Predictable, written down, and boring in the right way.
Most bad agency experiences come from the same place: unclear scope, invisible progress, and surprise invoices. Here is exactly how we avoid all three.
Six things we do on every project.
Not values on a wall. These are operational commitments that show up in the paperwork.
Scope is written down before money moves
Every project starts with a proposal listing each deliverable, the timeline, and the price. If it is not on that list, it is not in the project — and we will quote it separately rather than argue about it later.
You see it while it is being built
A staging link goes up in the first week and stays up. You watch the site take shape instead of waiting three weeks for a reveal, which means course corrections happen while they are still cheap.
Feedback happens once, in one place
We give you a written checklist against the deliverables. You go through it in one pass rather than sending changes by WhatsApp over a fortnight. It is faster for both of us and nothing gets lost.
Nothing is built on accounts you do not own
Domain, hosting, analytics, and every third-party service are set up in your name from the start. At handover you get all of it, plus the code.
We tell you when something is a bad idea
If a feature will not pay for itself, or the automation you asked for costs more than the work it saves, we will say so before we build it. That conversation is cheaper than the invoice.
The handover is a document, not a phone call
You get written documentation covering how everything works, where every account lives, and what to do when you want to change something. Whether or not you keep working with us.
You always know which step you are on.
No black boxes and no silent weeks. Every stage produces something you can read, approve, or use — and you can see the work in progress from the first week.
- 01
Lead
Same dayEnquiry arrives from the site, outreach, or a referral.
What you see
They fill in a short form or reply to an email.
You receive
Lead record
- 02
Audit
2–3 daysWe review their current site and workflows and write up what we find.
What you see
A short written audit: what is costing them, and what we would fix first.
You receive
Digital audit
- 03
Discovery
30 minutesA 30-minute call to confirm the problem, the constraints, and the budget.
What you see
A conversation, not a pitch. They leave knowing whether it is worth doing.
You receive
Scope notes
- 04
Proposal
2–5 daysFixed scope, fixed deliverables, fixed price, dated timeline.
What you see
A written proposal they can read in five minutes and forward to a partner.
You receive
Proposal PDF
- 05
Deposit
1–5 daysDeposit invoice issued. Work is scheduled once it clears.
What you see
One invoice, clear payment details, clear start date.
You receive
Deposit invoice
- 06
Project
2–8 weeksBuild in visible increments with a shared staging link from week one.
What you see
They can watch it come together instead of waiting in the dark.
You receive
Staging environment
- 07
Review
3–5 daysStructured review against the deliverables list. Revisions applied.
What you see
They give feedback once, in one place, against a written checklist.
You receive
Signed-off checklist
- 08
Final payment
1–5 daysBalance invoice issued against the completed deliverables.
What you see
They pay the balance knowing exactly what was delivered.
You receive
Final invoice
- 09
Launch
1 dayDeploy, connect the domain, verify analytics, hand over every credential.
What you see
It goes live. They own all the accounts.
You receive
Handover document
- 10
Maintenance
OngoingOptional monthly care: updates, monitoring, small changes, reporting.
What you see
One predictable monthly fee instead of emergency call-outs.
You receive
Monthly report
What is agreed before we start.
- Payment
- 50% on signing schedules the work. 50% is due before final handover and launch. Larger projects can be split across more milestones.
- Revisions
- 2 rounds of revisions are included per major deliverable.
- Timeline
- Timelines assume feedback and content are returned within 3 business days. Delays on either side shift the schedule accordingly.
- Your responsibilities
- Client provides content, brand assets, domain/hosting access, and a single point of contact for approvals.
- Scope changes
- Work outside the agreed scope is quoted separately and scheduled after the current phase, unless both sides agree otherwise in writing.
- Cancellation
- Either side may end the engagement in writing. Work completed up to that date is invoiced; the deposit covers work already performed and is non-refundable.
This document is a commercial proposal, not legal advice. Final contractual terms are set out in the signed agreement between both parties.
The things people ask before they hire us.
Find out what is costing you.
Send us your website and we will send back a short, specific audit: what is slowing it down, what is losing you enquiries, and the two or three things worth fixing first. Free, no pitch attached.
Or email hello@zaneatlas.com