I run a small swim and surf shop near Las Olas. We sell rash guards, sun hats, and a few cute boards. It’s a tiny shop with a big heart. I pack orders behind the counter while the beach breeze sneaks in. It’s a good life, but my old website made it hard.
It was slow. The photos were fuzzy. The checkout broke on phones… and most folks here live on phones. I felt stuck. And a little mad, to be honest.
So I hired a Fort Lauderdale web design team. A small two-person studio off NE 4th Ave. We met at Wells Coffee, traded notes, and set a plan. Simple, but not easy. If you’d like a play-by-play of another retailer who went through a similar journey, you can skim the full story of what happened when I hired a Fort Lauderdale web design team for even more behind-the-scenes details.
What They Built For Me
They kept it on WordPress, since I already knew the basics. They added WooCommerce, so I didn’t need to jump apps. For bookings, they set up a clean calendar for paddle lessons. Stripe handled payments. I kept Square in the store.
The design? Bright but not loud. They matched the coral pink from the lifeguard stands. The header shows the pier at sunrise—soft light, real beach feel. On mobile, the menu became big and clear. No tiny buttons. No pinch and zoom.
They cared about speed. They shrunk images, set lazy load, and swapped my old mega slider for a simple hero photo. My load time went from around 7 seconds to about 1.9 seconds on my phone. Lighthouse showed 92 on mobile. I didn’t even know what that meant before. Now I do.
They also fixed the gray text I used. It was too light. They said ADA contrast matters. They were right. It looks crisp now. Easier to read in bright sun, which is most of my day.
The nerd stuff? They added schema so Google can see hours, prices, and location. They cleaned up my titles and added “Fort Lauderdale” in smart spots, not everywhere. No spam. Just clear.
Real Results (The Stuff That Pays Rent)
- Calls went up about 40% in the first month.
- Lesson bookings hit 17 in week one after launch. That felt wild.
- My bounce rate dropped from 68% to 41%. People stayed and browsed.
- The phrase “Fort Lauderdale surf lessons” moved from nowhere to page 1, then to #2 after six weeks.
- I now get 4 to 6 messages a day through the chat bubble they added. Before? Maybe one. On a good day.
A manufacturing buddy of mine saw equally dramatic numbers after a rebuild—his notes on rebuilding a factory website document the bumps, fixes, and wins from a totally different industry perspective.
Seeing those graphs climb convinced me that rapid, intuitive UX keeps any audience hooked. The designers pointed out that the same principles apply far beyond surf shops; even adult-friend-finding platforms lean hard on mobile speed and clear calls to action. Take, for instance, fuckbuddies.app—an adults-only site engineered for quick sign-ups and location-based matching, where you can see how a minimalist layout and snappy load times guide visitors straight into creating a profile without friction.
Similarly, location-based review hubs for discreet personal services depend on hyper-local SEO to draw real-world visitors—check out the Norco page on Rubmaps Norco to see how tightly focused keywords, Google map embeds, and detailed user ratings combine to funnel search traffic into actual door swings.
You know what? The shop felt busier, even on rainy days. I could tell because the pickup orders stacked up by the door.
How We Worked Together
We used Figma for designs. They shared little Loom videos so I could see changes without a meeting. We tracked tasks on Trello. It felt neat and tidy.
They wrote simple copy with me. We kept my voice. Sunny. Local. No fluff. They also told me when my ideas were bad. I hated that at first. Then I loved it.
What I Loved
- They kept phones first. We checked every page on a cracked iPhone 8.
- They sat in the shop one morning to see how customers talk and what they ask. That helped the FAQ page a lot.
- They set up Cloudflare and daily backups. Storm season makes me twitchy. I sleep better now.
- They added a store pick-up button and a little progress bar in checkout. Cart drops went down fast.
If you’re wondering whether an unlimited graphic design subscription would have given us even more visual punch, here’s an honest real-world take on trying unlimited graphic design for web projects.
Oh, and they made a simple page for “Hurricane Prep.” It has a short list and a safe shipping note. People thanked me for that page. Small thing. Big trust.
What Bugged Me (Because Nothing’s Perfect)
- They missed the first launch date by four days. A plugin update broke the booking calendar. It got fixed, but I had to shuffle a few lessons.
- They used dev words that scared me. “Cache purged.” “Cumulative layout shift.” Not my world. They tried to explain, and they did, but still.
- The copy pass took longer than I liked. They pushed me hard to trim text. They were right, but I grumbled.
Cost, Time, and All That Gritty Stuff
- Full site redesign with shop: $7,800
- Booking plugin and setup: $600
- Photos (local photographer on the beach): $250
- Monthly care plan: $150 (updates, backups, small edits)
We started mid-May and launched early July. Right before summer storms. Odd timing, but it worked.
Little Local Touches That Mattered
They used real photos from Sunrise Boulevard and the pier. Not stock. The color set felt like my street—sand, teal, coral. They put my parking notes right under the map. Tourists thanked me. Also, the shop hours page updates itself on holidays. Winter season here gets hectic. That saved me many calls.
Here’s the funny thing. The checkout page even mentions sunscreen. It’s a tiny line. But people smile in emails about it. That’s the local tone I wanted.
If You’re Hunting For Fort Lauderdale Web Design
Need more inspiration? You can always browse the insights and case studies shared by 2 Experts Design to see how other local businesses level up their sites. You might also review the portfolios of established Fort Lauderdale agencies such as the Fort Lauderdale Web Design Company – Fantasy Web Design™ and the conversion-focused Fort Lauderdale Web Design & SEO Agency – Lytron to compare styles, pricing, and process before you sign any contract.
- Ask how they test on phones. Make them show you.
- Get before/after speed numbers. Real ones.
- Talk maintenance and backups. Hurricanes happen.
- Check they know ADA basics. Your eyes—and your sales—will thank you.
- Make a photo list early. Local shots beat stock every time.
- Set a simple scope. Pages, features, and a “must-have” list. Stick to it.
Would I Hire Them Again?
Yes. With one change. I’d set weekly check-ins. Short ones. Ten minutes. That would have saved a few “wait, what?” moments.
Still, I’m happy. My site feels like my shop—warm, bright, easy. Customers say it’s simple and fast. My staff spends less time fixing orders and more time helping people pick fins. That’s the goal, right?
My Final Take
Fort Lauderdale web design, when it’s done right, feels local and clear. It nods to the beach, but it doesn’t shout. It loads fast. It’s easy on the eyes. It turns lookers into buyers and calls into bookings.
This team did that for me. Not perfect. But close. And close is plenty when rent is due and the tide’s coming in.