Frequently asked questions

Honest answers, in plain English.

No marketing-speak, no asterisks. If we wouldn't say it on a phone call, it isn't here.

01 Getting started
Before we begin — the basics.
Who is Plaza for?+

Local small businesses. Bakeries, plumbers, salons, contractors, restaurants, dental offices, yoga studios, real estate agents — businesses with 1-20 employees who need a real online presence but don't want to figure out website builders themselves.

If you're a solo founder building a SaaS app or a venture-backed startup, we're probably not your best fit.

How do we start?+

Fill out the contact form, or send us an email. Within 24 hours we'll reply with a quote, a few clarifying questions, and a proposed kickoff date.

If everything looks good, you pay the deposit, we book your kickoff call, and we're off.

Do you serve clients outside California?+

Yes. We work with businesses across the US. Most of our process is async — kickoff calls, async feedback, launch — so geography doesn't matter much.

The only thing geography affects: in-person photo sessions (the "Photo session" add-on) are only available for Bay Area, LA, and San Diego right now.

What if I already have a website?+

Two options: we can rebuild it from scratch, or we can take over hosting and care for the existing site under our Care plan. If your current site is on Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress, migrating is straightforward.

What if my business is brand new?+

Even better — we'll help shape the brand voice and structure on day one. Just bring your business idea, what makes it different, and a few reference businesses you admire.

02 Pricing & payment
Where every dollar goes.
Why is the build only $399?+

Most agencies bill 30+ hours per project at $80-150/hr — that's $2,400-$4,500 for what we do in well under 30 hours. We get there because we use AI to accelerate the parts that don't benefit from a human (initial drafts, layout exploration), then a human finishes the work.

The price reflects our actual cost, not what the market would tolerate.

Are there any hidden costs?+

No. Build is $399, period. Care is $75/mo. Grow is $175/mo. Add-ons are listed transparently on the services page.

The only "extra" cost is the domain itself — usually $10-15/year, which you pay directly to a registrar like Namecheap. We help you set it up; we don't mark it up.

How does the “first month of Care free” offer work?+

If you add the Care plan to your Build at checkout, your first month of Care is on us — no charge for hosting, security, or the first 3 hours of changes. Care billing starts on day 31 at the regular $75/mo, and you can cancel anytime with no fee.

You have to opt in: Care isn't auto-added with your Build. Just say yes when we offer it during signup, or pick the bundled option on the booking form. The free month doesn't apply if you add Care later, separately.

What about the Grow launch perk?+

If you'd rather start with Grow than Care, your first month of Grow is half off when added at checkout — $87.50 instead of $175. Grow already includes everything in Care plus local SEO and unlimited content updates, so we discount instead of comping the month.

You pick one perk per Build: Care free or Grow half off, not both. Either way, billing kicks in on day 31 at the regular rate, and you can cancel anytime.

How do I pay?+

Standard payment is 50% deposit ($200) at kickoff, 50% on launch ($199). We accept card, ACH, or Zelle. For monthly plans, we charge automatically on the 1st of each month.

Can I switch between Care and Grow?+

Yes, anytime. Upgrade to Grow when you're ready to focus on local visibility, or step back to Care if you want to slow things down for a season.

Do you offer refunds?+

If we miss our 3-day launch deadline through our fault (not waiting on you), we refund the deposit. If you cancel mid-project, you keep what's been built and we return any unused portion of the deposit.

For monthly plans, cancel anytime — no refunds for the current month, but no penalties either.

What does "unlimited content & layout updates" on Grow mean?+

Exactly what it sounds like. On Grow, you can ask us to update copy, swap photos, rearrange sections, restyle a page, add a new service block, refresh seasonal banners — as often as you want. We don't track hours and we don't charge per change.

The only things outside this: full redesigns of your site identity, brand-new pages beyond your original page count, custom integrations (booking systems, payment flows, member portals), and anything that requires custom development. We'll quote those upfront.

What does $175/mo for Grow actually buy?+

Concretely each month: roughly 4-6 hours of SEO work (citations, content tuning, listing management), 3 hours of site updates (the same as Care), and a written report. That's 6-8 hours of skilled work per month, plus the hosting and security included in Care, for less than two hours of typical agency time.

03 Build process
How a site actually gets made.
How do you really finish a site in 3 days?+

Three reasons. One: we focus only on small business sites — we're not designing dashboards, e-commerce stores, or web apps. The shape of the work is repeatable. Two: AI handles the parts that used to take days (initial layouts, copy drafts, image processing) so a human designer spends time on judgment, polish, and the bits that matter. Three: we batch your project into three focused days instead of context-switching across weeks.

Day 1: optional 40-min call + your build kicks off. Day 2: build finishes and we run our QA checks. Day 3: revisions and launch by end of day.

What's the free 40-minute designer call?+

Every Build includes a free 40-minute call with a US-based designer on Day 1. The call is optional — if you'd rather just send your details and let us run, that's fine too. But if you want to talk through your business, look at references together, and shape the direction live, the call is included at no cost.

So many small business website services are completely impersonal. We wanted to give you the option to actually talk to the person designing your site.

