Squarespace sells the promise that whatever you build will not look bad, and it delivers on it. The same mechanism that prevents a bad site prevents a distinctive one. Here's where that trade is right and where it stops being right.
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For a sole trader, Wix is the correct answer and the money saved is better spent elsewhere. For a business with real revenue moving through its website, two lock-in problems arrive at exactly the wrong moment. Here's the honest read.
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The headline metrics of an ecommerce build, conversion rate, site speed and design quality, tend to get the most attention. The integration architecture tends to get addressed after everything else. That sequencing is backwards.
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Most website projects begin with a brief about how the new site should look. Skyrocket begins by understanding what the current site is failing to do, and why. The distinction changes everything that follows.
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The signs tend to appear gradually. The conversion rate sits stubbornly below where it should be, despite rising traffic. Mobile checkout abandonment is high, but no one can pinpoint exactly why. Adding a new product type to the catalogue requires a workaround.
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Headless commerce gets discussed as though it is the natural endpoint for serious ecommerce. The implication is that if you are not thinking about going headless, you are behind. That framing has sold a lot of expensive architecture to businesses that did not need it.
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Three CSSDA awards for Slight Twist, including Special Kudos. Bold brand, Webflow front-end, Shopify ecommerce, and a conversion rate to match.
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We've just wrapped up our first internship at Skyrocket, facilitated through Unitec's business programme. Real client work, real expectations.
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Seven years of building websites, and I could talk for hours about how important design is in shaping commercial outcomes. This week I joined the Designers Institute of New Zealand.
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High-performing NZ ecommerce stores on Shopify share specific characteristics. Average stores share different ones. Here's what actually separates them, and why most of those decisions are made at the design and build stage.
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Shopify stores slow down for predictable reasons: too many apps, unoptimised images, bloated themes. For established NZ ecommerce businesses, here's how to find what's causing it and what the fix means for revenue.
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The Webflow CMS lets your marketing team update pages, add case studies and manage content without going back to a developer. Here's how it works and what it means for an established business that needs to stay current without a monthly retainer.
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A head-to-head comparison of custom web design and template websites, covering what each option actually delivers, where templates start costing more than they save on Webflow and Shopify and how to tell which route pays off for your business.
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Shopify suits most NZ ecommerce businesses. BigCommerce has specific advantages worth knowing about. Here is an honest comparison of both platforms for the NZ market.
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Shopify for businesses that want to focus on selling rather than managing infrastructure. WooCommerce for those already deep in the WordPress ecosystem. Here is the full breakdown.
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Webflow for businesses that want design quality and a site their team can manage. WordPress when you need its specific plugin ecosystem. Here is the full comparison.
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Choosing a website agency is more than looking at portfolios. Here is what separates studios worth trusting with a commercial project from ones that will cost you more than the invoice.
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A website proposal is a preview of how a studio works. Here is what to look for, what the gaps in a proposal usually mean and how to compare quotes fairly.
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A website project is only as good as the brief behind it. Here is what a useful brief covers, what studios need from you and why getting this right saves money later.
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Design by committee optimises for internal consensus, not external performance. This article explains the specific damage approval-by-committee does to websites, and how to structure projects so stakeholder input is useful without letting it govern the wrong decisions.
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Larger NZ businesses have the budget to build websites properly. They also have the organisational dynamics to ensure those websites underperform anyway. This article names the specific enterprise website mistakes that money alone cannot solve.
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Corporate websites feel stiff because they're designed by committee. Learn why and how to design a site that actually feels human.
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A 5% improvement in your CTA button color can be worth more than a $50k redesign. Learn why small details drive bigger results than major redesigns.
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Most brands confuse aesthetic design with business strategy. A beautiful website that doesn't convert is a liability. Learn how to evaluate design on what actually matters: revenue impact.
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Users form opinions in 5 seconds. Your site makes a first impression instantly.
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