— Website Design & Development · Eugene, Oregon

Custom WordPress websites, built in Eugene for businesses that need a site that earns its keep.

We design and build custom WordPress websites for small businesses across Oregon. No templates, no page builders, no monthly rent on your own site. Just a fast, accessible site your customers can actually use — supported by the same small team that built it, for as long as you need us.

Start a project Call (541) 214-2116
  • 20+ years
  • 300+ sites
  • 100% WCAG-aware
  • 1:1 founder-led

At a glance

What a custom WordPress website with 9 Planets looks like

Typical investment
$5,000–$18,000 for most small-business sites. $20,000+ for ecommerce or custom functionality.
Typical timeline
6–10 weeks from kickoff to launch. Simple sites can ship in 4 weeks.
Platform
WordPress, hand-coded. No Divi, Elementor, or WPBakery. No SaaS lock-in.
Always included
Strategy, custom design, accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA), on-page SEO, content help, live training, 30-day post-launch support.
Ongoing care
Optional care plans from $49/month covering hosting, security, updates, and priority support.
Service area
Eugene, Springfield, Corvallis, Albany, and all of Oregon. Remote-friendly nationwide.

— Who we work with

Built for businesses that have something to lose if the site isn't right.

Established Oregon businesses

You've been around 10, 20, 40 years. Your reputation was built before you had a website — and the current one doesn't do you justice. You need a site that matches the quality of the business, not a Fiverr refresh.

Teams who outgrew Squarespace

Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy's website builder — fine for a side project. Limiting for a real business. You need a platform you own, a design that's yours, and functionality that's not locked behind a subscription tier.

Nonprofits with compliance pressure

ADA compliance isn't theoretical anymore. If you serve the public, your website needs to pass WCAG 2.1 AA — and most template sites don't. We build accessibility in from day one, and we understand nonprofit budgets.

— Real problems, real fixes

If any of this sounds familiar, we can help.

"Our site hasn't really been updated since 2015."

We fix this by: Starting fresh with a modern design system, current WordPress best practices, and a CMS your team can actually update without calling a developer every time.

"It doesn't look right on phones."

We fix this by: Building mobile-first. Every page is designed for the phone screen before the desktop, because that's where more than 60% of your traffic already lives. Tested on real devices, not just Chrome DevTools.

"I can't edit the site without calling someone."

We fix this by: Configuring WordPress with Advanced Custom Fields and a clean editor experience. We give you a one-on-one training session and written docs. You edit; we're available when you want us.

"The site looks fine, but nothing comes from it."

We fix this by: Starting with your customers, not your homepage. We design for the actions you actually need people to take — calls, form submissions, bookings — and we instrument everything so you can see what's working.

"Our site is slow and Google Lighthouse hates it."

We fix this by: Hand-coding instead of stacking page-builder plugins. LiteSpeed server-side caching. Optimized images (WebP, lazy-loaded). Minimal JavaScript. Most of our sites score 90+ on Lighthouse at launch.

"We got an ADA complaint letter."

We fix this by: Rebuilding to WCAG 2.1 AA standards — proper semantic HTML, keyboard navigation, screen-reader support, color contrast, accessible forms. Not an overlay widget. Real compliance.

— What's included

Every website we build includes all of this.

No bait-and-switch tiers. No "we charged you for design, SEO is extra, mobile is extra." The core website is one integrated deliverable.

  • Discovery & strategy session — Goals, audience, competitors, success metrics.
  • Information architecture — Sitemap, page inventory, content model.
  • Custom visual design — Brand-aligned, not a template. Designed in Figma, reviewed live.
  • Mobile-first responsive — Tested on iOS, Android, tablets, desktops.
  • WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility — Built in from day one, not bolted on after launch.
  • WordPress CMS — Configured with ACF for a clean, non-technical editor experience.
  • On-page SEO foundation — Clean markup, schema.org, XML sitemap, meta, Open Graph, Twitter Cards.
  • Core Web Vitals performance — Fast LCP, low CLS, minimal JS. Lighthouse 90+ at launch.
  • Content migration — From your current site or docs. Light copywriting included; full copywriting available.
  • Contact forms & integrations — Wired to your email, CRM, or newsletter tool.
  • Analytics setup — Google Analytics 4 + Search Console + conversion tracking.
  • SSL, security hardening, backups — Configured before launch, monitored after.
  • Launch training — Live Zoom session teaching your team to run the site.
  • 30 days post-launch support — Tweaks, bug fixes, training questions — included.