How many pages can I have? What if I need more than 5?+

Build includes 5 pages (typically Home, About, Services, Contact, plus one of your choice). Need more? Extra pages are $18 each, unlimited — added at checkout or anytime later.

We priced extra pages low on purpose: a small business shouldn't have to choose between a complete site and a tight budget.

How many revision rounds do I get?+

Two formal revision rounds are included — one on Day 2 after the build finishes, one on Day 3 before launch. Most clients only use one. Tiny tweaks (font color, button text, photo swap) don't count as a round.

After launch, you get 7 days of free fixes. After that, you're on Care or Grow and changes come from your monthly hours (or are unlimited if you're on Grow).

What if I don't like the design direction?+

That's exactly why the Day 1 call exists — we lock in direction together before we build. If something feels off when you see the Day 2 staging link, we adjust on Day 3 before launch. If a project ever needs a fundamentally different direction, we add a day rather than launch something you don't love.

Can you write the copy for me?+

Yes. We draft all your page copy with AI (we usually use Claude), then a human edits it to sound like a real business — not corporate, not robotic, not over-emoji'd. You review and tweak.

If you have existing copy, even better — we'll edit it instead of starting from scratch.

What technology do you build with?+

Static sites built with modern tools (typically Astro or Next.js, served as static HTML). They're fast, secure, and don't have the WordPress-style "your site got hacked" problems. You get a real codebase, not a drag-and-drop builder lock-in.

04 AI & how we work
What AI does — and what it doesn't.
So is my site just AI-generated?+

No. AI helps us draft layouts, write first-pass copy, generate placeholder imagery, and review accessibility. A design professional reviews, edits, and signs off on everything before it goes live. The final site is a human-finished product — AI just makes us much faster getting there.

Why is "AI-assisted" a good thing?+

Because it lets us deliver $2,000-quality work for $399. The choice isn't "human-made vs AI-made" — it's "AI-accelerated by a human, or 6 weeks of agency hours billed to you." We pick the option that costs you less.

Will my site look like every other AI site?+

Not if we're doing our job. Generic AI output is the failure mode — we explicitly design against it. Real photos of your business, custom typography choices, a layout shaped around your actual services, copy that sounds like you. The AI is a tool, not the author.

Do you use my data to train AI models?+

No. We use commercial AI services (Anthropic, OpenAI) under their no-training plans for business customers. Your business info is never used to train public models.

05 Ownership & control
Your site is yours.
Who owns the site?+

You do. You own your domain, your content, your design files, and the site code itself. We just host and maintain it for you.

What if I want to leave?+

You take everything. We export the site code, transfer the domain to your registrar, and hand you a 1-page guide for how to host it yourself or move it to another agency. No exit fees, no awkward conversations.

Will my site break if I cancel?+

If you cancel without a new host, eventually yes — same as canceling any hosting service. We give you 30 days to find a new home and we'll help with the migration.

Are there any contracts?+

None. Care and Grow are both month-to-month. Cancel any time, for any reason, with no penalties. We'd rather earn your business every month than trap you in one.

06 SEO & growth
What we promise (and what we don't).
Will I rank #1 on Google?+

No one ethical guarantees that. What we guarantee is the work that improves rankings: technically sound site, fast load times, optimized Google Business profile, consistent local citations, content that targets the right searches, and monthly tracking so you can see progress.

Most clients on Grow see meaningful local ranking improvements within 60-90 days.

What's actually included in local SEO on Grow?+
  • Google Business Profile optimization (categories, photos, posts, Q&A)
  • NAP consistency across 30+ directories
  • Citation building and cleanup
  • Review monitoring and response coaching
  • Keyword targeting based on your services and area
  • Schema markup for local business structured data
  • Monthly written report with rank tracking and traffic
Do you do paid ads (Google Ads, Facebook)?+

Not as a core service. We focus on organic visibility because it compounds. If you want paid ads, we can recommend a few specialists or coach you on setting up basic campaigns yourself.

How long until I see results?+

Google Business changes can show within 2-4 weeks. Local search rankings typically take 60-90 days for noticeable movement, and 6 months for meaningful traffic shifts. SEO is slow but durable — we'll show you exactly what's moving each month.

07 Support & changes
When you need help, post-launch.
How do I request changes?+

Email us, or text us. That's it. No portal, no ticket system, no SLA jargon. We respond within a few hours during business days.

What's actually included in 3 hours of monthly changes?+

Anything that doesn't require a redesign. Updating menus, prices, hours, photos, adding a new page, swapping a section, fixing a typo, posting a blog entry, updating a holiday banner. Most months, clients use 30-60 minutes.

What if I need a bigger change — a new section, a redesign?+

Care and Grow members get a discounted hourly rate ($60/hr) for work beyond the included 3 hours. We'll quote larger projects upfront so you know what you're committing to.

What happens if my site goes down?+

We're alerted automatically — usually within seconds — and have your site back online before you even notice. If it's a longer issue, we'll text you proactively. No waiting on hold with a generic hosting helpdesk.

Still have questions?

Drop us a line and we'll answer honestly. No sales pressure, no obligation.

Ask us anything