Everything you want to know before we build together

A custom restaurant website in New Orleans typically costs between $2,500 and $8,000 as a one-time build, or $499-$999/month with a managed service like Social Hues that includes hosting, SEO, and ongoing updates.

The cost depends on features: a simple menu-and-hours site is on the lower end, while online ordering, reservation integration, and multi-location support push the price up. At Social Hues, our Starter package ($499/month) covers a 5-page custom site with mobile-optimized menus and Google Business Profile setup.

Yes — it's free and it's the single most important thing you can do for local visibility. Your Google Business Profile controls what people see when they search for your salon on Google or Google Maps.

46% of all Google searches have local intent. Without a claimed, optimized profile, you're invisible to nearly half the people searching for salons in your area. Setup takes about 30 minutes, and Social Hues handles optimization as part of every web design package.

The best approach is a first-party ordering system on your own website. Third-party apps like DoorDash charge 15-30% commission per order — on a $50 order, that's $7.50-$15.00 going to the platform instead of your kitchen.

Platforms like Square Online (free), ChowNow ($149-$399/month), or a custom integration by Social Hues let you accept orders directly, keep 100% of the revenue (minus standard card processing), and build a direct relationship with your customers.

A simple 5-page website takes 2-4 weeks from kickoff to launch. A more complex site with e-commerce, booking integration, or custom features takes 4-8 weeks.

At Social Hues, our average timeline is 3 weeks for Starter packages and 5-6 weeks for Growth and Scale packages. We book projects 2-4 weeks in advance to maintain quality.

The most effective method is automated review requests sent 2-4 hours after service completion, with a direct one-tap link to your Google Business Profile. Businesses using automated requests see 5-10x more reviews than those relying on manual asks.

Social Hues offers review request automation as part of our managed packages. After each completed service, your customer receives a personalized text with a direct Google review link — no awkward in-person asking required.

Always respond, and quickly. A professional, empathetic response to a negative review often impresses potential customers more than the review itself. It shows you care and take feedback seriously.

Keep responses factual, offer to resolve the issue offline, and never argue publicly. Google also favors businesses that actively engage with all reviews in their local ranking algorithm.

In the New Orleans market, 20-50 reviews with a 4.5+ average puts you in the competitive range for most categories. Businesses with 100+ reviews consistently dominate the local pack (the map results at the top of Google).

More important than total count is velocity — getting 2-4 new reviews per week signals to Google that your business is active and trusted. Consistency beats one-time campaigns.

Yes. Automated rebook reminders connect to your booking system (Square, Vagaro, Fresha) and send personalized texts or emails when each client is due for their next appointment — 4 weeks for cuts, 6 weeks for color, etc.

This eliminates the need for front desk follow-up calls and typically recovers 15-25% of lapsed clients who simply forgot to rebook. Social Hues sets this up as part of our managed website packages.

An after-hours auto-responder immediately acknowledges incoming calls, texts, or form submissions when you're closed. It captures the lead's details, answers common questions (pricing ranges, service areas), and queues everything for morning follow-up.

This is critical — 78% of customers hire the first business that responds. If a homeowner texts at 9pm about a plumbing issue, the auto-responder ensures you're first in line when they wake up.

A welcome sequence is a series of automated messages sent to new customers during their first 30 days. It introduces your business, sets expectations, and builds the habit of returning.

For gyms, salons, and subscription-based businesses, welcome sequences reduce early cancellations by 20-35%. The first 30 days determine whether a new customer becomes a regular or disappears.

Most small businesses in New Orleans spend 10-15 hours per week on tasks that can be fully automated: follow-up emails, appointment reminders, review requests, and lead responses.

At $50/hour (a conservative estimate for a business owner's time), that's $500-$750 per week in recovered time — or $26,000-$39,000 per year reinvested into actually running your business.

We specialize in working with service-focused small businesses—think home services, boutique wellness studios, local agencies, and other founders who value craft.

If you have an established offering and want a high-performing website that feels unmistakably yours, we're a great fit.

Start with a 20-minute discovery call so we can learn about your goals, audience, and timelines.

After that we'll send a tailored proposal outlining scope, investment, and suggested milestones. Once the agreement is signed and the kickoff invoice is processed, we reserve your slot on the production calendar.

We book projects two to four weeks in advance to maintain quality. If you have a critical deadline, let us know—when our roadmap allows, we can offer an accelerated engagement with a rush fee.

We audit your existing presence, synthesize brand positioning, define the customer journey, and map content for every core page.

You'll receive a Notion hub with messaging frameworks, sitemap, and wireframes so you can review and comment asynchronously.

Everything we build is crafted from scratch using our component library and your brand assets. We never reskin templates.

That means we can fine-tune animations, accessibility, and responsive behavior specifically for your audience.

Each phase—strategy, design, and development—includes two rounds of consolidated feedback.

We streamline revisions through Loom walkthroughs and shared comments so you always know what's shipping next.

We build on Next.js with first-class accessibility, performance budgets, and analytics baked in.

Every project includes responsive layouts, on-page SEO fundamentals, and a CMS or content editing workflow when needed.

Absolutely. We frequently integrate booking platforms, CRMs, marketing automation, and lead capture tools.

During discovery we'll map the exact integrations and ensure they're thoroughly tested before launch.

We handle deployment, DNS coordination, analytics setup, and performance verification.

After launch, you get a 30-day warranty window for bug fixes plus the option to transition into an ongoing care plan covering updates, monitoring, and new experiments.

Most full website engagements land between $8,500 and $15,000 depending on scope, integrations, and timeline.

We'll provide a detailed estimate after discovery so there are zero surprises.

Yes. Our standard schedule is 40% to reserve your start date, 30% at design approval, and 30% before launch.

Need more flexibility? We can split the investment into monthly installments tied to project milestones.

Definitely. We offer retainer-style partnerships for optimization, new feature development, and marketing support.

Choose from quarterly or monthly allotments so you always have our team on call.

We combine async updates in Notion with scheduled strategy sessions on Zoom.

Expect weekly status recaps, plus Slack access for quick questions so you’re never guessing where things stand.

A dedicated point of contact, timely feedback, and access to existing brand assets go a long way.

If copy or photography needs a refresh, we'll coordinate writers and photographers in our partner network or collaborate with your internal team.

Yes. We record tailored walkthrough videos, provide documentation, and host a live training session so your team feels confident making updates.