Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about AI builders, owning your site, what it costs, and what happens after launch.
Can't I just build my site with AI?
Yes, and if it works for you, do it. The builders are good at the first 80%. The last 20% is where people get stuck: the form that won't submit, the section that won't line up, showing up on Google, the domain name, a bill that never ends. We use the same AI every day, with ten years of knowing what to ask it, and when we're done the site is yours. Most of our clients tried a builder first.
Do you use AI?
Every day. Research, design options, the technical work, testing, the writing in between. It makes the work better and puts more of your budget into the parts you'll actually see. The designer, the three review rounds, and the person who checks your site before launch are all still here.
If AI makes you more efficient, are your prices lower?
No. Sites still start at $5,000. What's changed is how much site that buys: more design attention, more included, more care in the details. We'd rather hand you a better site for the same money than the same site for less.
What does "you own the site" actually mean?
The website files, the content, the domain name, and the hosting account are all in your name. Leave us tomorrow and the site goes with you and keeps working. A builder can't offer that, because the site is their product and you're renting it by the month.
Will I be able to edit the site myself, or do I have to come back to you?
You can. Your team changes text, images, and whole sections on any page. The parts that repeat, like team members and testimonials, are simple forms, so nothing you touch can break the layout. No developer, no AI tool, no waiting. Come to us when you want something new, not every time a typo needs fixing.
Can an AI-built site run a shop, or SEO tools, or bookings?
Sometimes, within whatever the builder has added. Our sites run a full online shop, search tools, bookings, forms, and anything else twenty years of WordPress add-ons cover. When the tool you need exists, it works on your site.
I'm already on Wix, Squarespace, or Framer. Can you move it?
Yes. We keep the content and the ideas that work, rebuild it on WordPress as a site that's yours outright, and handle the forms, search rankings, old links, and moving your domain name. The old site stays live until the new one is ready, and the subscription ends when it launches. Rebuilds start at $5,000, same as any site. Tell us what you've got.
What are my options for e-commerce?
We make online stores on WordPress with WooCommerce, the shop system made for it. It covers a small boutique catalog as well as the complicated cases: shipping and tax rules, subscriptions, memberships, several sellers on one site, and just about any payment provider. Either way, the storefront gets designed around your brand instead of around a theme.
Why WordPress? Isn't it old?
Mature, not outdated. It runs over 40% of the web because it's flexible, it's mature, and nothing else has the ecosystem. We've worked with it for more than a decade and gotten very good at keeping it fast. Our own site and client portal are made differently, because they're software, not websites. Every client site we make is WordPress.
Will my existing HitchHiker site still be supported and maintained?
Yes. Every site we've made, on any system, keeps the same maintenance, security monitoring, updates, and priority support it has today. Nothing changes for you, and existing clients also get the client portal, where your projects, updates, and invoices live in one place.
What does your web design process look like?
Five steps, same every time. Discovery: we set the goals and map out the pages. Design: three rounds of review, starting with the homepage concept, then revisions and interior pages, then the full site. Development: we put the site together and give you a working preview to click around in. QA and launch: we test everything, then the site goes live. Post-launch: training for your team and 30 days of support. You'll know where things stand the whole way through. See the full process.
What are your hosting and maintenance rates?
The care plan is $99/month. That covers hosting on Kinsta, WordPress and add-on updates, daily backups, security monitoring, and priority support with a 24-hour response. Work beyond that, like content changes, new features, or troubleshooting, is $125/hour on the care plan and $175/hour if you're hosted elsewhere, in 15-minute increments, invoiced at the end of each month. The plan is optional, and the site is yours either way.