Book My Free Strategy Call

Web design for Michigan businessesMichigan web design for small businesses that want a faster site they own.

Modern Apex is a website design company in Michigan that hand codes every site. Many small business sites still run on drag-and-drop page builders, which tend to be heavy on phones. Ours load fast, are organized around your services and belong to you.

Book My Free Strategy Call

Free. 30 minutes. No strings attached.
Leave with three priorities, whether you hire us or not.

Google PartnerRead our client reviewsHow pricing works

Michigan businesses we work with

Browse all client results

Bubbles Auto Spa

St. Clair Shores, Macomb County. Car wash and detailing.

Our work: website and Google Ads.

110 tracked conversions from Google Ads

See the recordVisit Bubbles Auto Spa

Figures come from each client's published record, which states its reporting period and how results were measured. Past results belong to that client and are not a forecast.

Web design across Michigan

Michigan had 227,180 business establishments in 2023, including 21,290 construction firms, 13,222 specialty trade contractors, 28,956 health care providers and 5,797 auto repair shops. Most of them live on phone calls and form requests, and for many that first contact starts with a stranger opening the website on a phone and deciding within seconds whether to stay.

We wanted numbers rather than opinions, so in October 2026 we tested six Michigan business websites built with WordPress and the Elementor page builder. We used Google's PageSpeed Insights on its mobile setting and took the median of three runs. They scored 48, 59, 50, 56, 61 and 62 out of 100, and their pages weighed 3.6 to 5.6 MB. One Stop Customs in Warren, a site we hand coded, scored 91 to 97 with a page weight of 0.6 MB, and our own web design page scored 96 to 100.

Page builders made sense when the goal was letting anyone assemble a page without a developer. The price of that convenience is code: much of what sits behind every widget, animation and layout option loads for visitors whether a page uses it or not, alongside plugins that need constant updates. That is why we treat drag-and-drop builders and generic templates as legacy technology for a business website. A hand-coded site ships only what each page needs, has fewer moving parts to patch and is not tied to any builder or theme. You own the files and the domain, and you can take them to any host.

Michigan adds tests of its own. A site has to load on a fast connection in Troy and on a weak signal along a two-lane road in the Upper Peninsula or the Thumb, where a heavy page can stall. Seasonal businesses in Grand Traverse, Emmet or Mackinac counties need pages that shift emphasis as the season turns. Service-area businesses need pages for the places customers actually name, which here are often townships: a Brighton contractor's customers may live in Genoa, Green Oak or Hamburg townships, each larger than the city of Brighton.

What we would do first

The first things we would work on, before spending more money on reach.

Built for phones, scored in public

We code mobile first, then run the live site through Google's PageSpeed Insights with you, so the score is something you can check yourself.

Service and area pages that answer buyers

Each core service and each community you want work from gets its own page covering price factors, process, photos and reviews.

Tracking on every call and form

We test each phone link and form before launch and connect them to tracking, so you can see which pages bring real inquiries.

No builder, no lock-in

You own the code and the domain. Move hosts or agencies whenever you want, without rebuilding the site from scratch.

Page-builder templates versus a hand-coded site

Many local websites are built with drag-and-drop page builders. They are quick to set up, but they ship far more code than a page needs, and phones feel it first.

Mobile Performance score in Google PageSpeed Insights, middle of three runs. Scores move a few points between runs. Test any site yourself at pagespeed.web.dev.
MeasurePage-builder templateHand coded by Modern Apex
Google phone speed score48 to 62Six Michigan business websites built with a popular drag-and-drop page builder, tested October 30, 2026.91 to 97One Stop Customs in Warren, hand coded by Modern Apex, in two tests on November 2, 2026.
Page size on a phone3.6 to 5.6 MBBuilder frameworks, widgets and plugins load on every page.0.6 MBOnly the code each page needs.
What you ownYour content, plus a theme, a builder and plugins that need licenses and updates.The site files and the domain, outright. No builder subscription and no lock-in.
EditingA drag-and-drop editor you can change yourself.Changes go through us, or a simple editing setup we agree on before launch.

Web design by county

Local pages for the counties where we see the most demand, plus a marketing page for every county in Michigan.

Every other Michigan county

What working with us looks like

Clear terms before any work starts. Google Ads management has a six-month initial commitment, then runs month to month with 30 days written notice.

  • A free 30-minute call with NickTalk through your business with the founder, not a salesperson.
  • An itemized quote within 24 hoursYou see the scope and the price before you commit to anything.
  • No setup fee for Google AdsA flat monthly management fee, never a percentage of ad spend.
  • You own your accountsYour website, your domain and your Google Ads account stay in your name.

See how pricing works

Talk it through with Nick.

Bring what you have today. You will leave with a clear view of what to fix first.

How much does a website cost in Michigan?

It depends on the number of pages, services and areas the site has to cover. We quote each project after a free 30-minute strategy call, and you get an itemized quote within 24 hours.

Is WordPress with a page builder a bad choice?

It is a common choice, and it works. Our concern is speed and ownership: the six page-builder sites we tested scored 48 to 62 on Google's mobile test, and their layouts depend on the builder. A hand-coded site avoids both problems.

Can I update a hand-coded site myself?

We agree during planning how updates will work for your business. Some owners send changes to us, while others need a simple way to edit content themselves. Either way, the code and the domain belong to you.

Do you work with businesses outside metro Detroit?

Yes. We are based in Michigan and work with businesses across the state, with website clients from Warren and St. Clair Shores to Grand Blanc, Howell and Northville. Planning happens on video or phone calls.

What does a good mobile speed score look like?

Higher is better on Google's 100-point scale. Our own web design page scored 96 to 100 and the hand-coded One Stop Customs site 91 to 97, while the six page-builder sites we tested ranged from 48 to 62.

Book My Free Strategy Call

No strings attached. Choose a time, bring your questions and leave with a clearer next move.