— Our process

Seven steps. One small team. Zero handoffs to an offshore contractor you've never heard of.

  1. 01

    Discovery

    A 60–90 minute working session with your team and Annie. We cover business goals, audience, competitors, the job the site actually needs to do, and the metrics that will tell us it's working. Outputs: a written creative brief you sign off on before anything else starts.

  2. 02

    Planning

    Sitemap, page inventory, feature list, content plan, and timeline. This is where we scope — not after design when changes are expensive. You'll know the shape of the site and what each page is doing before a single pixel is designed.

  3. 03

    Design

    We design key templates first — homepage, primary service page, internal page — in Figma. You review live on a screen-share, not via endless PDFs. We iterate until you're genuinely excited, then we roll out the rest of the pages using the approved system.

  4. 04

    Content

    We help you pull, write, or edit content for every page. Our copywriter, Beth, can write from scratch, or we'll edit yours. Blank CMS at launch is a launch that won't happen.

  5. 05

    Development

    Custom WordPress theme, hand-coded by Paul. PHP 8+, modern JavaScript, LiteSpeed caching, WP-CLI deployable. ACF-powered editor experience. Built on a staging URL you can watch take shape page by page.

  6. 06

    Testing

    Cross-browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge), cross-device (iOS, Android, tablet, desktop), cross-ability (keyboard-only, screen-reader, color contrast). Lighthouse audit. WCAG 2.1 AA scan. Performance budget verification. We test before you have to.

  7. 07

    Launch & beyond

    Zero-downtime DNS cutover. Google Search Console & Analytics verified. 301 redirects from the old site (so you don't lose SEO). One-on-one training for your team. 30 days of post-launch support. Then — if you want — a monthly care plan so you never have to think about it again.

— Selected work

Sites we've built that moved the numbers.

Professional Services · Eugene, OR

Dorman & Dorman CPAs

A 40-year-old accounting firm with a site that hadn't changed since 2014. We rebuilt for the next generation of clients they need to reach — and for the mobile-first search patterns their old site couldn't serve.

  • +38% contact-form submissions
  • −42% bounce rate
  • 0.8s LCP (from 4.2s)

Construction · Pacific Northwest

McKenzie Scaffolding & Shoring

A rugged industrial trades site built to rank across three states. Local SEO, Google Business Profile, and a fast mobile experience for project managers who search from job sites.

  • Page 1 for "scaffolding Oregon"
  • 3× inbound call volume
  • 92 Lighthouse performance

Nonprofit · Oregon

KEEP Fostering

An accessible, warm home for a nonprofit serving foster families. Built to WCAG 2.1 AA from the ground up — because their audience includes families navigating real disabilities.

  • 100% Lighthouse accessibility
  • WCAG 2.1 AA from launch
  • +61% volunteer signups
View all projects

— Investment & timeline

Honest ranges, no mystery pricing.

Every project gets a firm written quote after a free 30-minute discovery call. The ranges below cover ~85% of the projects we take on.

Brochure & service sites

$5,000 – $9,000

4–6 weeks

8–15 pages. Standard marketing site with services, about, contact, and blog. Ideal for professional services, trades, and established local businesses.

Marketing sites with custom functionality

$10,000 – $18,000

6–10 weeks

Includes forms, integrations (CRM, email, booking), custom post types (team, testimonials, resources), advanced layouts, multilingual or multi-location support.

Ecommerce & custom builds

$20,000+

10–16 weeks

WooCommerce stores, custom applications, membership sites, donation platforms. Scoped individually based on functionality, integrations, and content complexity.

— Differentiation

What you won't get from us.

✕

Page builders (Divi, Elementor, WPBakery)

They create bloated markup, slow load times, and editor experiences that break when the plugin is updated. We build clean custom themes.

✕

A four-person meeting with a junior designer

You'll work directly with the people doing the work — Annie, Paul, Sara, Beth. No account managers, no intermediaries, no "let me check with the team."

✕

"Rent your website" SaaS lock-in

The website you pay us to build is yours — the code, the content, the domain. You can take it anywhere if we ever stop being the right partner.

✕

Launch-and-abandon

We don't disappear after launch. 30 days post-launch support is included. Most clients stay for years. Some have been with us for over a decade.

✕

Offshore development no one can talk to

Every line of your site's code is written in-house in Eugene, Oregon. When you call, the person on the phone knows your site.

✕

Surprise invoices

Fixed scope, fixed quote, fixed price. Change requests are written, quoted, and approved before work begins. No "that was extra."

