Anchor Sites
In 2024, a dear poet friend, Rachel Edelman, was on the precipice of launching her debut poetry collection, Dear Memphis. In advance, she wanted to refresh her website and give her book a new digital home. I’d been building projects Squarespace for a decade, and Rachel was looking to leave Wix, so we collaborated on a new “anchor site” for her work. Since then, I’ve built a dozen other anchor sites for writers, artists, and musicians. You can see some below, and more information about the builds.
Looking for a digital home to anchor your work or project?
Reach out to chat. We’ll see if I’m the right fit for your vision and needs. You can email me at bretty@slowblinkmedia.com, and find some add’l info to the right.
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It’s what I call the website builds I do, in part because I’m not a “website designer” (nor developer), but also because the sites I do are technically “portfolio” sites for individuals. I don’t do CMS builds for organizations or companies, because that goes beyond my abilities. I call them anchor sites because they’re a digital space that anchors your work, words, or project. And more often than not, that’s really all a writer, author, or creative needs: a place to show a little bit about what you do and why.
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I build solely on Squarespace for a few reasons.
I’ve been building on Squarespace since 2014, and so I am familiar with their platform (though I’ve also worked in WordPress, AEM, and others since then, too).
Being able to build quickly on Squarespace allows me to keep prices low, as the cost represents the time it takes to build.
Squarespace tends to be a user-friendly platform, so writers with minimal CMS experience tend to have an easier time making updates or edits on their own.
Squarespace does make things easy, when it comes to security, privacy, and keeping everything in one spot.
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The price depends on scale/scope of the project, as some sites are a heavier lift than others.
My range in prices in 2024 was $750 - $2,000, with an average of $1,250. The project fee, which is based on estimated number of hours, is done at a 50% discount for writers and artists.
Payment plans are welcome.
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Anchor sites range from 1-2 months, depending on your needs. In short:
We hop on a 30-minute call to ensure it’s a good fit.
If so, you sign a contract, put down a 25% deposit, and we have sched our first working session to learn about your needs, wants, and hopes.
You fill out an intake form, and I build the first version of your site based on the call and that info.
We do a walkthrough of the build, and we then do 1-3 rounds of revision on the site. This is where the fun begins.
We press publish, I give you the keys + a tailored instruction manual, and you have yourself a brand new digital home.
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No. When it comes to business websites, I do not do “new builds,” as I am not a web developer/designer. I do, however, do website refreshes.
For ex., overhauling a site’s content, from copy to imagery, menus to navigations. More commonly for businesses, I build out new storytelling or content hubs, like blogs or platforms.
I’ve been a project manager on large website builds, so understand complex environments. For ex., I was the PM on website builds for orgs like Washington Wine, Seventh Wave, and others.