A Better Way to Pay for a Website
The traditional model for getting a website goes something like this: pay a large sum up front, wait weeks (or months) for delivery, get handed a finished site, and then hope nothing breaks. If something does break, or if you need a change, you're back to negotiating hourly rates or buying another block of hours.
It's a bad deal for the business owner. You pay the most before you've seen any results, and ongoing support is either expensive or nonexistent.
There's a better model, and it's simpler than you'd expect. I wrote about the philosophy behind it in Introducing: Managed Websites. Here's how it works in practice.
How Monthly Packages Work
Instead of a single large project fee, you pay a flat monthly rate that covers your website, hosting, maintenance, and ongoing support. The site is still custom built for your business. The difference is how you pay for it and what happens after launch.
At Vistoso Creative, there are three tiers.
Essentials is for small businesses that need a clean, functional website with reliable hosting and maintenance built in. You get a custom site built on Next.js (the same framework behind Nike, Stripe, and The Washington Post), up to five pages, hosting, ongoing maintenance, and an annual Site Refresh. This is the foundation: a professional online presence without the fuss.
Growth is for service providers who book clients and publish content. Everything in Essentials, plus booking and scheduling integration, a monthly blog post or email campaign, and two Site Refreshes per year. If your website needs to actively bring in business, this is where that starts.
Premium is hands-on support for businesses that need more. Everything in Growth, plus quarterly Site Refreshes, priority response times, custom integrations, and quarterly strategy calls.
Any tier can add E-Commerce for businesses that sell products. That includes Shopify integration, product page templates, and support for up to 50 products.
All tiers include direct communication with me. No ticket systems, no account managers, no waiting in a queue. See the full breakdown on the Services page →
What "Site Refresh" Means
At scheduled intervals (annually, twice a year, or quarterly depending on your plan), I update your site to reflect what's current in your business. New hours for the season. Updated photos. A fresh testimonial. Adjusted copy if your services have changed.
Most websites go stale within six months of launch because the owner doesn't have time to update them and the agency charges for every small change. The Site Refresh is built into every plan so that never happens.
How This Compares to the Alternative
A typical agency project for a small business website runs between $5,000 and $15,000 up front. That gets you a finished site, but it rarely includes hosting, maintenance, or ongoing updates. Those come as separate line items, often at additional monthly cost with limited support.
With a monthly plan, your total spend in year one is significantly lower, and it includes everything: the build, the hosting, the maintenance, and scheduled content updates. No line items, no surprises.
The gap gets wider when you factor in what happens when you need something changed. With an agency, that's a new invoice. With a monthly plan, it's a conversation.
The Setup Fee
There is a setup fee for the initial design and development work. During the Better Built campaign, that fee is reduced. I'm not waiving it entirely because the design work has real value, but I've structured it to make the first step easier.
If you're curious about the exact numbers for your situation, that's what the consultation is for. Every business is different, and I'd rather give you an honest quote than a vague "starting at" number on a pricing page.
Who This Is For
Monthly packages work best for business owners who want a professional website without a five figure invoice, who want someone they can actually call when something needs updating, and who'd rather pay a predictable amount each month than deal with surprise costs.
If that sounds like you, let's talk.