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FAQS

FREQUENTLY ASKED Questions

Still wondering about something? Ask Nicole directly.

General

Swoon is the independent studio of Nicole Cormier, a web designer and developer with 18+ years of experience. You work directly with Nicole from the first conversation to launch day and beyond. There are no handoffs between departments and no account managers in the middle, just clear communication, close attention to detail, and someone who knows your website inside and out. Without large-agency overhead, you also get high-quality, custom work at a more competitive price.

Swoon specializes in websites, including:

Swoon has worked with businesses and organizations across many industries, including financial services, healthcare and wellness, nonprofits, ecommerce, professional services, and restaurants. That range of experience means your website is built with your audience and industry in mind.

Swoon works best with businesses and organizations that value a thoughtful process and a long-term partnership. Before starting any project, Nicole makes sure it’s a good fit on both sides, so you can feel confident about the outcome.
Meetings happen over Zoom, Google Meet, or phone, which keeps things efficient and makes it easy to work together wherever you’re located.

Swoon’s focus is design and development, but Nicole can help edit and refine your copy and recommend where it needs work. If you need content written from scratch, Swoon can recommend a trusted copywriter or collaborate with the writer you already work with.

Swoon doesn’t offer branding or logo design, but Nicole is happy to refer you to a trusted branding specialist. If you already have a brand, your website will be designed to bring it to life.

Pricing & Payment

WordPress and Shopify websites typically start at $4,000. The final cost depends on the size of your site and the features it needs. After an initial consultation, you’ll receive a detailed, customized proposal so you know exactly what you’re investing in.

Projects typically begin with a 50% deposit, with the remaining balance due at completion or split across agreed milestones.

All major credit cards, checks, bank transfer, PayPal, and Venmo.

Yes. Every project includes a clear agreement outlining the scope, timeline, and payment terms, so everyone knows what to expect.

Process & Communication

Most WordPress websites take 7–8 weeks and most Shopify stores take 8–9 weeks from kickoff to launch. Projects move fastest when content and feedback come together quickly. The most common cause of delays is waiting on approvals or content.

After your initial consultation, you’ll receive a questionnaire about your business, audience, design preferences, content, and any features you need. If any questions are tricky, don’t worry; you’ll go through everything together on the kickoff call.

Every project starts with a kickoff meeting to set goals and expectations. After that, communication happens mainly by email and scheduled check-in calls, so everything is documented and easy to reference.
The design phase includes unlimited rounds of revisions, because the goal is a website you truly love. Feedback is gathered through check-ins and in-depth design review calls.
It happens. Just let Nicole know as soon as possible, and the timeline will be adjusted to keep your project moving smoothly.
Yes. Every project includes a one-hour training session so you and your team can confidently update your site. If you’d rather hand things off, ongoing support is available.

Technical

Yes. Hosting is where your website lives online. Most clients keep their own hosting account so they always own their website, and Nicole will recommend the right host and handle the setup. Managed hosting through Swoon is also available if you’d prefer. Shopify includes hosting with your subscription.

Swoon specializes in WordPress and Shopify for new websites, and can support and improve existing sites on other platforms. WordPress powers over 40% of all websites, more than any other platform, according to W3Techs. That means a large ecosystem of tools and plenty of room for your site to grow.

WordPress gives you full ownership, more flexibility, and room to grow, with no platform limits on design, features, or integrations as your business expands. Your website and content stay yours, and you can move hosts at any time.

Yes. Every website is fully responsive and tested on desktop, tablet, and mobile, and across all major browsers. This matters for search too, since Google primarily uses the mobile version of a site for indexing and ranking (Google Search Central)

Every website is built with on-page SEO best practices from Google’s SEO Starter Guide, including optimized images, alt text, page titles, meta descriptions, and a clean page structure. For advanced SEO or ongoing search marketing, Swoon can refer you to a trusted SEO specialist.

Yes. Payment gateways, booking systems, email marketing, CRMs, social media, and more can all be integrated into your site.

Website Redesigns

Yes. Swoon redesigns WordPress and Shopify sites and can migrate sites from platforms like Wix, Squarespace, WooCommerce, and older custom builds.
Learn more about redesigns

No. Your new site is built on a private staging site while your current site stays live, then launches with minimal to no downtime.

Protecting your SEO is part of every redesign. Important content is carried over, permanent (301) redirects are set up from old URLs to new ones, and an updated sitemap is submitted to Google Search Console after launch. This follows Google’s guidance for site moves.

Yes. Swoon often takes over websites from other developers and agencies. Nicole will review how your site was built, sort out access, and recommend the best path forward.

