I’m Kayla. I live in Midtown Memphis. I run a small arts nonprofit and a tiny candle shop on the side. I’ve hired three local web teams in the last two years. I’ve also messed up a few things myself. So this isn’t theory. This is me, sleeves rolled up, talking about what actually happened.
You know what? Memphis web folks show up. They know the scene, the streets, and yes—the BBQ. But they’re not all the same. Here’s my honest story, with real examples.
Project 1: A Nonprofit Rebuild With Speak Creative
Goal: make donations easy, make events clear, and make the site fast. Our old site felt slow and stuck. It looked like a flyer from 2013. I was nervous. Money was tight.
We met at Crosstown Concourse. Big windows. Good coffee. They listened first. Then they mapped out our users on a whiteboard. Donors. Parents. Volunteers. They even asked how people hear about us (church bulletins, school email, Instagram).
- Platform: WordPress (custom blocks, so we could edit pages)
- Design: wireframes and mockups in Figma
- Forms: GiveWP for donations, Stripe for payments
- Email: Mailchimp sync on form submit
- Tracking: GA4 and Hotjar
- Speed: Cloudflare + WP Rocket
- Access: WCAG basics (color contrast, focus states, alt text training)
- For a broader reference, the University of Memphis maintains clear web guidelines that are worth bookmarking.
What changed:
- Load time: 3.2s down to about 1.7s on mobile (Lighthouse jumped from the 40s to low 90s)
- Donations: up 42% in three months
- Bounce rate: down 18%
- Staff time: cut our “can you update this?” emails in half, because I could edit blocks myself
Cost: $25,800 build + $500/month for support and hosting
Timeline: 10 weeks (we slipped one week because I was slow on photos—my fault, not theirs)
Good stuff: They hit deadlines. They taught me how to edit. I felt heard.
Hard stuff: Change requests added cost. Holiday weeks slowed email replies a bit. Fair, but still nerve-wracking.
Side note: I wrote the donation copy while eating Gus’s fried chicken in my car. Grease on the keyboard. Worth it.
Project 2: Shopify Store With Cobblestone Media Group (for My Candle Shop)
I started pouring soy candles in my kitchen in Cooper-Young. Cute, but sticky. I needed a store that talked to my in-person sales. I also needed shipping that didn’t make me cry.
- Platform: Shopify (Dawn theme, customized sections)
- Payments: Shopify Payments + local pickup
- POS: Square in the shop; they set a sync so inventory stayed sane
- Shipping: ShipStation for labels
- Email: Klaviyo (welcome flow + back-in-stock alerts)
- Photos: shot at Overton Park on a sunny Monday; natural light matters
What changed:
- Online sales: from $0 to $18,400 in 60 days (Mother’s Day helped)
- Return rate: under 2% (clear scent notes helped)
- Staff: one Saturday helper could run pickup orders and restocks
Cost: $12,200 build + apps around $79/month
Timeline: 6 weeks
Good stuff: Clean product pages. Fast checkout. My mom could use it, and that says a lot.
Hard stuff: App fees stack up. Also, I wanted a fancy bundle builder, and that added both time and cash.
Little win: They added local SEO bits for “Memphis candle shop near Cooper-Young.” I didn’t think it mattered. It did. People walked in saying, “We found you on Google.”
Project 3: A One-Page Webflow Sprint With Harvest Creative
This one was fun. We needed a landing page for a “901 Day” pop-up. One week, well… nine days. Bold colors. Big type. Memphis vibe.
- Platform: Webflow (fast page, smooth animations)
- Animation: small Lottie movement on the hero
- Form: Webflow form sending to Airtable for quick RSVP tracking
- Map: simple embed with parking notes
- Copy: short, loud, clear (we used the word “y’all”—twice)
What changed:
- RSVPs: 612 sign-ups in four days
- T-shirt preorders: sold out the first run before the event
- Setup: I could update the schedule without breaking the layout
Cost: $5,400
Timeline: 2 weeks
Good stuff: Speed. Style. It just felt like Memphis—bold and warm.
