WordPress sites.

    Best for

    Kalamazoo-area small businesses with one location and a site of up to 15 pages. You want the site kept safe and up to date, and steadily easier to find on Google and in AI assistants, without hiring two separate vendors. The price is $450/mo for sites built on Next.js or a similar modern framework, which includes every site we build. Shopify stores and WordPress sites are $600/mo, because they need theme, app or plugin updates and checkout testing every month. Not sure what your site is built on? We will check on the first call.

    What’s included

    • Monthly AI-search check: 5 real questions your customers ask (for example 'who does roof repair in Portage?') are tried in ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity. We record whether you come up and which sources get cited.
    • One existing page improved for search each month: its title, description, headings and links, plus the hidden markup that tells Google your hours, services and address
    • One Google Business Profile post a month, and your hours, services and photos kept accurate
    • Google Search Console checked every month, with indexing and crawl problems fixed
    • The files that tell search engines and AI assistants what they may read, kept valid and current
    • Security and software updates, tested on a private preview copy before they reach your live site
    • Automatic monitoring around the clock: if the site goes down or starts showing errors, the alert comes straight to us
    • Off-site backups, with a real restore tested every quarter, so the site can be brought back if anything breaks
    • A monthly check that the site is still fast on phones and that your forms and checkout or booking still work (up to 3 forms and 1 checkout or booking path)
    • Domain and security-certificate renewals tracked so nothing lapses
    • 1 hour of hands-on changes each month for things you cannot edit yourself: copy, photos, and small changes using your site's existing sections
    • A short plain-English report every month: what we changed, how your search results are trending, and the calls and form leads we tracked
    • Response times: urgent problems (site down, forms or checkout broken) are acknowledged the same business day when possible, and always by the next business day. Routine changes are done within 5 business days.
    Timeline

    Onboarding takes 1–⁠2 weeks, and then the plan runs on a monthly cycle. Search changes usually take a few months to show up, and AI assistants have to re-read your site before their answers change.

    • New pages (add one for $495, or choose Growth, which includes one every month)
    • A full search and AI setup for a site that has never had one (see the optional one-time Search & AI Foundation)
    • Catch-up work for sites that are years behind on updates (quoted after the onboarding audit, from $650)
    • Major upgrades to the software your site is built on (estimated before any work starts)
    • Wix, Squarespace and other closed site builders: we usually cannot get the access this plan needs, and we will tell you so on the first call
    • Link building, paid ads, social media management or review-generation software
    • Hosting and domain fees, which you pay the providers directly (typically about $20/mo for business hosting on Vercel, or your Shopify plan or WordPress host instead, plus about $10–⁠$25 a year for the domain)
    • Any guarantee of rankings, traffic or placement in AI answers

    Pricing and billing: $450/mo for Next.js or similar modern-framework sites, or $600/mo for Shopify and WordPress sites. Billed monthly in advance on autopay, with the first month due at sign-up.

    Onboarding: Sites we did not build pay a one-time $350 onboarding audit. It is waived if you start with the Search & AI Foundation, and starting with the Foundation also gives you a $500 credit, applied from your third monthly invoice.

    Cancelling: The plan is month to month. You can cancel any time before your next billing date, and the month you have already paid for is your last. We recommend giving search work at least 3 months, but that is not required.

    How time is counted: Unused time does not roll over. Changes are logged in 15-minute increments. Extra work is estimated before it starts and billed at $110/hr, also in 15-minute increments. If your usage runs over the plan two months in a row, we review the plan with you.

    Setup and plan, side by side: The plan is the ongoing monthly upkeep. If your site has never had a proper search and AI setup, the optional Foundation does all of it up front, so you are not waiting on one page a month.

    Start with EssentialsAsk a question about Essentials
  • Monthly planRecommended

    Growth

    Flat rate

    $950/mo

    A new page every month, an active Google Business Profile and monthly AI-search checks, on top of full website care.

