LCP
Under 2.5s
Largest Contentful Paint
How fast the biggest element on your page loads. We hit this on every device, every connection.
Websites That
Don't Just Look Sharp.
They Convert.
Most websites are built for Google. Ours are built for what comes next. Performance-driven design for brands and nonprofits — optimized for AI search, traditional rankings, and real conversions.
4.9 / 5.0
Trusted by 100+ brands & nonprofits
- Client Success
Real Results for Real Brands
Speed That Beats the Competition
Our Fast Turnaround Promise
From kickoff call to live site in record time. Same craft, same security, same conversion focus — just without the four-month agency wait.
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Discovery
Same-day strategy call. We dig into your brand, audience, competitors, and goals — and lock the brief before sundown.
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Design
AI-assisted wireframes and full visual mockups, refined by our designers. You approve every screen — fast turnaround on revisions.
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Build
Full development on a live staging URL. You can log in and click around any time. Daily progress updates by Slack or email.
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Launch & Protect
QA, security hardening, SEO configuration, training, and go-live — all by the end of week one. Then we stay on, monitoring & iterating.
- EXPLORE OUR SERVICES
Full-Service Web Design & Development, End to End
Click any service below to explore what’s included, how we deliver it, and why it matters.
UX/UI Design
Research-backed user experience design powered by AI behavior modeling.
We map how your visitors actually move through a site, then remove every friction point between them and a conversion. AI helps us test hypotheses faster; human designers make sure every interaction feels natural.
What's Included
- User research and persona development
- AI-assisted user journey mapping
- Interactive prototypes
- Usability testing and iteration
- Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA) baked in
- Conversion pathway optimization
Perfect For
Teams with complex user flows — ecommerce, SaaS, nonprofit donation funnels.
Tools We Use
- Figma
- Maze
- Hotjar
- Optimal Workshop
“Working with Growth Shark & Cory was a pleasure. They helped us refine our branding and develop a clear, effective brand strategy that truly captured our vision. Incredibly skilled and insightful, they’re also genuinely great people to work with. Highly recommend.”
— Collin Nieman
Full-Stack Web Development
Frontend and backend engineered for speed, scale, and security.
Our developers use modern frameworks and AI copilots to ship cleaner, faster, more maintainable code. Whether you need a marketing site, a custom web app, or a complex integration — we build it right.
What's Included
- Frontend: React, Vue, Next.js, or Angular
- Backend: Node.js, Python, PHP, or ASP.NET
- RESTful or GraphQL API architecture
- Database design (PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MySQL)
- Third-party integrations (CRM, email, payments)
- Version-controlled, documented codebase
Perfect For
Projects that need custom logic beyond what off-the-shelf platforms offer.
Tools We Use
- React
- Next.js
- Node.js
- TypeScript
- PostgreSQL
“Growth Shark is an impressive marketing group. They took the time to get to know us/our organization so that their work could be more impactful and effective. They got it! And because they got it, we got an impressive video, photography, blogs, website, website updates and more. Great customer service too!”
— Lisa Johanon
WordPress Design & Development
Custom WordPress builds — clean themes, secure plugins, CMS your team will actually use.
WordPress powers nearly half the web for good reason — it’s flexible, extensible, and editor-friendly. We build custom WordPress sites that don’t bloat, don’t break, and don’t make your team dread publishing.
What's Included
- Custom theme development (no page builders)
- Curated, security-vetted plugin stack
- Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) for flexible content
- Hardened admin with 2FA and role controls
- WooCommerce integration available
- Editor training and documentation
Perfect For
Content-heavy brands, publishers, nonprofits, and service businesses.
Tools We Use
- WordPress
- ACF Pro
- WP Engine
- Kinsta
“Growth Shark is the real deal. They helped us level up our digital presence fast with smart strategy, killer creative, and measurable results. Super responsive, easy to work with, and they genuinely get it.”
— Christie Dean
Shopify & Ecommerce
Ecommerce builds optimized for checkout conversion, not just catalog browsing.
Product pages, cart flow, shipping logic, payment integrations — every piece of an ecommerce site affects conversion. We build Shopify, WooCommerce, and custom stacks that sell.
