Websites, Stores and Search
Generative engine optimization: how to get cited by AI search
What generative engine optimization really is, what the research shows, and a step-by-step plan to get your pages cited by AI search.
Custom Websites & Web Apps
Custom Website Build
A custom-coded Next.js marketing site, built for speed, edited through a headless CMS and kept in your own accounts.
Templates and page builders work until your site needs to be faster, cleaner or more flexible than they allow. Custom Website Build is the next step. We design and code up to 10 pages in Next.js, connect a headless CMS your team edits, and set up technical SEO, forms and analytics. The code sits in a Git repository you own.
- Up to ten pages designed and coded in Next.js
- A headless CMS with up to three content types
- Technical SEO, schema markup and a Core Web Vitals report
$8,775
30–40 working days
Optional maintenance $300/mo
What it is
Custom Website Build is a marketing website of up to 10 pages, designed and coded in Next.js with a headless CMS. It is hosted on Vercel or Netlify in your own account, with the code in a Git repository you own. Technical SEO, forms, analytics and a written editor guide are included.
Why businesses buy it
A theme or page builder carries code you never asked for, and it limits what each page can do. Custom code removes both problems. Every page is designed for your brand and coded in Next.js, with server-rendered pages that search engines and AI assistants can read easily. Your team edits content in a headless CMS, so new posts do not need a developer. Technical SEO goes past the basics, with schema markup, a sitemap and redirects. Before launch we test Core Web Vitals, mobile, accessibility basics, forms and links. The code, hosting and CMS all stay in your name.
Problems this solves
Your theme or page builder slows every page down
The site is coded in Next.js with no theme or builder code underneath. Core Web Vitals are tested before launch, and the report is yours to keep.
Design ideas keep hitting the limits of a template
Up to ten pages are designed for your brand and coded to match. Layouts follow your content rather than a template's fixed blocks.
Publishing a new post still needs a developer
A headless CMS with up to three content types lets editors add pages, posts and case studies. A written editor guide shows them how.
Your website is locked inside someone else's platform
The code sits in a Git repository you own, and hosting runs on Vercel or Netlify in your name. Any developer can pick it up later.
A good fit if
Your current theme or page builder is holding back speed, design or flexibility.
You run a growing SaaS, B2B or professional-services firm and need up to ten marketing pages.
You want the code in your own Git repository, not locked inside a website builder.
Your team is happy to edit pages and posts in a headless CMS rather than a visual page designer.
Not the right fit if
Your team wants to design and rearrange pages visually, without code. See Webflow Website Build or Framer Website Build.
Users need to sign up, log in or pay inside your product. See Web App MVP Build.
Your clients need a private area for files and updates. See Client Portal Build.
Your leads already live in HubSpot and you want the site there too. See HubSpot CMS Website Build.
You need more than ten pages. Add Extra Page for each one.
How it works
- You invite us to Vercel or Netlify, your headless CMS and domain DNS, or approve accounts we create in your name, and send brand assets and page notes.
- We plan the page structure and the CMS content types, such as pages, posts and case studies, then design up to ten pages for your review.
- The site is coded in Next.js, connected to the headless CMS and deployed to Vercel or Netlify, with the code kept in a Git repository you own.
- We edit up to 3,000 words of your copy, connect forms to email or one CRM, and add titles, meta descriptions, schema markup, an XML sitemap, robots.txt and redirects.
- Core Web Vitals, mobile, accessibility basics, forms and links are tested, and you get two rounds of revisions before launch.
- The site goes live on your domain, your editors get a written editor guide for the CMS, and 30 days of post-launch support starts.
What you provide within 72 hours
Your portal lists these the moment you order. Delivery starts the working day after everything is in and your access is checked.
- An invite to a Vercel or Netlify account you own, or approval for us to create one in your name.
- An invite to your headless CMS account, or approval to set one up for you.
- Domain DNS access, by invite or a key you control.
- Your logo, brand colors and photos.
- Page text, or notes we can edit from, for each page.
- One person who signs off the design and content.
The 72-hour rule. Send everything on your checklist, including access, within 72 hours of ordering so your build starts on time.
Timeline
Start
Order placed. Hosting, CMS and domain access, brand assets and page notes are due within 72 hours.
Week 1
Page structure and CMS content types planned, and page designs prepared for your review.
Weeks 2–4
Pages coded in Next.js, the headless CMS connected, content types built and copy edited.
Weeks 4–5
Forms connected, technical SEO and schema markup added, and analytics and Search Console set up.
Weeks 5–6
Core Web Vitals, mobile, accessibility, form and link tests, two revision rounds, launch and the written editor guide.
After launch
30 days of post-launch support for anything not working as agreed.
| Option | Delivery time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 30–40 working days | $8,775 |
What you receive at handover
- Up to ten pages designed and coded in Next.js, live on your domain
- A headless CMS with up to three content types, in your account
- Code in a Git repository you own, deployed to Vercel or Netlify
- Forms to email or one CRM, and up to 3,000 words of edited copy
- Technical SEO with schema markup, a Core Web Vitals report, analytics and Search Console
- A written editor guide and 30 days of post-launch support
Expected benefits and how to measure them
- Helps pages load quickly on phones and desktops
- Lets your team publish content without a developer
- Keeps the code portable, so you are not tied to one supplier
- Core Web Vitals
- Compare the launch report with the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console each month.
