Mike Hayes

For most new projects, where a clear scope of work is defined, I'll provide a fixed quote for the work.

For ad-hoc work, maintenance tasks and where the scope of work can't be clearly defined, I'll provide an estimate and bill on an hourly basis instead, updating you along the way.

Hourly billing is done in 15 minute increments, with a minimum of 1 hour billable time per calendar month.

Whichever system is used, this will be agreed before work commences and specified in our contract.

I've been building websites for fun for over two decades and professionally for well over a decade.

It depends on the scope of your project, please contact me to discuss availability.

Yes, I have professional indemnity insurance in place.

I have experience with a number of content management systems, frameworks and static site generators including Craft CMS, Kirby, WordPress, Statamic, Laravel, Astro and Hugo.

I can advise on the best set up for your project during the quoting process.

I work with Vue.js for single page apps, otherwise generally vanilla JavaScript.

Yes, providing there's an API available. I've created integrations with software such as Stripe, Xero, FreeAgent, Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, Twitter and Airtable for clients previously.

No, due to the bus factor it would be irresponsible for me to offer web hosting as an independent freelancer.

However I can manage all technical parts of your web project. This can include setting up your hosting, launching your website and making changes in future. This way, you retain full ownership over your website and have the freedom to hire another developer if needed in future.

Yes, we can set up a maintenance plan or retainer so you can guarantee I'm available to keep your website updated and make adjustments where needed.

I take measures to help prevent lock-in with me as a developer, including:

• Pushing all changes to a code repository under your ownership.
• Sending you a zipped copy of your source code upon completion of new projects.
• Setting you up with a trusted fully-managed web hosting provider, with you as the primary contact, rather than providing web hosting myself.
• Using widely known frameworks and content management systems, rather than reinventing the wheel with bespoke systems.

I don't have expertise in SEO, you'll need to hire a separate consultant for your SEO needs.

However I do cover some of the technical aspects of SEO as part of a standard development including:

• Writing well-structured HTML, e.g. using semantic elements.
• Optimising for performance on both the frontend and backend.
• Making relevant fields available in your CMS, such as page title and meta description overrides.

I'm good with code but not so much design work!

If you need a bespoke design, we can work with a designer (either your own contact or one I recommend).

Alternatively, I can create basic designs or we can license a template design (and customise it where needed).

No, I work with multiple clients simultaneously and enjoy the comfort of working from my home office.