We build a site and a workspace the way you plan a day in the mountains: know the objective, pack for the conditions, set save points and keep someone on belay.
These are the nine stages, from the first call to the monthly work after launch. Scroll to follow the trail, or pick a point on the map.
Stage 01EL. 0 M
Origin Point
The discovery call
Every route starts at zero, zero: one conversation about your business, the site you have today, the tools your team uses and the marketing work that keeps slipping. You ask us anything. Nobody presents slides.
What happens
- A conversation about goals, budget and timing
- A first look at your site or store as it stands
- A list of the tools you already pay for
You leave with
- A direct answer on fit, and which plan suits
- The rough shape of the route
- A clear next step
Map termTrue north. The single outcome the project steers by. If a decision does not move toward it, it waits.
Stage 02EL. 520 M
Blueprint Base Camp
Research and the route plan
Base camp is where a climb is won or lost before it starts. We audit what you run today, then plan two things side by side: the rebuilt site and the workspace that will sit on top of it.
What happens
- Stack check: an audit of the site, platform, content, data and tools
- A search and answer-engine review of the pages that matter
- The connectors the workspace needs, and what each may touch
You leave with
- The topo: scope, phases and timeline in writing
- An estimate tied to that scope
- The tasks the workspace will take on first
Map termStack check. An inventory of what you already run, what still works and what will not survive the climb.
Stage 03EL. 1,040 M
Moodboard Meadow
Creative direction
Open ground before the trail steepens. The look, the voice and the page structure get explored while changing direction is still cheap, and the brand rules the workspace will write by are set down.
What happens
- Moodboards, palettes and type studies
- Voice and messaging directions
- Brand rules written for the workspace to follow
You leave with
- A creative direction you have seen and chosen
- A written voice guide the workspace uses on every draft
Map termSightline. What the eye lands on first. Every page and every campaign is planned around it.
Stage 04EL. 1,560 M
Wireframe Switchbacks
Structure and prototype
The trail starts to zigzag. Page structure, structured data and the workspace design go back and forth until they hold: which tools connect, what each connection may read or change, and where a person signs off.
What happens
- Wireframes for the key pages and journeys
- Structured data planned page by page
- A connector map with read and write permissions
You leave with
- A structure you have clicked through, not only heard described
- Sign-off at a save point before the build begins
Map termAPI pass. Where two systems meet. Every connector gets its own plan and its own tests.
Stage 05EL. 2,080 M
Commit Ridge
The build
The long ridge to the top. We build the site and set up your Claude project: its instructions, its knowledge and its connectors, committed in stages you can see.
What happens
- The site built in phases, each ending in something you can review
- Your Claude project set up with your brand rules and product data
- Connectors added one at a time, read-only first
You leave with
- A changelog after each phase: what changed and what is next
- A workspace you have watched draft real tasks
Map termHuman belay. The person holding the rope on every AI-assisted step: reviewing, correcting and signing off.
Stage 06EL. 2,600 M
Staging Camp
Test and review
The last camp before the top, and the place to find out what is not ready. Every page, every connector and every task the workspace will run is checked on a staging copy with real content.
What happens
- Device, accessibility, speed and SEO checks
- Each connector tested against real data
- Sample tasks run and reviewed by a person
You leave with
- A punch list, worked to zero
- A release plan with a rollback
Map termFalse summit. The point that looks like the top and is not. Staging camp exists to find them before launch day does.
Stage 07EL. 3,040 M
Launch Window
The summit stretch
The final push is short and deliberate. Redirects, analytics, structured data and workspace access are lined up, and we pick the moment.
What happens
- Redirects, analytics and structured data verified
- Workspace access set for the right people
- Launch timed around your season, not ours
You leave with
- A go or no-go you can trust
- Everyone knowing their part on the day
Map termFixed line. A release process that works the same way every time: staging, checklist, rollback.
Stage 08EL. 3,417 M
Go-Live Summit
Launch
The site goes live and the workspace is switched on. We watch the first days closely, fix what the real world turns up and confirm that what we planned to measure is being measured.
What happens
- Release to production
- Monitoring and checks on live traffic
- The first workspace tasks run with a human on belay
You leave with
- A live site and a working workspace
- A release register: what shipped and how it is measured
Map termRelease register. The record at the top: what shipped, when, and what we are measuring from here.
Stage 09EL. 2,890 M
Iteration Traverse
After launch
The summit is the halfway point. On every plan this is where the monthly work lives: the workspace drafts, a person reviews, and the changelog records what changed and what is next.
What happens
- Training and handover for your team
- Monthly content, SEO and campaign tasks run in the workspace
- Measurement against true north, then tuning
You leave with
- Cairns: the documentation that marks the way
- A list of next peaks, in priority order
Map termCairn. A stack of stones that marks the route for whoever comes next. Ours are documentation.
Sixteen terms we use on every project, and what each one means in plain words. You will hear them on calls and see them in status reports.
- Origin point
- Where every route starts: zero, zero, and one conversation.
- True north
- The single outcome the project steers by.
- Stack check
- An audit of the site, platform, content and data you already have.
- The topo
- The route plan: scope, phases, timeline and estimate, in writing.
- Rope team
- Your people and ours, tied together, with named contacts on both sides.
- Sightline
- What the eye lands on first. Layouts are planned around it.
- Save point
- A review where you sign off and the progress is locked in.
- Crux
- The hardest problem on the route, found early and solved first.
- Bezier bend
- A round of revision. The trail curves back on itself and comes out higher.
- Human belay
- The person holding the rope on every AI-assisted step.
- Changelog
- The report after each phase: what changed and what is next.
- Tech-debt scree
- Loose rock that slows every step. We clear it as we climb.
- API pass
- Where two systems meet. Integrations get their own plan and their own tests.
- False summit
- Something that looks finished and is not. Testing is how we find them.
- Fixed line
- A release process that works the same way every time: staging, checklist, rollback.
- Cairn
- Documentation left to mark the route for whoever comes next.
01.
Your people and ours, with named contacts on both sides and one place where decisions are written down.
02.
The workspace speeds up the climb. A person reviews, corrects and signs off on every AI-assisted step.
03.
Changes are decided at a review, where their cost in time and budget is visible.
04.
After each phase you get a short report: what changed, what is next and what we need from you.
Dana Point, Orange County, California • hello@creartful.com