    Best for

    Local service businesses, restaurants and shops in Kalamazoo, Portage and Battle Creek that want to see progress every month, not just upkeep. It is the first plan that adds a new page every month, which gives Google and AI assistants more about your business to find.

    What’s included

    Everything in Essentials, plus

    • 1.5 hours of hands-on changes each month
    • One new page every month, written from a short interview with you, then built, published and marked up for search. Examples: a contractor's 'Roof repair in Portage' page, a restaurant's 'Private dining' or 'Catering' page, a venue's 'Corporate events' page.
    • Two Google Business Profile posts a month, plus fresh photos, and your services and Q&A kept current
    • AI-search check on 10 questions every month and an expanded set of 20 every quarter, with notes on which competitors get mentioned instead
    • A 30-minute review call every quarter, in addition to the monthly report
    • Faster response: urgent problems acknowledged the same business day; routine changes done within 3 business days
    • Sized for sites of up to 30 pages and 2 locations
    Timeline

    Onboarding takes 1–⁠2 weeks, and the first new page goes live in the first full month. Allow 3–⁠6 months before judging search results, because search engines and AI assistants need time to re-read your site.

    • More than one new page a month (add $495 per page)
    • Make-up pages for skipped months (unused pages do not roll over)
    • Locations beyond two (add $150/mo each)
    • Shopify stores and WordPress sites (add $150/mo)
    • Link building, paid ads, social media management or review-generation software
    • Hosting and domain fees (paid to the providers directly)
    • Any guarantee of rankings, traffic, revenue or placement in AI answers

    $950/mo ($1,100 for Shopify or WordPress sites), billed monthly in advance on autopay. Month to month: cancel any time before your next billing date. Each new page includes one round of your edits. If we cannot schedule the interview by mid-month, we write the page from your existing materials. Unused time and pages do not roll over. Extra work is estimated first and billed at $110/hr. If you start with the Search & AI Foundation, $500 comes off your third monthly invoice.

    Start with GrowthAsk a question about Growth
  • Monthly plan

    Authority

    Flat rate

    $1,950/mo

    Two new pages a month, up to three locations and a monthly strategy call. By application, and only one Authority client at a time.

    Best for

    Businesses with up to three locations, or in very competitive categories, that want their search and AI visibility worked on every week.

    What’s included

    Everything in Growth, plus

    • 2.5 hours of hands-on changes or development each month
    • Two new pages every month, chosen from a running list of customer questions that no good source answers yet
    • Two existing pages improved for search each month
    • Google Business Profile upkeep for up to 3 locations (two posts a month for each)
    • AI-search check on 20 questions every month and 40 every quarter, with a gap list that drives the new pages
    • Every quarter: a full technical search check, a speed review, and a review of how your calls, forms and booking steps convert
    • A 30-minute strategy call every month, plus the monthly report
    • Priority response: urgent problems acknowledged within 4 business hours; routine changes done within 2 business days
    • Sized for sites up to 60 pages and 3 locations
    Timeline

    Onboarding takes 1–⁠2 weeks, and two new pages go live each month from the first full month. Results are reviewed with you every quarter.

    • Locations beyond three (add $150/mo each)
    • Shopify stores and WordPress sites (add $150/mo)
    • Link building, paid ads, social media management or review-generation software
    • Hosting and domain fees (paid to the providers directly)
    • Any guarantee of rankings, traffic, revenue or placement in AI answers

    $1,950/mo, billed monthly in advance on autopay. Month to month: cancel any time before your next billing date. By application only. Because there is one developer, we take only one Authority client at a time. Unused time and pages do not roll over. Extra work is estimated first and billed at $110/hr. If you start with the Search & AI Foundation, $500 comes off your third monthly invoice.

    Start with AuthorityAsk a question about Authority
  • One-time

    Search & AI Foundation

    From

    $1,500

    The one-time setup that helps Google and AI assistants read your business correctly.

