Web developer in New York: new builds, and takeovers of sites you already have
If changing your current site is harder than it should be, I take it over, or I build a new one. Either way, the first thing you get from me, a web developer in New York based in Kolkata, India, is a written scope: every page and feature as its own line, signed off by you before work begins.
Overview
Taking over a site that already works
A takeover starts with reading the site you have, before anyone redesigns anything.
I read a working site for what's worth keeping before anything changes. Content that still describes your business accurately is edited into the new pages, not rewritten from nothing.
Every new build gets its titles, headings and sitemap set up for search from the first release. Each page's title and description are written for the search it's meant to answer.
Side by side
A new build and a takeover, side by side
The first step is where the two part ways. After that, both follow the same scope, staging and handover.
| What the scope covers | A new build | Taking over an existing site |
|---|---|---|
| The first step | Your list of pages and features | A read of the current site and where its accounts sit |
| What gets kept | Nothing yet | Content, addresses and rankings worth carrying over |
| Accounts | Created in your name at the start | Transferred to you where they sit under another name |
| The stack | Named before work starts | Named after the read, with any change written as its own item |
Search data worth sharing
If Search Console is already connected to your site, share access before we talk. The call can then start from the pages people actually find. Read-only access does the job.
What a scope from me looks like
What a takeover scope holds
Included
- A written scope: every page and feature as its own line, agreed before work starts
- Design to build, reviewed on a staging URL that stays open the whole project
- Mobile first — checked on a real phone
- Domain, hosting and every account created in your name from day one
- A written review of the existing site: what runs it, what works and what's worth keeping
- Basic on-page SEO: titles, descriptions, headings, sitemap, Search Console connected
- A runbook at handover: how to edit it, what renews and when
Phase two
- A smaller first release, if the full rebuild can wait
- A design refresh for pages kept from the current site
- Ongoing SEO once the site has traffic to read
- A maintenance plan once the site is live
- Logo and brand design, quoted separately from the build
Not doing
- Guaranteed rankings
In a takeover, the pages carried over from the current site are listed alongside the new ones.
Where this comes from
The record, and how we meet
For American businesses alone, I've completed 600+ projects for US clients. My overall total is 900+ projects since 2017.
Every meeting with me is a video call, because I work from Kolkata, India, and I'd rather you knew that now. The team works on your schedule, in your time zone.
What moves the number
Where the work in a takeover comes from
Six things move the size of a takeover, and the read of the site settles the first.
| What changes it | Why |
|---|---|
| Repair or rebuild | a repair works within the current platform, a rebuild replaces it |
| Pages and features | each one is built, moved or dropped |
| Plugins and packages | each one the site depends on is kept, replaced or removed |
| Content carried over | existing text is edited into the new pages |
| Design | the current look kept, or refreshed for the pages carried over |
| A staged release | some pages launch first and the rest follow in phase two |
What changes the size of the job.
Nearby
Regulated wording, and selling across state lines
Boston is about sites where every claim needs an approver, and Chicago about manufacturers stating what they make, how much and where it ships.
FAQ
Questions about a site you already have
During a takeover, the new work happens on a staging copy, away from the live site.
Why would a New York business hire a developer in Kolkata, India?
- What you hire is a written scope, a staging site you can open at any point, and me leading the build from Kolkata, India. Meetings happen over video, and every page is visible on staging while it's built.
How does a website takeover start?
- A website takeover starts with a written review of the current site, before any scope is written. The review names the platform and the plugins or packages it depends on and lists the pages that bring in search traffic. It ends with a recommendation to repair or rebuild, and the reason I'd give for it.
When is a repair better than a rebuild?
- For an existing website, a repair is the better choice when the problems are specific and the platform itself is sound. A rebuild is the right call when the changes you need are ones the platform wasn't built for. I take on both kinds of job.
How can a business see what it's paying for?
- A business sees what it's paying for when the scope lists every page and feature as its own line and the invoice follows the same lines. Any question about cost then points at one item on a document you've already agreed.
Who holds the accounts once a takeover is finished?
- Once a takeover is finished, the domain, the hosting and every login sit under your business's name. The runbook lists each account with what renews and when, so the next person to touch the site starts with the full picture.
Can a takeover move the site to a different platform?
- A takeover can move the site to a different platform when the current one can't support the changes you need. The review names the new stack and the reason for the move, so you know why it's changing before anything does. Content, images and forms are moved across and checked on staging before the switch.
Next step
Know what your site runs on
With your current site's address in hand, the first meeting ends with a list of the platform and plugins it runs on. That list is yours to keep, whichever way you decide to go.
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