— Under the hood

The tools we build with.

We pick boring, proven technology. WordPress powers 43% of the web for a reason: it's open, extensible, editable, and owned by you — not a venture-backed platform that can change the rules.

  • WordPressOpen-source CMS. You own it forever.
  • PHP 8.xModern, secure, fast server-side.
  • Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)Custom editor UI for non-technical users.
  • LiteSpeed CacheServer-side caching for sub-second loads.
  • Git & WP-CLIVersioned code, scriptable deployments.
  • Cloudflare (optional)Global CDN + DDoS protection.
  • Google Analytics 4 + Search ConsoleFirst-party analytics, set up & verified.
  • Gravity Forms / Fluent FormsAccessible forms wired to your stack.

— Who you'll work with

Annie Middleton & a small senior team. Not an account manager in sight.

Annie founded 9 Planets in 2005 after eight years in web design. She's worked remotely since 1997 — before it was cool, before it had a name. She leads every project personally and is the person you'll meet in your discovery call. Supported by Paul (development), Sara (project management & accessibility), Beth (copywriting & SEO), and Jennifer (local SEO).

Meet the full team

— Where we work

Based in Eugene, Oregon. Serving Lane County & beyond.

Most of our clients are within an hour of our Eugene office, but we work remotely with businesses across Oregon and nationally. Local clients include:

  • Eugene
  • Springfield
  • Junction City
  • Coburg
  • Creswell
  • Cottage Grove
  • Oakridge
  • Veneta
  • Corvallis
  • Albany
  • Lebanon
  • Salem
  • Portland
  • Bend
  • Medford
  • Lane County & all of Oregon

— Frequently asked

Things clients actually ask us.

  • How long does it take to build a small business website?

    Most 9 Planets projects run 6–10 weeks from kickoff to launch. A simple brochure site can ship in 4 weeks. Complex sites with custom functionality, ecommerce, or multilingual content can run 12 weeks or more. Timeline is driven primarily by how quickly content — copy, photos, testimonials — is gathered and approved.

  • How much does a custom WordPress website cost?

    Most small-business projects land between $5,000 and $18,000. Brochure sites start around $5,000. Larger marketing sites with custom functionality are typically $10,000–$18,000. Ecommerce and highly custom builds start around $20,000. We provide a firm written quote after a free 30-minute discovery call, and the quoted price is the price — no surprise invoices.

  • Do I own my website?

    Yes. Every site we build is delivered on WordPress — open-source software you own outright. There are no monthly SaaS fees, no vendor lock-in, and no hostage situation. You own the domain, the code, the content, and the database. If we ever stop being the right partner, you can take the whole thing with you.

  • Will I be able to edit the site without a developer?

    Yes. Every site ships with a clean WordPress editor configured for non-technical users using Advanced Custom Fields. We include a live one-on-one training session at launch, plus written documentation tailored to your specific site. Most clients handle day-to-day updates themselves and call us only for bigger changes.

  • Is my new website SEO-ready?

    Yes. Every site ships with a strong technical SEO foundation: clean semantic HTML, proper heading hierarchy, schema.org markup, XML sitemap, fast Core Web Vitals, mobile-first responsive design, optimized images, and complete Open Graph and Twitter Card meta. Ongoing local SEO, content marketing, and Google Business Profile management are available as a separate monthly service.

  • Can you migrate or redesign an existing website?

    Yes. We redesign existing sites on almost any platform — Squarespace, Wix, GoDaddy, older WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, static HTML, custom CMS. Content migration, URL mapping, and 301 redirects are included in every redesign, so you don't lose your existing SEO equity.

  • Do you work with clients outside Eugene, Oregon?

    Yes. While we're based in Eugene and serve many clients across Lane County and the Willamette Valley, we work remotely with clients across Oregon and nationally. Annie has worked remotely since 1997.

  • What happens after my website launches?

    Every project includes 30 days of post-launch support at no additional charge — tweaks, bug fixes, training questions, everything. After that, most clients move to a monthly care plan starting at $49/month that covers hosting, security updates, backups, and priority support. You can also use us on demand via time blocks.

  • Do you use AI to design or write websites?

    We use AI as a tool where it adds value — first drafts, research, QA checks. But every site is designed and written by a human on our team, reviewed in context, and tailored to your specific brand and audience. You're not paying us for AI output you could have generated yourself.

Ready to build the real thing?

Tell us about your project. Free 30-minute call. No sales pressure. Real quote within two business days.

Start a project Call (541) 214-2116