I’m Kayla, and yes, a real person. I hired Kovak Web Design last spring to rebuild my plant shop site. My shop is Tiny Ferns. It’s small. I sell pots, care kits, and little starter plants. I also run weekend workshops. I needed the site to stop breaking on phones. And I needed checkout to be simple. People get busy. They won’t wait for a slow page.
You know what? I was nervous. I’ve been burned before. But this time felt different. If you’re curious how a different retailer felt, here’s a detailed follow-up review of Kovak after launch.
What I Asked For
- A clean Shopify store with fast load time
- A “Build a Gift” bundle feature
- Class sign-ups that didn’t crash
- A blog for care guides
- Basic SEO, nothing fancy
- A Spanish language toggle for key pages
I also wanted the site to look calm. Green, warm light, simple lines. Like walking into a quiet plant shop after rain. Maybe that’s too poetic. But it mattered to me.
How They Worked With Me
First, we had a 45-minute kickoff call. No fluff. They asked about my busy months (Mother’s Day, back-to-school). They looked at my old site and winced. Same.
Then they sent a mood board and a wireframe in Figma. I could click through the flows. I left little notes like, “The pot sizes feel too big here,” and “Can we move care tips under the pictures?” They replied the next morning. Not instant. But steady.
We used Trello for tasks and Slack for quick stuff. I sent them a photo at 10 p.m. of a shelf setup I loved. They used that look on the homepage banner. Nice touch.
Good Stuff They Shipped
- Mobile pages that don’t jitter when you scroll
- A simple menu that my dad could use (and he hates menus)
- A quick “Gift Builder” with 3 steps: pick plant, pick pot, add note
- Class booking with clear time slots; no weird time zones
- Speed work: my homepage went from 5.6s to about 2.1s on 4G
- Clean product photos (they edited mine—softened glare, kept colors true)
They also taught me how to add products on Shopify without messing up the layout. We did a 30-minute Zoom. They sent short Loom videos too. I still watch one about tagging bundles when I forget.
Seeing how smoothly they handled design tweaks had me weighing other approaches; I even compared notes with this candid look at an unlimited graphic-design subscription for web work.
Oh, and they set up GA4. Simple stuff: views, add-to-cart, and class sign-up events. I’m not a numbers person. But it helps.
Real Results (Not Hype)
Eight weeks after launch:
- Daily visits went from about 60 to 140
- Average order value went up by $7.40
- Class sign-ups felt smoother; we sold out two Saturday slots in June
- Newsletter signups grew from 3 a week to about 18
On Mother’s Day weekend, we had 92 orders in two days. No crash. No panic. I did spill coffee on my keyboard, though. That’s on me.
Things That Bugged Me
- We ran one week late. Photo edits took longer than planned. I had to nudge.
- A Safari bug broke the checkout “note” field on older iPhones. They fixed it in 24 hours, but I still had two customer emails.
- Their default font looked a bit too stiff on small screens. We swapped it, and it felt warmer.
- Photo style: their edits started a little cool-toned. I asked for warmer light. They adjusted.
None of this was a deal breaker. Still, it happened. Real life, right?
Price, Plain and Simple
- Project total: $7,200
- 40% deposit, then mid-point, then launch
- I paid $300 extra for a fast-turn summer promo page
- Care plan: $150/month (backups, small tweaks, plugin updates)
Could you go cheaper? Sure. I’ve tried the cheap route. It cost me sleep.
Small But Mighty Details I Loved
- They wrote microcopy under forms. Stuff like, “We reply within one business day.” That tiny line lowered my email spam.
- They added a little shipping bar that fills as you add items. Free shipping at $50. People love a bar that moves. I do too.
- They made a “Care Guides” page with simple icons. I see people staying longer on that page.
Here’s the thing: small touches matter. Folks notice when a site feels kind.
Communication Style
Friendly. Clear. No buzzwords. They didn’t talk down to me. When I got stuck writing class blurbs, they sent two sample versions. We picked the one that sounded like me. Soft and warm, with one playful line.
They weren’t always super fast on chat, but when they answered, it was useful and calm. I’d rather have steady than frantic.
Side note: some solo-run shops in my circle are testing private chat apps to answer niche customer questions on the fly. If you’re flirting with the idea of using Kik as a discreet, mobile-first channel, the thorough Kik Sex Handbook walks you through setting up a profile, understanding chat etiquette, and keeping conversations safe and consensual—helpful groundwork before you dive in and risk awkward missteps.
Similarly, seeing how transparency influences booking decisions, I poked around other niche review platforms—one eye-opening example is Rubmaps Fort Walton Beach, where candid, map-based feedback on local massage spots shows how detailed first-person reviews can quickly build (or break) trust before a customer ever presses “book.”
Who They’re Great For
- Shops like mine (retail, gifts, local makers)
- Coaches or studios that need clean bookings
- Cafes with menus and simple online orders
Who might need someone else? A giant B2B site with deep custom apps. Kovak can handle a lot, but not big enterprise builds with layers of systems. They told me that straight. If you’re staring down a heavy industrial overhaul, the insights from this factory website rebuild case study could prove more useful.
Timeline Check
My build took seven weeks, start to finish. We planned for six. My content slowed us. If you bring photos and copy on day one, you’ll be fine. If not, pad a week.
A Quick Tip If You Hire Them
- Bring 10 to 12 product photos that match in light and angle
- Pick three brand colors and two fonts before you start
- Write your “About” page in your voice—read it out loud once
- Make a list of three sites you like and why (mine were calm, bright, easy)
Simple prep saves you money.
While planning these details, I also skimmed the design articles at 2expertsdesign, which gave me a clearer sense of color pairing and layout trends.
My Verdict
I’d hire Kovak again. In fact, I already did for my holiday bundle page. The site feels fast, warm, and easy. Sales look better. Support is real. Not perfect—but real.
Stars? I don’t love star math, but fine: 4.5 out of 5.
Would I send my friend who runs a bakery to them? Yes. And I’ll bring cookies to the kickoff call. That part’s not required, but it helped the mood.
If you have questions about what they built for me, ask. I kept notes. I keep everything, honestly. It’s the plant shop owner in me.
—Kayla Sox