Minnesota Business14 min readComplete guide
The best web design companies in Minneapolis (2026)
An unranked, unsponsored guide to 17 Minneapolis and Twin Cities web design firms, who each one actually fits, and how to choose between them.
Field notes
Websites, apps & getting found in Minnesota
Practical guides from a working studio in Edina — what things actually cost here, how local search really works, and how to tell a good proposal from an expensive one. Written for the people who have to make the decision, not for other agencies.
Start here
The complete guides
Long, thorough, and updated as things change. Each one answers a question we get asked every week.
- The best web design companies in Minneapolis (2026)Minnesota Business
- How much does a website cost in Minnesota?Website Costs
- How much does it cost to build an app in 2026?App Development
- How to choose a web design company (12 questions to ask)Web Design
- How to rank in the Google map packLocal SEO
- Why is my website not showing up on Google?Local SEO
Web Design
Design decisions that change whether a visitor calls you or leaves — layout, speed, accessibility, and the details that build trust.
Web Design9 min read
Do you actually need a website for your small business?
Probably yes, but not always and not always yet. An honest look at when a Google Business Profile is enough and when going without a site costs you money.
Web Design10 min read
How long does it take to build a website?
A small site takes 2 to 4 weeks, a typical business site 4 to 8, and a custom build 8 to 16. Here is the week-by-week reality behind those numbers.
Web Design13 min readComplete guide
How to choose a web design company (12 questions to ask)
The 12 questions to ask before hiring a web design company, the red flags worth walking away from, and an honest freelancer vs studio vs agency comparison.
Web Design11 min read
15 questions to ask before you hire a web designer
Fifteen questions to ask a web designer before you sign, each with the answer you want and the answer that should end the conversation.
Web Design13 min read
Your website gets traffic but no leads. Here is why.
Ten reasons a website gets visitors but no calls or form fills, how to detect each one, and a 10-minute teardown you can run on your own homepage today.
Web Design12 min read
The website redesign checklist that protects your traffic
A before, during, and after checklist for a website redesign, including the URL mapping and redirect work that keeps your Google traffic intact.
Web Development
How websites actually get built, what platform to choose, and how to keep a site fast, secure, and easy for your own team to run.
Web Development10 min read
Do you actually own your website? How to check
Five things you must own for a website to be yours, how to check each one in about twenty minutes, and what to do in order if the answers come back bad.
Web Development10 min read
Moving your website to a new platform without losing rankings
A step-by-step method for migrating a website to a new platform, including redirect maps, platform export traps, and what a normal traffic dip looks like.
Web Development13 min read
Website accessibility: what small organizations actually need
WCAG levels explained, where the ADA and Section 504 actually apply, the 12 fixes that solve most problems, and how to test your own site in 20 minutes.
Web Development10 min read
The website launch checklist
A complete pre-launch and launch-day checklist covering content, SEO, forms, DNS, email, security, and the first 30 days after you go live.
Web Development12 min read
Why your website is slow, and what it is costing you
The real causes of a slow website, in order. Images, plugins, page builders, cheap hosting, stray scripts. How to check each and what fixing it costs.
App Development
Mobile apps, web apps, portals, and internal tools — when they are worth building, what they cost, and how to scope one properly.
App Development16 min readComplete guide
How much does it cost to build an app in 2026?
A real cross-platform app costs $20,000 to $75,000. Internal tools run $6,000 to $25,000. Here is the full breakdown by phase, type, and team.
App Development13 min read
How to build an app for your business without wasting $50k
Validate before you build, cut to one job, test with five users, then ship in two-week slices. The process that keeps a business app on budget.
App Development9 min read
Web app vs website vs mobile app: the difference
A website informs, a web app does work in a browser, a mobile app installs on a phone. Costs, timelines, and which one your organization needs.
App Development9 min read
Website or app? How to decide
Most organizations do not need an app. Five tests tell you whether yours does, plus an honest comparison of cost, timeline, and upkeep.
Local SEO
How Minnesota businesses show up in Google Search, Google Maps, and AI answers — the practical mechanics, not the theory.
Local SEO13 min read
How to get more customers from Google without paying for ads
Eight free moves ranked by return on effort, with time costs, a review ask script, and an honest section on when Google Ads is the better call.