What's Included
- Custom Shopify theme or WooCommerce build
- Product page and collection optimization
- Checkout flow redesign for conversion
- Payment gateway and shipping integrations
- Inventory sync and ERP connections
- Email platform integration (Klaviyo, Mailchimp)
Perfect For
DTC brands, subscription businesses, and multi-product ecommerce.
Tools We Use
- Shopify
- Shopify Plus
- WooCommerce
- Klaviyo
“The Growth Shark has been incredible for our business. They immediately started with great actionable ideas for SEO , Website and paid campaigns, and helping us implement them quickly. I’m looking forward to seeing huge growth with our new strategy. I highly recommend them, you won’t be disappointed.”
— Rick Russie
Technical SEO Foundation
Every site we build launches already optimized to rank.
Most agencies retrofit SEO months after launch. We bake Core Web Vitals, schema, clean URLs, and mobile-first architecture into the build from day one — so your site doesn’t need a ‘rescue’ six months later.
What's Included
- Core Web Vitals optimization (LCP, INP, CLS)
- Schema markup (Organization, Product, Article, FAQ)
- Clean URL architecture and internal linking
- Mobile-first responsive design
- XML sitemap and robots.txt configuration
- Google Search Console setup
Perfect For
Any site that wants organic traffic — which is every site.
Tools We Use
- Google Search Console
- Ahrefs
- Screaming Frog
- PageSpeed Insights
“Seriously, Cory with The Growth Shark is the BEST! It’s completely evident that he’s experienced, knowledgeable, and hard-working. I highly recommend using The Growth Shark for your business. You will get better results than you even hoped for.”
— Hannah Murphy
Website Security & Hardening
Security built in from day one — not bolted on after a breach.
SSL, enterprise-grade firewall, malware scanning, brute-force protection, hardened admin access. The baseline, done right — and then layered with AI monitoring on top.
What's Included
- SSL certificate installation and renewal
- Web Application Firewall (WAF)
- Malware scanning and removal
- Brute-force and bot protection
- Hardened admin with 2FA
- Security headers and CSP configuration
Perfect For
Anyone handling customer data, payments, or login credentials.
Tools We Use
- Cloudflare
- Wordfence
- Sucuri
- Let's Encrypt
“The Growth Shark is an incredible digital agency to work with! I highly recommend their services and they are truly leading experts and what they do, you won’t be disappointed. They provide such high quality work in all respects whether it comes to branding, web design, SEO, marketing and advertising and even non Google or social media marketing technology! If you want to grow your brand or business you must check them out!”
— Mark L
AI-Powered Threat Monitoring
Continuous AI monitoring that catches problems before they become breaches.
Traditional security scans run once a day or once a week. AI threat monitoring runs continuously — flagging anomalous login patterns, suspicious file changes, and emerging vulnerabilities the moment they appear.
What's Included
- 24/7 AI anomaly detection
- Real-time alerting (email + SMS)
- Automated vulnerability patching
- Suspicious login blocking
- Monthly security reports
- Incident response protocol
Perfect For
Sites that can't afford downtime — ecommerce, SaaS, nonprofits during campaigns.
Tools We Use
- Cloudflare
- Sucuri
- Patchstack
- Custom AI Monitoring
“The Growth Shark is an innovative digital marketing agency that has helped us grow and develop our marketing strategies for SEO, Web Design, Content, Paid Media, Lead Generation, and more. They’re experienced professionals, very easy to work with, and great communicators. Highly recommend.”
— Stephen Baker
Ongoing Maintenance & Support
Your site doesn't decay the moment we hand it over.
Plugin updates, content edits, performance reports, and a real human who picks up when you need help. Sites go stale without care — ours don’t.
What's Included
- Monthly plugin and core updates
- Content update hours included
- Monthly performance report
- Uptime and security monitoring
- Priority support response
- Quarterly strategy check-ins
Perfect For
Clients who want a long-term partner, not a one-time vendor.
Tools We Use
- WP Umbrella
- ManageWP
- Custom Reporting
“I met Cory when he came into my shop to get some engraving done, we started talking about what he did for a living, and low and behold he did marketing. I was looking for a marketing guy so I decided to give CORY and THE GROWTH SHARK a try. Best thing I have ever done. They are right on top of everything Google and what ever you need to help your business grow.”
— Mike Lucich
- Support
A dedicated brand success team. No Handoffs, No Runaround.
