Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about prices, care plans, and how I work withPutnam Technology clients in Citrus County and beyond.
Marketing websites
- Do I edit the site myself, or do you handle updates?
- I handle updates. Email me what you want changed (copy, images, small layout tweaks) and I will implement it. Every care plan includes content edits: 1 per month on Essential, up to 3 on Growth, and up to 3 hours of changes on Partner, so routine changes do not become your homework.
- What's included in a monthly care plan?
- Every plan includes hosting, SSL, automated backups, uptime monitoring, security updates, and a monthly report. Essential ($99/mo) adds 1 content edit per month with a 2-business-day response. Growth ($199/mo) adds up to 3 edits, Google Business Profile upkeep, and next-business-day response. Partner ($349/mo) adds up to 3 hours of changes, new pages as needed, a monthly check-in, and same-business-day response.
- How many content updates are included per month?
- It depends on the plan: 1 edit per month on Essential, up to 3 on Growth, and up to 3 hours of changes on Partner. An edit is usually text changes, image swaps, or modest layout tweaks on existing pages. It is not a full redesign or new page templates.
- What makes a website actually bring in calls?
- For a local service business, the first screen on a phone does most of the work. It should name the customer’s problem and your promise, show proof such as your Google rating and review count, and offer one obvious way to call or book. A sticky call bar on mobile, a focused page per service, and call and form tracking do the rest. Every site I build starts there.
- How long does a new marketing website take?
- Most small-business websites take four to eight weeks from kickoff to launch, depending on scope, content readiness, and how quickly you can give feedback. I set milestones upfront so you know what happens each week.
- Do you use WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace?
- No. I build marketing sites in modern code, typically Astro or similar static-first stacks, with real version control and performance built in. You are not buying a resale login to a page-builder platform.
- Can you redesign my existing site without losing SEO?
- Yes. Redesigns include a redirect map, preserved URLs where possible, updated metadata, and structured data. The goal is a better site without throwing away the search equity you already earned.
Pricing & engagement
- How much does a custom website cost?
- The Starter package (up to 5 pages) starts at $2,000 and the Business package (up to 12 pages, service-area pages, blog, integrations) starts at $4,000. Ecommerce, portals, and web apps are quoted per project. Care plans are $99, $199, or $349 per month. You get a fixed quote after a short call.
- Can I pay monthly instead of upfront?
- Yes. The $0-down monthly plan spreads the cost of your build over 24 monthly payments, bundled with a care plan, with nothing due upfront. You still own the site. I quote the exact monthly amount with your project.
- What is the free website check-up?
- Send me your current website address and I will check how fast it loads on a phone, how it is set up for Google and local search, and how it works on mobile, then email you a short plain-English report with the fixes that matter most. It is free and there is no obligation.
- Do you require long-term contracts?
- Project work is scoped with a clear statement of work. Care plans are month-to-month after launch, except while you are paying off a build on the $0-down monthly plan. Long-term development partnerships follow your backlog and timeline. No open-ended lock-in.
- What's the difference between a project and a long-term partnership?
- A project has a defined deliverable and end date: a new site, a portal MVP, an integration overhaul. A long-term partnership means you keep a technical backlog and I work through it steadily with weekly demos and async communication. Many enterprise clients prefer the partnership model.
- Do you offer fixed quotes or hourly billing?
- Marketing sites and scoped projects are quoted as fixed fees after discovery. Long-term contract and team-augmentation work is typically hourly or monthly retainer. I will recommend whichever structure fits how you want to work.
- What happens if I want to leave and move my site elsewhere?
- You keep your domain. I export the site source and help with an orderly handoff. There is no proprietary platform lock-in. You own the code we agreed you own in your contract.
SEO, local & AI visibility
- Do you guarantee Google rankings or AI citations?
- No, and nobody credibly can. I implement technical SEO, local signals, FAQ and schema patterns, fast pages, and clear copy aligned to how people search now, including AI-assisted search. I do not promise specific rankings or citations.
- What do you do for local SEO?
- I make it clear which towns you serve, add local business schema, structure FAQs around the questions customers actually ask, and keep your site consistent with your Google Business Profile. The Business package includes service-area pages for towns like Crystal River, Inverness, or Ocala, written to be useful rather than copy-pasted. The Growth and Partner care plans include ongoing Google Business Profile upkeep.
- What is structured data / schema, and do you include it?
- Structured data is machine-readable markup that helps search engines and AI systems understand who you are, what you offer, and where you serve. I include appropriate schema (ProfessionalService, FAQPage, Article) on every build.
- How do you prepare sites for AI search (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews)?
- Clear statements about who you are, direct FAQ answers, fast crawlable HTML, structured data, and content that answers real buyer questions in plain language. AI systems favor pages that are easy to parse and factually specific, not keyword-stuffed fluff.
- I don’t like writing. Can you create blog content for me?
- Yes. Once a month we talk for about 15 minutes, or you send a voice memo answering a few customer questions. I turn that into blog posts and Google Business Profile posts in your voice, and publish them. You do not write anything.
- Do I need a blog to rank locally?
- A blog is not required for every local business, but helpful content that answers buyer questions improves discovery over time. I can launch with core pages first and add articles later when it fits your goals.
Custom software & portals
- When do I need a web app instead of a marketing website?
- When users need to log in, submit data, track orders, manage accounts, or run workflows, not just read about your services. If your team repeats the same manual steps across spreadsheets and email, a portal or automation layer is often the next step.
- What industries do you specialize in for line-of-business software?
- Insurance, healthcare, automotive, and finance are where most of my enterprise experience lives: regulated data, integrations, and long-lived systems. I also build marketing sites for owner-led businesses across many industries.
- Can you integrate with our existing systems (CRM, ERP, insurance platforms)?
- Yes. Integration work (APIs, queues, ETL, SSO, and replacing fragile point-to-point connections) is a core part of my enterprise practice. I analyze what you have, propose a maintainable architecture, and ship incrementally.
- Do you work with Angular and .NET? What about Python?
- Yes. Angular plus .NET is my primary enterprise stack. I also use Python (Django/Flask) where it fits. Marketing sites may use Astro or similar. The stack always follows maintainability and your team’s reality.
Working together
- Who will I work with directly?
- Me. I am the engineer on every project: design, build, hosting, and updates. There is no account-manager layer or offshore handoff between you and the person doing the work.
- Are you U.S.-based? Do you offshore any work?
- Yes. I am U.S.-based. Putnam Technology LLC is a U.S. company and I do not offshore project work. If a larger team is genuinely needed, I will say so upfront and we will scope it together.
- Where are you located? Do you work outside Citrus County?
- I am based near Crystal River in Citrus County, Florida, and focus on businesses in Citrus County, Ocala and Marion County, and the Tampa Bay area. Website projects work well by phone and email anywhere, and enterprise and contract work is routinely remote across the U.S.
- How do we communicate during a project?
- Email for day-to-day work, with scheduled calls when they add value. Long-term partnerships typically include a weekly demo of completed work. I favor async communication with clear written requirements so your calendar stays yours.
- What do you need from me to get started?
- A short description of your business, the towns you serve, your timeline, and your current website if you have one. The contact form asks for exactly that. From there I will ask targeted questions and propose next steps, usually a discovery call or written proposal.