    Best for

    Sites that have never had a proper search and AI setup. Buy it before starting a monthly plan, so the plan is not spent on setup, or on its own as a one-time fix with no monthly plan.

    What’s included

    • A page-by-page check of your site, with a written record of every fix
    • New titles and descriptions for every page, written by hand
    • Google Business Profile set up or corrected: categories, service areas, hours, services, photos and Q&A
    • Your business name, address and phone made consistent across your site and the directories Google relies on
    • Hidden markup that tells Google and AI assistants your business type, services, hours and FAQs (only where real content supports it)
    • Google Analytics and Search Console set up, with tracking on phone taps, form sends and booking steps
    • Clear rules for which AI and search bots may read your site, so the assistants that cite their sources can find you
    • A check that your pages can be read without JavaScript, the way many AI crawlers read them
    • Your business described the same way on your site, Google profile, directories and social accounts
    • An llms.txt file and plain-text versions of key pages (a simple convention, not a ranking factor)
    • A starting baseline: 10 real customer questions asked in ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity, recording who gets mentioned
    • The onboarding audit for sites we did not build, included
    • A written summary with recommended next steps
    Timeline

    The check and baseline take 1–⁠2 weeks. The fixes then ship over the following 2–⁠4 weeks.

    • Rebuilding pages that cannot be read without JavaScript on your current platform (quoted separately)
    • New content pages (add-on, or a monthly plan)
    • Ongoing monitoring and re-testing (monthly plans)
    • Link building or paid ads
    • Any guarantee of rankings or placement in AI answers

    50% to start, 50% when the written fix record is delivered. This price covers sites up to 15 pages with one location; larger sites are priced in the proposal. The Foundation is included in the Business Site, Custom Build and Signature Interactive packages, and costs $950 when added to a Starter Site build. If you start any monthly plan with it, you get a $500 credit, applied from your third monthly invoice. The plan stays month to month, so there is nothing to pay back if you leave earlier: you simply do not receive the credit.

    Start with Search & AI FoundationAsk a question about Search & AI Foundation
Compare 3 plans

Monthly plans, side by side.

Each plan includes everything in the one before it. Moving up adds new pages, more search work and faster replies.

What each monthly plan includes: Essentials at $450/mo, Growth at $950/mo, Authority at $1,950/mo.
What you getEssentials$450/moRecommendedGrowth$950/moAuthority$1,950/mo
Shopify or WordPress site+$150/mo+$150/mo+$150/mo
Hands-on changes each month1 hour1.5 hours2.5 hours
New pages written and publishedNot includedAdd-on, $495 each1 a month2 a month
Existing pages improved for search1 a month1 a month2 a month
AI-search questions checked5 a month10 a month, 20 each quarter20 a month, 40 each quarter
Google Business Profile posts1 a month2 a month2 a month per location
Review call with youNot included30 min, quarterly30 min, monthly
Quarterly technical, speed and conversion reviewNot includedNot includedIncluded
Sized forUp to 15 pages, 1 locationUp to 30 pages, 2 locationsUp to 60 pages, 3 locations
Urgent problems acknowledgedSame business day when possible, next business day at the latestSame business dayWithin 4 business hours
Routine changes done within5 business days3 business days2 business days
Monitoring, backups and security updatesIncludedIncludedIncluded
Search Console checks and crawl fixesIncludedIncludedIncluded
Speed, form and checkout checksIncludedIncludedIncluded
Domain and certificate renewals trackedIncludedIncludedIncluded
Plain-English report every monthIncludedIncludedIncluded
Month to month. Cancel before any billing date.Start with EssentialsStart with GrowthStart with Authority
Terms 20 terms

The fine print, in plain English.

How billing, timing and ownership work. These apply to every package and plan, unless a package says otherwise.

  1. You own it, and you are never stuck

    Your domain, hosting account, code repository and backups stay in your name from day one. Every project ends with documented handover notes, so any competent Next.js or Shopify developer could take over. If Element ever cannot continue a plan, you get 30 days' notice and full handover documentation. You work directly with the person who builds your site.

