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Codena Studios

How it gets done.

Four stages, in order, with you in the room for each. No black box, no big reveal at the end. Here is what happens at each one, what you get, and what we need from you.

Typical timing
A simple site: first draft in days, live inside a week. Larger builds with custom features or a dashboard: up to a month.

The four stages

  1. 01 Discover
  2. 02 Design
  3. 03 Build
  4. 04 Launch

01 of 04First call, next day

Discover

We dig into the problem, the users and the constraints before writing a line of code. Fewer surprises later, less rework, a shape everyone agrees on.

Everyone agrees what is being built before anything is built.

Scope it in a minute. Pick what you need; the brief writes itself.

You need

It should

The brief, written backdraft 1

You need
a website that can take bookings.
Expect
home, what you do, about, contact; a booking page.
Starting point
Site with a dashboard, from £999.
Timing
Up to a month, with a first draft in days.

One short call agrees the fixed price. The figure you sign off is the figure you pay. Book the call

What happens

  • A short scoping call: what it has to do, who it is for, and by when.
  • We write the brief back to you in plain words, so nothing is lost in translation.
  • You get one fixed price and a timeline to sign off. No hourly surprises after.

What you get

  • A one-page brief in your words
  • A fixed price and a timeline
  • A straight answer if we are not the right fit

What we need from you

  • Two or three sites or apps you like, and why
  • Any brand assets or content you already have
  • Who needs to sign off, so nothing stalls later
  1. 01 Discover
  2. 02 Design
  3. 03 Build
  4. 04 Launch

02 of 04First draft in days

Design

We design in the browser as much as in Figma, so what you review moves and behaves like the real thing. No mockup that falls apart on contact with real content.

You have seen the real thing before we build the rest.

Design in the browser: change a choice, the whole page follows.

Paper

Accent

Voice

Shape

paper #f6f5f0accent #2a46f0weight 600radius 10 px

What happens

  • We design in the browser, not just a mockup, so the first draft already moves and behaves like the real thing.
  • You review it on your own phone and laptop, where your customers will.
  • We change what does not work and keep what does, until it is right.

What you get

  • A working first draft you can click through
  • Type, colour and motion chosen for your brand, never a template
  • Pages that already load fast and read well on a phone

What we need from you

  • Honest reactions, early, while changes are cheap
  • Your logo and any photography you have
  • The words, or the go-ahead for us to draft them
  1. 01 Discover
  2. 02 Design
  3. 03 Build
  4. 04 Launch

03 of 04Days to weeks, by scope

Build

Typed, tested, reviewed. Built to extend rather than to demo. The money-critical paths get the scrutiny they deserve; the rest stays simple on purpose.

It works, it is fast, and search engines can already read every page.

  • Types compile with no escape hatches
  • Payments reconcile to the penny in tests
  • Keyboard reaches every control
  • Speed and accessibility scans passed (Google Lighthouse 95+)
  • Search engines and AI assistants can read every page

What happens

  • Typed, tested and reviewed code, built to be extended rather than to demo.
  • Search, speed and accessibility built in as we go, then scanned against Google's own checks.
  • A private preview link, so you can watch it come together.

What you get

  • Every page, form and integration working end to end
  • A site search engines and AI assistants can read in full
  • Analytics that show what people actually do

What we need from you

  • Final content and images as they are ready
  • Access to the accounts we set up in your name: domain, hosting, email
  • An hour to click through the preview and tell us what you notice
  1. 01 Discover
  2. 02 Design
  3. 03 Build
  4. 04 Launch

04 of 04Launch day, and after

Launch

We ship, measure and stay close. Handover is the keys and the documentation, not a shrug. You are never locked out of your own product.

Live, measured, and yours. Search keeps changing; we keep up so the site does too.

Everything handed over in your name.

paytrader.netScoped

Brief agreed

  • Repository, hosting and domain in your name
  • Documentation you can hand to the next developer
  • We stay close after launch

What happens

  • Domain, hosting, security certificate and redirects set up and checked, in the region your customers are in.
  • Submitted to Google, with the sitemap and the search tools in your name.
  • We watch the first weeks: speed, errors, and what people search for to find you.

