Website development company

Website Development Company

We build websites, online stores and web apps for growing businesses, then keep them running. Every build is quoted at fixed scope before any work starts, and your accounts stay in your name.

HYER Studios is a website development company based in San Diego, founded in May 2020. Our team has built more than 700 websites, from simple business sites to online stores and custom web apps.

Tell Us About Your Website Project

Clients we have worked with

basik.

R+B

Mermane

Princess Pub & Grille

Le Coast Interiors

GOLDN Beauty

Good Sol

What we do

What does a web development company do for your business?

A web development company turns what your business needs into a working website: pages, a store, the tools your team edits with, and code that stays fast and secure. It then tests, launches and looks after the site, so nothing depends on one person’s memory.

A finished-looking homepage is not the same as a website that earns its keep.

Most growing businesses cannot carry a full in-house team of developers, designers and search specialists. So they hire a company to be that team, for as long as the work needs one.

That is the job we take on. One team plans the site, builds it, launches it and keeps it running.

Services

What digital marketing services does a small business need?

We offer six web development services: custom websites, online stores, web applications, platform moves, speed work and care after launch. Each one is scoped and quoted before work begins.

Custom websites

Built around how your business actually works, with an editing side your team can run without calling a developer.

Online stores

Product pages, a checkout people trust and payments that land in your account, on Shopify or on WordPress with WooCommerce.

Web applications

Portals, booking tools and other software that runs in a browser. The team has developed more than 20 apps.

Platform moves

Leaving Magento for WordPress, WooCommerce or Shopify without throwing away the Google traffic you built.

Speed

Pages built to load fast and stay steady, measured against Google's own speed targets.

Care after launch

Updates, backups, security monitoring and fixes once the site is live. format.

Custom or template

When are custom web development services worth it?

Custom web development services are worth it when your business needs something a template handles badly, like booking rules, complex products or a link to your software. For a straightforward business site, a well-built template usually costs less and launches sooner.

A template is a ready-made frame. It is fine until the business has to bend around it.

A useful test is to list what the site must do, not what it should look like. If every item on the list is ordinary, a template will carry it. If one item is the reason people buy from you, that part deserves to be built properly.

So we start every quote with that list, and we say so when a template is the better spend.

Platforms

WordPress, Shopify or custom code: which should your site run on?

Shopify suits businesses where selling online is the main job, and WordPress suits businesses where content, flexibility or a WooCommerce store matters more. Custom code is for the part neither platform can do well.

We offer Shopify development services and WordPress development services, and we build custom code where it earns its place. The platform is picked after we know what the site has to sell.

For the detail, our guides to WordPress vs Shopify and Shopify vs WooCommerce set out the trade-offs.

Platform moves

How do website migration services protect your Google traffic?

Good website migration services map every old page address to its new one before launch, then forward each one permanently. That map is what decides whether your Google traffic follows you to the new site.

Changing platforms is not the same as keeping your Google traffic.

Google’s guide to site moves says to map old addresses to new ones and forward them permanently. It also warns that visibility may move around during the switch, and that a medium-sized site can take a few weeks or more before Google shows the new addresses.

So the map comes first, before the new site exists. We run dedicated moves off Magento: to WordPress, to WooCommerce and to Shopify.

Web apps

Do you build web applications as well as websites?

Yes. Our web application development services cover custom software that runs in a browser, and the team has developed more than 20 apps across web, iOS and Android.

A web app is a website that does a job. It logs people in, takes bookings or tracks orders. Every app starts from the business reason, not the technology. If a simpler website does the job, that is what we recommend.

Phone apps for iOS and Android are a separate project, and we build those too.

Process

What is our website development process?

Our website development process runs in four stages: research, then planning and building, then testing and launch, then support. On average a custom website goes live in four to eight weeks, and you get the exact timeline after the first call.

Research: We learn what the business needs the site to do, and who it has to reach.
Plan, design and build: The plan comes first. Then the build, with your words and photos worked in as we go.
Test and launch: Every feature is checked on different phones, tablets and browsers before the site goes live.
Support: After launch we keep the site updated and maintained, so it keeps working.