From day one, you’re paired with a Brand Success Manager who learns your business, your voice, your goals, and your quirks. They’re your single point of contact across design, development, SEO, and security — so you never have to re-explain your project to a stranger again.
The 5 Fundamentals
What Makes a Website Actually Work
1
01 / 05
Visual Appeal
Visitors decide if they trust your brand in under a second. Your design either earns that moment or loses it. We design for that first-second judgment.
YOUR BRAND
Book a Call →
You have 0.05 seconds to make a first impression. We design for that moment.
2
02 / 05
Intuitive Navigation
If people can't find what they need, they leave. We build information architecture that feels invisible — everything is exactly where the visitor expects.
If it takes more than three clicks, we redesign it.
3
03 / 05
Conversion-Focused Content
Beautiful design without clear messaging is a car without an engine. Every page has one job, one primary CTA, and copy that moves people toward it.
Book a Call →
Every page has one job. We make sure it does that job.
4
04 / 05
Technical Performance
Load speed, Core Web Vitals, mobile responsiveness, clean code. This is the layer most agencies ignore — and it's the layer Google rewards most.
Lighthouse Report
99
Perf
98
A11y
100
BP
96
SEO
We don't launch until they're green.
5
05 / 05
Built to Grow
Your site should get better every month after launch, not worse. We build on stacks and systems that scale with your traffic.
Your site should compound. Ours do.
We Build to Google's Standards —
Not Around Them
Google ranks sites partly based on three technical metrics called Core Web Vitals. Most agencies don't design around them. We do — on every build.
INP
Under 200ms
Interaction to Next Paint
How quickly your site responds when someone taps or clicks. Faster than most users consciously notice.
CLS
Under 0.1
Cumulative Layout Shift
How stable your page is as it loads. No jumping buttons, no shifting images, no frustrated users.
Experienced in the Platforms You Already Use
WordPress
WooCommerce
Shopify
Squarespace
Webflow
HubSpot
Wix
BigCommerce
Drupal
Magento
Joomla
Ghost
100+
Sites Launched
2.1s
Avg Load Time
99.9%
Uptime
4.9
Avg Rating
Google Reviews
Clutch
Shopify Partner
Google Partner
Why Brands and Nonprofits Choose Us
No Long-Term Contracts
We earn your business month after month. Transparent agreements, flexible terms, real accountability.
You Stay in Control
You have final say on every stage — strategy, design, content, launch. Nothing ships without your sign-off.
Human-Directed AI
We use AI to improve the work — not replace judgment. Real designers and developers lead every project.
Full-Stack Capability
Design, development, SEO, security, maintenance — one team, one point of contact, no finger-pointing.
Built for Brands & Nonprofits
We speak both languages. Ecommerce funnels and donor journeys. Product launches and mission campaigns.
Transparent Reporting
Monthly performance reports, uptime dashboards, and real conversations — not vanity metrics dressed up as wins.
Questions We Get a Lot
How long does a website design project take?
Most projects launch in 4–8 weeks from kickoff. Larger builds or custom integrations can stretch to 10–12 weeks. We’ll give you a firm timeline on the strategy call.
Do you use AI to build the whole site?
No. We use AI to accelerate specific stages — design exploration, code generation, security monitoring, SEO auditing. A human directs every decision. That’s how we ship faster without shipping worse.
Will my site be secure?
Yes. Every build includes SSL, firewall, malware scanning, automated backups, and ongoing monitoring. We also handle compliance for GDPR, CCPA, and ADA.
Do you work with nonprofits?
Yes, and often at reduced rates for mission-aligned organizations. Ask us.
What platforms do you build on?
Shopify, WordPress, Webflow, Next.js, React, and custom stacks. We recommend based on your needs — not our preferences.
What happens after launch?
Monthly maintenance handles hosting, security, backups, minor updates, and performance reports. You’re never left alone with a broken site.
Who owns the site after it's built?
You do. 100%. All code, content, and accounts transfer to you.
Can you redesign without starting from scratch?
Often, yes. We can audit your current site and scope a refresh that preserves what’s working.
How do I know if I'm ready?
Book the free call. We’ll tell you honestly whether now is the right time — even if that means ‘not yet.’
Let's Build You a Website Worth Showing Off
30-minute video call. Zero sales pressure. You’ll walk away with a clearer picture of what’s possible — whether or not we end up working together.
Prefer to text? +1 (313) 385-5818