Lorien Web

09/07/2026

Every website was made by somebody. Page builders, $59 templates, and AI tools all sell you the feeling that nobody had to. That holds up right until you need something changed.

Wrote about why that matters, and three questions worth asking before you hire anyone.

Every website was made by someone. Page builders, template marketplaces, and AI tools all sell the idea that nobody had to. Here's why that matters when the site breaks.

08/25/2026

Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks, which means it's basically fall now, regardless of what the thermometer says.

I run a one-person web studio, so I don't have a marketing team to brainstorm a tie-in campaign. I have a laptop, a cold brew (still cold brew, not ready to give in), and a strong opinion that websites should also be built to last more than one season.

Sip your PSL. Enjoy the 87-degree "fall." And if your website's been coasting on vibes since spring, you know where to find me.

🍂

Personal web design and development for small businesses and nonprofits. Packages from $399 setup. Former Meta developer offering modern, easy-to-manage websites with a personal touch.

08/22/2026

I used to think clients wanted a big strategy deck before we started building. Turns out most of them just want to know what pages they're getting, what it'll look like, and what it costs.

A five-page website doesn't need forty slides of thinking behind it. It needs a plan you can actually read.

New post on the blog: "Nobody Needs a Strategy Deck" 👇

A five-page site doesn't need a forty-slide brand strategy. What a website plan actually needs: the pages, the direction, and a fixed price in writing. By Phil Linley.

08/20/2026

Totally agree CTAs matter, but too many duplicate ones on a page actually hurts accessibility. Screen reader users have to wade through every one of them, and it adds cognitive load for folks with ADHD or attention issues. One clear CTA per section beats five competing ones.

08/17/2026

Hope Presbyterian Church just launched their new site, and I'm really proud of this one.

They wanted something more accessible for everyone visiting, so I built it custom on React and Sanity, and moved them over from Church Plant Media in the process.

Take a look: hopechurchcolumbus.org

If your church or organization is thinking about a web change, I'd love to hear from you. [email protected]

08/13/2026

Had a great time at the Hilliard Area Chamber of Commerce new members breakfast yesterday! It was great getting to meet and mingle with so many local business owners. Excited to keep building these connections and can't wait for the next event.

08/08/2026

Ever nodded along when someone said "WCAG AA" without actually knowing what it meant? New post on what the three WCAG levels mean, what the law says, and which one your site should be aiming for.

A plain-language guide to WCAG levels A, AA, and AAA: what each one actually requires, what the law says, and the level most sites should target.

07/31/2026

Had a client call this week that stuck with me.

We talked through what they actually needed, sketched a plan, and that was pretty much it. No deck, no funnel, just two people talking through a need.

AI can write copy in seconds. It can spit out a mockup, answer a question at 2am, sound confident doing it. What it can't do is sit across from someone, notice what they're actually worried about, and make a call based on trust you've built with them over time.

That's what I want a website to feel like too, a continuation of the conversation instead of a wall in front of it. Clear and easy to talk to, the kind of thing you'd expect from someone who treats you like a person and not a lead.

That's the idea behind Lorien Web. Crafted with care, built to last.

Personal web design and development for small businesses and nonprofits. Packages from $399 setup. Former Meta developer offering modern, easy-to-manage websites with a personal touch.

07/21/2026

Most of what I do doesn't make for exciting photos. I clean up code that's grown messy over the years, keep a site loading fast on a slow connection, and make sure a donate button actually works on every phone, not just the newest one.

It's quiet work. But it's the kind that keeps a website standing long after the redesign hype wears off.

If your site's been feeling neglected, I'm happy to take a look. No pressure, just an honest read on where it stands.

Personal web design and development for small businesses and nonprofits. Former Meta developer offering modern, easy-to-manage websites with a personal touch.