Cost

How much does website development cost?

Website development cost depends on five things: page layouts, ready words and photos, store size, connected systems, and moving an old site. We quote every build at fixed scope after a first call, so you see the number before any work starts.

We do not publish prices on this site. Two builds with the same page count can be very different jobs, so a price without a scope tells you very little.

Our guide to what a website costs covers how agencies price builds, how payment is usually staged, and what a fair contract should say.

Hiring

Should you hire a web developer or a website development company?

Hire an in-house web developer when you have steady development work for one person, and a freelancer for a small, clear job. Hire a website development company when the site needs planning, building, search and support together, because you get a team without carrying one.

Here is how the three options compare.

OPTION	BEST FOR	WATCH OUT FOR	WHAT TO ASK
In-house developer	Steady development work, every week	One person covers one set of skills	Who covers design, search and holidays?
Freelancer	A small, clearly defined job	Logins and know-how can leave with them	Whose name are the accounts in?
Website development company	Sites that need several skills at once	Being handed to a junior after the pitch	Who will actually do the work?

Whichever you choose, keep your domain, analytics, Search Console and ad accounts in your own name. We set them up that way from day one.

Who we work with

Who do we build websites for?

We build for small and mid-size businesses, from a single shop to companies selling across the country and abroad. Small business web development and larger builds run through the same four-stage process.

Our work spans online stores, healthcare and real estate. Beauty brands are a long-standing specialty, which is why we keep a page for beauty industry websites.

Most of a build happens online, so location rarely limits who we work with. For local detail, see our pages on website development in San Diego, web development in Charlotte, NC and web development in Austin, TX.

After launch

What happens after your website goes live?

After launch, a website needs updates, backups, security monitoring and the odd fix, or it slowly breaks. Our web maintenance and security service covers that work, with a monthly report so you can see what was done.

None of it shows on the homepage until a customer tells you something is broken. The maintenance service exists so they never have to.

Proof

Which businesses have we built websites for?

We have built more than 700 websites, including a new site for Princess Pub & Grille and one for USA Veterans Empowered. The first three figures below are published on our About page.

700+

websites built

20+

apps developed

1,000+

clients served

4 to 8 weeks

average time to launch a custom site

“HYER Studios delivered an exceptional website. Their attention to detail, clear communication, and design expertise made the entire process smooth and successful. I highly recommend their services to anyone seeking to develop a website.”

Betsy Courtney, Founder, USA Veterans Empowered, San Diego, CA

Who builds it

Who is behind HYER Studios?

HYER Studios was founded in May 2020 by Brian Esper, who has been selling online since 2000, when he took Frends Beauty online. The team still runs businesses of its own, so every suggestion gets weighed as a business decision, not just a technical one.

Instead of opening more stores, Frends Beauty grew online. A single shop in North Hollywood went on to sell to customers across the US, and later in England, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Germany and India.

Brian hired agencies for development, search and ads for years before starting one. Too often nobody explained the plan, the results were hard to read, and the calls stopped once the contract was signed.

HYER was built to work the other way: plain plans, results you can read, and a team that stays in touch.

FAQ

What else do businesses ask a website development company?

These are the questions owners ask before they sign for a new website. If yours is not here, ask it on the first call.

Do I own my website and accounts?

Your domain, analytics, Search Console and ad accounts stay in your name, set up that way from day one.

Will my new website be set up for Google?

Yes. Every website we build includes the search basics from the start. For ongoing search work after launch, our SEO agency team can take it from there.

Can you supply photos and video for the site?

Yes. Photography and video are services we offer, for websites, online stores, ads and product launches.

Do you work with larger companies as well as small businesses?

Yes. The same process that builds a small business site also builds for companies expanding into new markets.

Do you build phone apps too?

Yes. As well as websites and web apps, we build apps for iOS and Android.

Do you work with businesses outside San Diego?

Yes. We are based in San Diego, but most of a build happens online, so we work with businesses across the US.

Get started

What does your new website need to do?

Send one line about the site you need. We reply with questions, then a fixed-scope quote with the timeline, which you sign off before anything is built.