Maintenance & Support

Yes. Swoon redesigns WordPress and Shopify sites and can migrate sites from platforms like Wix, Squarespace, WooCommerce, and older custom builds.
Learn more

Support + Security Plan

  • 1-2 hours of monthly content updates
  • WordPress core, plugin, and theme updates
  • Monthly website status report
  • Daily site and database backups
  • Security scanning
  • 24/7 uptime monitoring
  • Google Analytics and Search Console management

Security Plan

  • WordPress core, plugin, and theme updates
  • Website status reports on request
  • Daily site and database backups
  • Security scanning
  • 24/7 uptime monitoring
  • Google Analytics and Search Console management
Yes. Any plan can be customized with additional monthly hours or services. Occasional work beyond your plan is billed at Nicole’s hourly rate, with an estimate before larger requests.
Protecting your SEO is part of every redesign. Important content is carried over, and redirects are set up from old URLs to new ones.
Yes. Swoon often takes over websites from other developers and agencies. Nicole will review how your site was built, sort out access, and recommend the best path forward.
Yes. Swoon often takes over websites from other developers and agencies. Nicole will review how your site was built, sort out access, and recommend the best path forward.
Yes. Shopify handles hosting and platform updates, so Shopify support is offered on demand for theme and app updates, fixes, seasonal changes, and new features.
Yes. Flexible hourly support is available for one-off updates, fixes, and improvements.

Website Audits

A hands-on review of your site’s design and usability, speed, mobile experience, SEO fundamentals, accessibility basics, and technical health, with a prioritized action plan and a walkthrough call.

Learn more about audits
Audits start at $300. Every recommended fix is individually quoted in your report, so you can choose what to tackle first.

Swoon specializes in WordPress and Shopify. If your site is on another platform like Wix or Squarespace, an audit can still help you decide whether to improve your current site or move to a new one.

Much of the review can be done from the outside, but admin access allows a deeper look at plugins, settings, and performance. You’ll receive simple instructions for sharing access securely.

If you’d like. With Audit + Optimization, Swoon implements the recommended fixes. You can also take the action plan to your own team. The report is yours to keep either way.

An audit identifies the SEO and performance issues that can hold your site back, and fixing them gives your site a stronger foundation in search. No one can guarantee specific rankings, but addressing these basics is one of the most effective places to start.

Not at all. The action plan is yours to use however you’d like, with Swoon or your own team.

Agencies & Partners

Yes. Nicole partners with agencies, designers, and marketing teams for WordPress and Shopify development, overflow support, maintenance, and audits. 

Learn more about partnering
Yes. Nicole can work behind the scenes under your agency’s brand, so your clients get a seamless experience.

AI

Every Swoon website is built so AI search tools can read and understand it, with clean code, a clear heading structure, and content written as direct answers to the questions your customers ask. Each AI tool decides for itself which sources to cite, so no one can guarantee placement, but a well-built, clearly written website gives you the strongest chance of being found and recommended.

They overlap more than most people expect. AI search tools still rely heavily on traditional search indexes like Google and Bing, so solid SEO is the foundation. The difference is that AI tools pull specific passages to answer a question, so they favor pages with clear, specific, self-contained answers over general overviews.

AI builders and templates can get a basic site online quickly, but they tend to produce sites that look alike and aren’t built around your specific brand, customers, or goals. Swoon designs every site from scratch, with experienced design and development behind it, so your website actually reflects your business and helps it stand out, rather than blending in with every other site in your industry.

Yes. Nicole can work behind the scenes under your agency’s brand, so your clients get a seamless experience.

Swoon uses AI the way a lot of professionals do, as a productivity tool, not a replacement for real design and development. It helps with things like speeding up behind-the-scenes tasks and refining specific wording, such as polishing a call to action. 

But your website itself isn’t generated: the strategy, design, and development are all done by Nicole, so the result is genuinely tailored to your business rather than produced from a template.

Absolutely, and it’s becoming a very common reason businesses reach out. A DIY or AI build can be a great way to get started, but many businesses quickly outgrow what it can do. Nicole can review what you have, keep what’s working, and rebuild it on a solid, custom foundation that reflects your brand and is ready to grow with you.
A cheap, templated site can end up costing more in the long run if it looks generic or doesn’t convert visitors into customers. A custom website is an investment in a site that reflects your brand, works the way your business works, and is built to grow with you.
READY WHEN YOU ARE

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Whether you’re starting fresh, redesigning what’s already there, or looking for ongoing support, tell me what you’re working on.

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Agency or creative team? Partner with Nicole →

Agency or creative team?
Partner with Nicole →