- Form enquiries
- Count form submissions each month in your CRM or inbox, against the old site's numbers.
- Content published
- Track how many pages and posts your team publishes in the CMS each month.
Before you start: Run a speed test on your current site and note its Core Web Vitals. Record monthly enquiries and how long a new page takes to publish today.
These are things to track, not promised results. Outcomes depend on your data, your team and your market.
Running costs
The build is paid once. Typical running costs are ~$20–60/month for hosting and a headless CMS on entry plans, plus your domain, billed by each provider. More traffic or more CMS users can move you to a higher plan, which the provider bills to you directly. Hosting, CMS and code all stay in accounts you own.
Ask about running costsCustom requirements
Add a note at checkout if you need something specific. If it fits within the Scope Card it is simply included. If it goes beyond it, you get a written Change Quote within two working days, and that work starts only once you accept it, with its time added to your delivery date.
Request a custom versionKeep it running
A coded site has no theme or plugins to update, but its hosting and code still need someone watching. Optional Upmark maintenance after the support period covers monitoring, fixes, a monthly health report and change hours for work such as new sections. Your team handles everyday content in the CMS. You can stop maintenance any month.
$300/mo (3.5% of the build price a month, includes 3 change hours)
Optional. Starts after the post-launch support period. Cancel any month.
How maintenance worksHow this compares
| Do it yourself | Hire a traditional agency | Upmark Labs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | A theme or builder adds code every page must load | Depends on the stack the agency prefers | Coded in Next.js and checked against Core Web Vitals before launch |
| Flexibility | Limited to what the template allows | Flexible, often billed by the hour | Custom layouts for up to ten pages, to a fixed scope |
| Code ownership | Locked inside the builder | Sometimes kept on the agency's servers | A Git repository and hosting account in your name |
| Editing | Visual, inside the builder | Often routed through the agency | A headless CMS with a written guide for your editors |
| Technical SEO | Basic settings you fill in yourself | Varies with the brief | Titles, schema markup, sitemap, robots.txt and redirects set |
| Cost | A monthly plan plus your own time | Quoted after a discovery phase | A fixed price for the written scope, shown at checkout |
Questions about this product
Is a custom Next.js website better than a WordPress or Webflow site?
It depends on what you need. A Next.js site carries no theme or page-builder code, so pages can be lighter and layouts are not limited by a template. The trade-off is that design changes need a developer, while content edits happen in the CMS. Webflow Website Build suits teams that want visual editing, and WordPress Business Website suits teams that want plugins.
What is a headless CMS and can my marketing team use one?
Yes, most teams pick it up quickly. A headless CMS stores your pages, posts and case studies separately from the website code. Your editors fill in fields, add images and press publish, and the site shows the new content. The build includes up to three content types and a written editor guide for your team.
Who owns the code for my custom-coded website?
You do. The code sits in a Git repository you own, and the site runs on a Vercel or Netlify account in your name. The headless CMS account and the domain are yours too. We work through access you grant, so you can remove it at any time and hire any developer to carry on.
Which headless CMS do you use for a Custom Website Build?
We agree it with you at the start. Sanity, Storyblok and Contentful are common choices, and each offers an entry plan. We choose based on how your team likes to edit, how many editors you have and what the plan costs. You pay the CMS provider directly, from an account in your own name.
Can you add logins or a members area to a custom marketing site?
No, not in this build. Logins, member areas and app features are outside the Custom Website Build. If users need to sign up, log in or pay, see Web App MVP Build. If clients need a private area for files and updates, see Client Portal Build. Either can sit alongside your marketing site on its own address.
Will a custom-coded website rank higher in Google?
No one can promise that. A lean, cleanly coded site with schema markup, a sitemap and correct redirects removes technical barriers for search engines and AI assistants. Rankings still depend on your content, your competitors and changes at the search engines. You get a Core Web Vitals report at launch, so you can see where the site starts.
Can the custom website have an Arabic version for customers in the Gulf?
Yes, through an add-on. The core build covers one language. Arabic Right-to-Left Version adds an Arabic version with a proper right-to-left layout, Arabic fonts and a language switcher. For other languages, add Extra Language. Both are ordered with the build, and you supply the translated text for the pages.
What happens after the custom website launches?
You get 30 days of support for anything not working as agreed. After that, your team runs the content in the CMS. Optional Upmark maintenance covers monitoring, fixes, a monthly health report and change hours for new sections, and you can cancel any month. Hosting and the CMS keep running on your own plans.
Guides on this topic
All guides Build a site without template limits
Order the Custom Website Build for a Next.js site coded to your design, edited in a headless CMS, and handed over with the code in your name.
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