Website Design Agency
Located on the Gold Coast

We provide web design, development, hosting and security, graphic design, animtion, photography and videography, SEO, SEM, and security solutions, and on-going maintenance.

We offer two types of websites, an existing layout website and full custom websites. There are benefits for both. We build with Worpress, Shopify and Squarespace. Our main platform is WordPress.

Custom Site:

A custom site is built from scratch, specifically tailored to your brand, needs, and preferences. It allows for unique designs and functionalities that align perfectly with your business goals.

• Flexibility: You have complete control over every aspect of the design and functionality. This means you can create a truly unique online presence that stands out from competitors.
• Scalability: Custom sites are built to be scalable and can grow with your business, allowing for easy addition of new features and functionalities as needed.
• SEO and Performance: Custom sites can be optimised for performance and SEO from the ground up, ensuring the best possible user experience and search engine rankings.

Layout Site:

A layout site uses a pre-designed theme or template that has been customised. This means the basic structure and design are already created, and you can purchase and customise it to fit your brand.

• Cost-effective: Layout sites are generally more affordable than custom sites because they use pre-existing designs. This can be a great option for businesses with a limited budget.
• Faster Development: Since the basic design and structure are already in place, layout sites can be set up and launched much faster than custom sites.
• Limited Customisation: While you can customise a layout site to some extent (such as changing colors, fonts, and images), there are limitations compared to a fully custom-built site. The core structure and functionalities are predefined.
• Common Design: Because layout sites are based on pre-designed templates, other businesses might use the same or similar designs, which can result in less uniqueness for your brand.

In summary, a custom site offers complete flexibility and uniqueness tailored to your specific needs, while a layout site provides a quicker and more cost-effective solution using a customisable pre-designed theme. Both are editable in the backend, we don’t hardcode our sites.

How long does it take to build a website? The timeline varies depending on the project’s complexity but typically ranges from 4 to 12 weeks.

Custom Website Timeline

Design: 2 to 3 weeks
Development: 6 to 8 weeks
Revisions: 1 to 2 weeks

Layout Website Timeline

Design: 1 to 2 weeks
Development: 4 to 6 weeks
Revisions: 1 to 2 weeks

Above timelines is a basic guide. This is an estimate only and timelines will be determined during the requirements gathering phase. Timelines may change based on scope of work and any scheduled alterations that alter the timeline will be communicated.

Our hosting fee and security starts from $59 per month.

• Inclusions in hosting security package provided:
• SSL renewal automatic
• Off-site Backups daily in Brisbane – every 2 hours
• Instant role-back option
• Website Plugin Updates and WordPress Core
• Automatic IP Geo Blacklist to Russia, Ukraine, China, India
• Bruteforce Protection
• Access Log
• Adhoc Hosting Support and resource Limit Support
• Staging Site creation where needed
• Security malware is installed, and login attempts are monitored 24 hours a day
• Dedicated Hacking Support and 24-hour security
• Purging data where needed to minimise the impact if compromised
• 2FA installed for all users

Hosting providers can range anywhere from $50 to $360 per month for a dedicated hosting plan. The higher the price the more enhanced security measures, custom software needs, traffic, and additional support.

Yes, we build user-friendly websites that allow you to make updates easily. Even though our sites are built with a custom theme, and not a page builder, we add in additional editor to edit all your content where needed.

Yes, we provide SEO services to improve your site’s visibility and ranking on search engines. Our monthly SEO retainers start from $795. Which includes the below:

• Identifying high-volume, buyer-intent keywords is crucial for effective SEO. We’ll compile a targeted keyword list based on industry data and monitor rankings to track your website’s performance. 
• Analyse competitor sites, understanding their strategies for higher rankings. This informs our approach for your campaign.
• Complete technical audit identifies issues and outlines enhancements needed for your website.
• We prioritise high-volume, member-intent keywords for your industry, tracking their rankings to gauge campaign success.
• Ensuring your site aligns with keyword strategies and enhances user experience is essential for SEO success.
• Optimise various elements including meta tags, headers, images, and content to boost your site’s relevance and ranking potential.
• We eliminate duplicate content and assist in creating unique copy when necessary.
• Assess your backlink profile, removing toxic links and optimising anchor text for improved rankings.
• Analysing your site’s internal linking structure ensures efficient distribution of link authority to target pages.
• Optimise your Google My Business listing for better visibility in local searches, expanding your reach across relevant areas.

We also complete a monthly meeting and report and provide clear actionable items to improve SEO

We ensure a seamless site transition by including SEO go-live services. This includes a URL site migration review and redirects to 404 pages, ensuring SEO is not affected. We write your page SEO meta tag descriptions for each page, and complete a speed test. To ensure site and images are optimised as best practice for all sites we build.

Additionally, we offer ongoing SEO maintenance to keep your site optimised for search engines. We can include a basic on-going plan or comprehensive ongoing support to help your website achieve top rankings for competitive search terms quickly. Schedule a meeting with our SEO manager to learn more!

Costs vary based on requirements, but we offer flexible payment plans to suit different budgets.

