What a $3,500 Website Intensive Actually Includes From A Website Designer In Sarasota: (And Why It Beats a 6-Month Agency Project)

By Jayme Donovan · Sandbox Marketing  ·  Web Design, SEO, Sarasota Business Tips

Let's talk numbers, because nobody else will.

Every week I get some version of the same message: "I got a quote from an agency for $12,000 and a 6-month timeline. Is that normal? Should I just do it myself?"

Short answer: no, and also no. Long answer: keep reading.

The problem with "the whole thang": How SandBox Marketing Is Changing The Game For Website Designers In Sarasota

Big agencies love to bundle everything, strategy decks, brand workshops, three rounds of "discovery calls" before anyone touches a single page, and stretch it over months.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes that's genuinely what a business needs. However, most of the time, a small business owner who just needs a website that works. The drawn out process in my opinion is overkill dressed up as thoroughness, trust me on this because I I haven't done intensives my entire career, I used to do the long drawn out process. It didn't work well for my clients, and it sure didn't work for me.

Yet, on the flip side, you've got the $300 template route. You spend a weekend fighting with a drag-and-drop builder, it technically works, and six months later you're still embarrassed to send people to it, and it's showing up on page 10...

There's a middle path. That's the intensive.

So what's actually in a $3,500 intensive?

Here's the honest breakdown of what's included in our custom website intensive:

→ Strategy first comes first always. Before I touch a single design element, we start with a series of questionnaires. I want to know who you're actually trying to reach and what you want them to do when they land on your site. Book a call? Fill out a form? Buy something? This shapes everything.

→ A fully custom, conversion-driven website build. Even though this process is expedited, that doesn't mean it's rushed or that the effort is any less. You still recieve a custom website that fits your branding and vision; not a template with your logo slapped on it. Every page is built around your actual business; your services, your voice, your offer.

→ SEO baked in from day one. SEO is my thing so of course you get that built into the site! I'm talking titles, headers, meta descriptions, keyword placement; all the stuff that helps you actually show up on Google (and AI platforms) not just look pretty. This is the part most template builds skip entirely, and it's the difference between a website that sits there and one that works for you and converts.

→ Copy that sounds like you. I write (or heavily edit) your homepage, service pages, about page, and contact page so they sound like an actual human talking to your actual customer, not corporate word soup or something AI wrote.

→ Mobile-first design. We know that more than half your traffic is coming from a phone. If your site isn't built for that first, you're losing people before they even read your headline.

→ A fast turnaround. My average build time is 2 days once we're in it. Not 2 days from first contact to launch, but once we're actually building, you're not waiting around for months watching a project drag on.

Why the speed doesn't mean it's rushed

I get it, fast sounds like it might mean sloppy. It's actually the opposite. A 6-month agency timeline isn't slow because the work takes 6 months. It's slow because of layers: account managers, sign-off meetings, revision rounds that could've been one Slack message. I've cut the middle out. It's just me, doing the strategy and the build, which means fewer handoffs and way less waiting.

Who this is process is actually for

This works best if you're a small business owner — maybe 1 to 3 years in — who needs a website that actually brings in leads, not just one that exists. You don't need a 40-page site with a full brand overhaul (though this is something I can do). You need something bold, fast, and built to convert, so you can stop relying on word-of-mouth and start showing up when people search for what you do.

If that's you, let's talk. → [Book a call / see packages]

FAQ:

Q: How long does a website intensive take from start to finish?

A: The build itself typically takes about 2 days once we begin. From first conversation to launch, most projects wrap in 2–3 weeks depending on how quickly you can turn around content and feedback.

Q: Is SEO included in the website price, or is that extra?

A: Core on-page SEO — titles, headers, meta descriptions, keyword strategy — is built into every website project from day one. Ongoing SEO strategy and content are separate services for businesses who want to keep growing month over month.

Ready to stop losing clients to a website that isn't working?

Our Website Intensive is designed for established Sarasota businesses who are ready to move fast and get it done right. Strategy, design, build, and SEO, delivered in two focused days, starting at $3,500.

See How the Website Intensive Works →