Hard stuff: Webflow hosting is separate, and I had to learn their editor. Not hard, just new.
We put the color palette together while eating slaw and ribs from Rendezvous. Messy table. Clean design.
So… Is Memphis Web Design Any Good?
Short answer: yes. Long answer: it depends on what you need—and how ready you are.
What I like:
- Local voice: Folks here get local slang, events, and neighborhoods.
- Time zone: Same city means easier calls and quick fixes before a show or sale.
- Heart: There’s a “we got you” vibe. Real people. No fluff.
Want to see how Memphis vernacular shows up in more casual corners of the web? Spend two minutes scanning the city's personals and community ads; the write-up on Doublelist Memphis offers a snapshot of real phrases, tone, and even emojis locals use, which you can mine for authentic voice and UX microcopy inspiration. Similarly, if you want to study how ultra-niche service pages lean on place-based keywords to drive conversions, check out this South Jordan escorts landing page at South Jordan Escorts—it’s a textbook example of how tight geographic targeting, clear calls-to-action, and straightforward service descriptions can boost local SEO and user trust.
Where it gets tricky:
- Schedules fill up: Good teams book fast. Plan ahead, especially around Memphis in May and holidays.
- Budgets vary: A landing page can be $3k. A full site can be $30k+. Be clear on scope.
- Old themes: A few places still push dated templates. Ask to see live sites on mobile.
- Out-of-town hires can surprise you: my experiments with Gainesville web pros taught me that context matters (I break down the wins and fails here).
If you want another set of eyes on Memphis-specific best practices, take five minutes to skim the guides at Bingo Web Design—they boil down jargon into steps you can actually use. My full firsthand breakdown of working with Memphis shops lives in this deep-dive if you need even more details.
What I Wish I Knew Before I Started
- Ask for Figma links and a site map early. Don’t skip it.
- Get page speed goals in writing (even a range helps).
- Make alt text part of content, not an afterthought.
- Decide who owns photos and copy. Set that in the contract.
- Plan a handoff session. Record it. Future you will say thanks.
You can sanity-check your alt text and color choices with this quick set of accessibility tips from the University of Memphis.
My Memphis Shortlist (Based on My Real Projects)
- Speak Creative: Strong on strategy and nonprofit needs. They care about access and training.
- Cobblestone Media Group: Solid Shopify builds. Good with POS and shipping setups.
- Harvest Creative: Great for fast, bold landing pages with a brand-first feel.
Note: I paid full price. No freebies. No “friend of a friend” deals.
Tools That Actually Helped
- WordPress + GiveWP for donations
- Shopify + ShipStation + Klaviyo for store stuff
- Webflow for fast one-pagers
- GA4 and Hotjar for tracking
- Cloudflare and WP Rocket for speed
- Mailchimp for simple lists
- Stripe for payments
I was scared of GA4 at first. It’s fine. Hotjar heatmaps feel like magic. You see where people stop and stare.
Little Things That Made a Big Difference
- Better photos. Sunlight beats a ring light. Every time.
- Clear buttons. “Donate Now.” “Pick Up in Midtown.” Don’t get cute.
- Short forms. Name, email, one more field. That’s it.
- Local words. Mention Beale Street, Cooper-Young, or Crosstown if it’s true. People notice.
Honestly, I thought I needed a huge site. I didn’t. I needed a clear one.
Quick Checklist When You Talk to a Memphis Web Team
- Can I edit pages without code?
- What’s the plan for mobile speed?
- How will we handle ADA basics?
- What happens after launch—who fixes what?
- What’s the real timeline, and what can break it?
- Can I see three recent live sites on my phone?
If they answer fast and plain, you’re probably in good hands.
Final Word (With a Little Blues)
Memphis web