Local SEO13 min read
The Google Business Profile checklist
A 60-item checklist you can finish in an afternoon. Categories, service areas, photos, reviews, suspension traps, and the UTM recipe for tracking it.
Local SEO18 min readComplete guide
How to rank in the Google map pack
How Google picks the three businesses in the map pack, and the profile, review, citation, and spam-reporting work that actually moves you into it.
Local SEO11 min read
What is local SEO, in plain English
Local SEO explained without jargon. The map pack vs organic results, the three factors Google actually uses, real costs, and a free weekend checklist.
Local SEO14 min readComplete guide
Why is my website not showing up on Google?
A step-by-step diagnostic for business owners. The 60-second index check, the eleven most common causes, and exactly how to fix each one.
Website Costs
Straight numbers on what websites, apps, and ongoing support actually cost in Minnesota, and what drives the price up or down.
Website Costs9 min read
Build it yourself or hire someone? An honest comparison
DIY builder, freelancer, or studio compared on cash cost, your hours, SEO, accessibility, and ownership, plus which one fits your situation.
Website Costs10 min read
How much does a school website cost?
A small single-campus school website costs $3,500 to $7,000. A full multi-program school site runs $7,000 to $18,000, plus care at $100 to $350 a month.
Website Costs18 min readComplete guide
How much does a website cost in Minnesota?
Most Minnesota small business websites cost $1,800 to $9,000, with single-location service businesses landing between $2,500 and $5,000.
Website Costs12 min read
What a nonprofit should budget for a website
Most Minnesota nonprofits should budget $2,500 to $12,000 for a website, with the right number tied to annual revenue and program count.
Industry Guides
Playbooks for the organizations we build for most: nonprofits, schools, mosques and community centers, care providers, and clinics.
Industry Guides11 min read
Who builds good nonprofit websites in Minnesota
An unsponsored guide to nonprofit web design in Minnesota - local studios, nonprofit platforms, templates, and the risks of going pro bono.
Industry Guides13 min read
What a Minnesota home care website has to do
Home care and 245D provider websites serve three audiences at once - case managers, families, and DSP applicants. Here is how to build for all three.
Industry Guides11 min read
What a masjid website actually needs
Prayer times, Jumuah details, donations, and school schedules are what people come for. Here is how to build a masjid site that stays accurate.
Industry Guides17 min read
A website RFP template nonprofits can actually use
A copy-and-paste nonprofit website RFP template, section by section, plus a fair scoring grid and the case for publishing your budget range.
Minnesota Business
Local resources, grants, regulations, and research for running a business or nonprofit in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.
Minnesota Business11 min read
Money to pay for your website: Minnesota grants and programs
A practical list of Minnesota grants, lenders, and free programs that can fund a website, brand, or technology project, and how to qualify.
Minnesota Business14 min read
Top web design agencies in Minnesota, by region and specialty
A statewide, unranked guide to Minnesota web design agencies grouped by region and by specialty, plus a 10-minute way to verify any firm's claims.
Comparisons
WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, Shopify, DIY, freelancer, agency — side-by-side, with a straight recommendation at the end of each one.
Comparisons13 min read
AI website builders vs hiring an agency in 2026
What AI website builders genuinely do well in 2026, where they reliably fail, and a task-by-task table for deciding when to ship AI output unreviewed.
Comparisons10 min read
Native vs cross-platform: which app should you build?
Native, cross-platform, or web-based? A plain comparison of cost, speed, device access, and maintenance, with a decision table by app type.
Comparisons12 min read
Squarespace alternatives for small businesses
Nine real alternatives to Squarespace with honest costs and drawbacks, plus what actually exports when you migrate and what a move costs.
Comparisons11 min read
Squarespace vs WordPress for a small business
An even-handed 2026 comparison of real cost, ease of use, SEO, speed, e-commerce, security, and what actually happens when you outgrow either one.
Comparisons9 min read
Wix vs Squarespace for a small business
An honest comparison of Wix and Squarespace on cost, editing, design, SEO, e-commerce, and what it takes to leave either platform later.
Comparisons10 min read
WordPress vs a custom-built website
What custom actually means, how WordPress and hand-built sites compare on cost, speed, security, and editing, and how to pick the right one.
Start a project
Reading is good. Building is better.
If any of this raised a question about your own site, ask us. We answer honestly, even when the answer is that you do not need us yet.