Small Business Website Layout Website (Up to 16 Pages)
$3,000 to $7,000
Corporate Custom Website (Up to 75 Pages)
$10,000 to $35,000
E-Commerce Website (Up to 1,000 Products)
$5,000 to $55,000

For purchasing our layout templates, the cost is $899 once-off. This allows you access to a new custom layout without the $$. This allows you to manage the content and reduce the cost upfront. We provide 1 hour zoom training in managing your site. This may include an initial learning curve, and the process of building your site would be significantly longer.

We prioritise your website’s security by utilising custom themes, which are tailor-made to fit your brand’s unique identity. We also limit the use of plugins, ensuring that only essential and trusted plugins are integrated to minimise vulnerabilities. Additionally, we employ the latest security practices, such as weekly updates and monitoring, to safeguard your site against threats and breaches. By implementing these measures, we ensure that your website remains safe and secure, providing you with peace of mind.

Yes, we offer ongoing maintenance and support to keep your website running smoothly and securely. We also offer on-going graphic design support for any design needs for your business or club. Our retainers start from $495 per month, to $1,500 per month for unlimited edits, maintenance and support. Have a look at our retainers.

WordPress:

• Pros:
  • Flexibility: WordPress is highly customisable, allowing for complete control over the design and functionality of your website.
  • Large community: WordPress has a large and active community of developers and users, which means there are plenty of resources and support available.
  • SEO-friendly: WordPress is designed with SEO in mind, making it easier to optimize your website for search engines. WordPress is the best for SEO, all SEO agencies prefer to build with WordPress.
  • Cost-effective: WordPress on-going is lower cost, allowing a once-off cost to developing the website, without paying huge on-going cost such as Shopify.
• Cons:
  • Learning curve: WordPress has a steeper learning curve compared to Shopify, especially for beginners who may find it challenging to set up and customise their website by themselves. This is why building with a web agency can make this process smoother, quicker, and less stressful.
  • Slow loading if using a page builder: Page builders significantly slow down your site, and in turn hurt your SEO. Which is the most important reason to build a site (bring people to your page). This is why Media Island does not use page builders, but custom themes with minimal code, which we add an element editor tool. This completely removes the con from WordPress.

Shopify:

• Pros:
  • Easy to use: Shopify is known for its user-friendly interface, making it easy for beginners to set up and manage an online store for a very basic store.
  • All-in-one solution: Shopify provides hosting, security, and a range of built-in features, such as payment processing and inventory management, making it a comprehensive solution for e-commerce.
  • App store: Shopify has a large app store with extensions and plugins to add additional functionality to your store.
  • Same Design: There are only a few free themes to select, so you are likely to come across another e-commerce site that looks the same as your site.
• Cons:
  • Cost: Shopify can be more expensive than other e-commerce platforms, especially when factoring in transaction fees and the cost of premium themes and additional apps to add any additional functionality to the site.
  • Limited customisation: While Shopify allows for some customisation, it is not as flexible as other platforms like WordPress, which may limit the ability to create a unique design. This builds with Liquid coding, so you need a specific Liquid coder, which is quite hard to find and expensive.
  • SEO is limited. Some aspects of technical SEO, such as editing the .htaccess file or implementing schema markup, may be more challenging to do in Shopify compared to a platform like WordPress.

Overall, the choice between Shopify and WordPress depends on your specific needs and preferences. Shopify is great for beginners and those looking for an all-in-one e-commerce solution, while WordPress offers more flexibility and customisation options for those with more technical knowledge.

Please note, Shopify hugest down-fall that any experienced developer knows is you have to pay on-going add-ons to add any custom functionality to your site. Making the Shopify experience a more costly endeavour in the long run. With WordPress, we can quote an hour rate of customisation, 

Yes, we can assist with creating high-quality content for your website with relevant SEO keywords.

Yes, all our websites are designed to be fully responsive and optimised for mobile devices, we test all browsers and sizes.

1. Discovery and Planning: We start by understanding your business goals, target audience, and specific requirements. This phase involves detailed discussions, research, and analysis to ensure we have a clear vision of your project.

2. SEO Enhancements: Our SEO specialist provides recommended enhancements for increased conversions and effective call-to-action. We incorporate these recommendations to ensure your website is optimised for both user experience and search engine performance.

3. Wireframing and Mockup Creation: Based on your feedback and SEO recommendations, we then design a detailed mockup, showcasing the visual elements, colour scheme, typography, and overall design aesthetics. This mockup serves as a blueprint for your website’s final look and feel.

4. Mockup Approval: Development does not commence until you have signed off on the mockup, ensuring that we are aligned with your vision and expectations. Your satisfaction is our priority, so we welcome your input and make any necessary adjustments.

5. Development: Once the mockup is approved, our development team starts building your website. We use the latest technologies and best practices to create a responsive, user-friendly, and secure website. This phase includes coding, integrating necessary functionalities, and ensuring optimal performance across all devices.

6. Testing: Before launching, we conduct thorough testing to ensure your website is free of bugs and performs seamlessly. This includes functionality testing, compatibility testing across different browsers and devices, and performance optimization.

7. Launch: After rigorous testing and final approval from you, we launch your website. We handle the entire launch process to ensure a smooth transition and minimal downtime.

8. Post-Launch Support: Our commitment doesn’t end with the launch. We offer ongoing support and maintenance to keep your website updated, secure, and running smoothly. We are here to assist with any future updates or enhancements you may need.

By following this structured process, we ensure that every web design project is executed with precision and meets the highest standards of quality and client satisfaction.