What you get

  • The keys: every account and all of the code, in your name
  • Documentation the next developer can pick up
  • A simple retainer or a quote per change. No lock-in either way.

What we need from you

  • Nothing new: the accounts are already in your name
  • A note when something changes in your business, so the site keeps up
  • A moment, now and then, to look at what the numbers say

Questions, answered.

What does a website cost?
Marketing sites start at £199, a simple app at £749 and a site with its own dashboard at £999. Every project gets one fixed price agreed after a short scoping call, so the figure you sign off is the figure you pay.
Do you build on WordPress or a template?
No. Every site and app is designed and built from scratch on a modern, open web stack. There is no theme to fight, no plugins to babysit and no platform you cannot leave: the code, the hosting and every account are set up in your name, so what we build is yours outright.
How long does a project take?
For a simple site you will see a first draft within a few days and can be live inside a week. A more involved build with custom features or a dashboard takes up to a month. Apps and bespoke products are scoped on their own terms. Either way we agree the timeline alongside the fixed price and tell you straight away if anything changes it.
Is SEO included, or is it extra?
Included, on every site. Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the work that helps Google and the other search engines understand your pages and show them to the right people. We build it in from the start rather than bolting it on afterwards: clear page structure, fast loading, proper titles and descriptions, a sitemap, and the structured data that tells search engines exactly what you offer and where. Before launch we scan the site against the same checks Google uses and fix anything it flags, so it goes live already in good standing.
Will AI assistants like ChatGPT find my business?
That is the newer half of the job, sometimes called answer engine optimisation (AEO). More people now ask an AI assistant, or the answer box at the top of a search, instead of scrolling through results, and those tools quote sites that give clear, direct answers. So we write your key pages to answer the questions people actually ask, mark them up so machines can read them (this page is one example), and keep your business details consistent everywhere they appear. Nobody can guarantee being quoted, but this is what makes it possible.
Search keeps changing. How do you keep up?
It does, constantly. Google changes its rules many times a year, and AI answers have changed how people find things altogether. Following those changes is part of the job: we build to the current standards, not the ones from three years ago, and we will not quietly leave your site on yesterday's. Ranking over time also depends on your content and on who links to you; we will tell you honestly what that takes, and we can review the site periodically as things move.
Who owns the code and the accounts?
You do, in full. The repository, the hosting, the domain and every service account are set up in your name from day one. If you ever want to take the work elsewhere, nothing is held hostage.
Can I host it myself, or do you host it?
Either. We can host and look after it for you, or hand it over to run on your own hosting, and you can move between the two later. Hosting goes in the region your customers are in (UK, Europe, North America or Australia), so the site is fast for them. Whichever you choose, the design, the code and every account are yours outright: nothing is tied to us, and nothing stops working if you decide to take it elsewhere.
What happens after launch?
We ship, measure and stay close. Handover includes the keys and the documentation. For ongoing changes we agree a simple retainer or quote each piece of work; there is no lock-in either way.
Do you build mobile apps too?
Yes. iOS and Android from one codebase, native where it counts. A simple app with one core feature starts at £749; anything larger is scoped and quoted as a bespoke build.
Who will I actually be working with?
The person writing the code. Codena is a small studio on purpose: senior people do the work, and you talk to them directly rather than to a layer of account management.
Do you work with clients outside the UK?
Yes. We are a UK studio and work remotely with clients anywhere. Our working hours overlap Europe comfortably and the American east coast in the afternoon, and we arrange calls beyond that. Prices are set in pounds sterling and we can invoice in euros, US dollars or Australian dollars at the rate on the day. Contracts are under English law, and hosting is placed in the region your customers are in.
Can you take over an existing site or app?
Often, yes. We start with a short review of what you have, tell you what is worth keeping, and quote the work from there. Sometimes the honest answer is a rebuild; we will say so if it is.

Tell us what you are building.

We read every enquiry and reply personally, usually within one working day. Prefer email? hello@codena.co.uk

Or email hello@codena.co.uk. Kept for 24 months, then deleted.