  2. No guarantees on results

    Nobody can honestly guarantee rankings, traffic, revenue or placement in an AI answer, so no package promises them. What we commit to is the work listed in each package.

  3. Discovery and prototype credit

    The Quick Scope ($950), Discovery Sprint ($2,500), Extended Discovery ($4,500) and Interactive Prototype Sprint ($1,500) are each credited in full toward the build if the build starts within 60 days of the written scope or prototype being delivered. You keep the written scope or the prototype either way.

  4. Revisions and launch support

    Two rounds of revisions per page design are included, unless a package says otherwise. One round means one combined written list of changes. Changes after a design is approved are estimated first. Every build includes 30 days of launch support, which covers fixing defects in what we delivered. New requests are estimated separately.

  5. One developer, one build at a time

    Element is one developer and takes one build at a time, so the number of plans and projects is limited. Timelines are counted from the start date in your proposal. Builds that start between May and August (summer starts) run faster; where that applies, the package's timeline shows both ranges.

  6. Invoices

    Invoices are due within 10 days, and work pauses if an invoice is more than 10 days overdue. Bank transfer (ACH) or check is preferred for invoices over $1,000. Deposits are non-refundable once work has started. If you stop a project partway, you keep everything delivered so far, and any completed work beyond what you have already paid is billed at the hourly rate.

  1. Starting prices

    Each build shows the lowest price for the scope described, and some also show what projects of that kind typically come to. After a free 20–⁠30 minute call you get a written proposal within 48 hours. For websites and stores it has a fixed, itemized price; for apps, the fixed build price comes out of paid discovery. Once a price is fixed, it does not move unless what is being built changes, and any change is priced in writing before work starts.

  2. Monthly plans are a flat price, billed monthly in advance on autopay

    They run month to month: cancel any time before your next billing date, and the month you have already paid for is your last. Unused hours and pages do not roll over. Work beyond the plan is estimated first and billed at $110/hr. If your usage runs over the plan two months in a row, we review the plan with you. Plan clients get 60 days' written notice of any price change.

  3. Which sites the plans cover

    $450/mo Essentials covers sites built on Next.js or a similar modern framework, including every site we build. Shopify stores and WordPress sites add $150/mo, so Essentials is $600/mo for them. Wix, Squarespace and other closed site builders usually do not give the access a plan needs, and we will tell you so honestly. Not sure what your site is built on? We will check on the first call.

  4. Sites we did not build

    A monthly plan starts with a one-time $350 onboarding audit, which is waived if you start with the Search & AI Foundation. Sites that are years behind on updates may need catch-up work, which is quoted separately so you can decide on it. If you start a monthly plan together with the Foundation, you get a $500 credit, applied from your third monthly invoice.

  5. How plan time works

    Requests come through one channel (email). They are batched, worked at least weekly (faster on Growth and Authority, as each plan's response times say), and logged in 15-minute increments. Changes use your site's existing sections; new sections or page designs are add-ons. The Google Business Profile posts and upkeep your plan lists are included; other profile changes you ask for count toward your monthly time. Routine and minor software updates are included; major version upgrades are estimated before any work starts.

  6. Response times

    Support hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Eastern. 'Acknowledged' means we have replied and started working out the problem, not that it is already fixed. Urgent means the site or app is down, checkout is failing, or forms have stopped sending; urgent issues go ahead of everything else. Planned time away is announced 2 weeks ahead, and monitoring and urgent acknowledgements continue during it.

  7. Build payments

    Payment follows the total in your written proposal. Projects under $5,000 are 50% to book and 50% when the finished work is approved on its preview link. Projects of $5,000 and up are 40% to book, 40% at design approval, and 20% when the finished work is approved on its preview link. Final payment is due at approval (or on its installment date, if you chose installments), not when the domain is switched over. If we receive no written list of defects within 10 business days of delivery, the work counts as approved.

  8. Web apps

    Every app starts with paid discovery, and the published app prices already include it. Each phase has a fixed price and written acceptance criteria. Phases under $15,000 are billed 40% at the start, 40% at a working demo and 20% at acceptance. Phases of $15,000 and up are billed 25% at the start, 25% at each of two demos and 25% at acceptance. The same 10-business-day acceptance rule applies.

  9. Paused projects

    If a project waits more than 30 days on your content or feedback, it is paused and rescheduled, and payment for completed milestones becomes due.

  10. No plan required

    A monthly plan is never a condition of a build, and having no plan at all is a real option. You own everything, and when you need something it is $110/hr, estimated before work starts. If you start any monthly plan within 30 days of a launch, your first month is half price.

  11. Running costs

    Third-party costs are billed to your own accounts by the providers, with no markup. Typical amounts: business hosting on Vercel about $20/mo; a domain about $10–⁠$25 a year; Shopify plans from about $39/mo plus any apps; app database, email and hosting typically $20–⁠$60/mo at small-business scale.

  12. Hourly work

    Small jobs outside a package or plan are $110/hr, billed in 30-minute increments and always estimated before work starts. Extra work on a monthly plan is logged in 15-minute increments, like the plan time itself. A prepaid 10-hour block is $1,000 and is valid for 6 months.

  13. Rush scheduling

    +35%, for website and store builds only, and only when an open slot exists. It is not available for apps.

  14. Installments

    Instead of the usual split, the Launch Page and Starter Site can be paid in 3 equal monthly autopay installments, the first at booking. Later installments stay on their monthly dates, even if the work is approved sooner.

FAQ 6 answers

Pricing questions, answered.

Still unsure which package fits? Ask on a free call and get a straight answer.

Start a projectCall (269) 929-6895

Each build shows the lowest price for the scope described, and some also show what projects of that kind typically come to. After a free 20–⁠30 minute call you get a written proposal within 48 hours. For websites and stores it has a fixed, itemized price; for apps, the fixed build price comes out of paid discovery. Once a price is fixed, it does not move unless what is being built changes, and any change is priced in writing before work starts.

Payment follows the total in your written proposal. Projects under $5,000 are 50% to book and 50% when the finished work is approved on its preview link. Projects of $5,000 and up are 40% to book, 40% at design approval, and 20% when the finished work is approved on its preview link. Final payment is due at approval (or on its installment date, if you chose installments), not when the domain is switched over. If we receive no written list of defects within 10 business days of delivery, the work counts as approved. Deposits are non-refundable once work has started. Web apps are billed by phase, and each app package lists its schedule.

Every build includes 30 days of launch support, which covers fixing defects in what we delivered. New requests are estimated separately. A monthly plan is never a condition of a build, and having no plan at all is a real option. You own everything, and when you need something it is $110/hr, estimated before work starts. If you start any monthly plan within 30 days of a launch, your first month is half price.

Yes. A build, a monthly plan and add-ons can be combined, and your written proposal itemizes each one. Adding the Search & AI Foundation to a Starter Site costs $950; it is already included in Business Site, Custom Build and Signature Interactive. App Care and Essentials together are $995/mo.

Monthly plans are a flat price, billed monthly in advance on autopay. They run month to month: cancel any time before your next billing date, and the month you have already paid for is your last. Unused hours and pages do not roll over. Work beyond the plan is estimated first and billed at $110/hr. If your usage runs over the plan two months in a row, we review the plan with you. Plan clients get 60 days' written notice of any price change.

Third-party costs are billed to your own accounts by the providers, with no markup. Typical amounts: business hosting on Vercel about $20/mo; a domain about $10–⁠$25 a year; Shopify plans from about $39/mo plus any apps; app database, email and hosting typically $20–⁠$60/mo at small-business scale. Each package also lists exactly what it leaves out.

Not sure which one fits?

Tell us what you need. You will hear back within one business day, and get a written proposal within 48 hours of a free call.

Start a projectCall (269) 929-6895