Expert Website Services

Attention! This service is no longer available.

Got an old Thesis 1.x website? If so, it’s dying a slow death.

Here’s why:

  • Google has switched to mobile-first indexing. If your site doesn’t have a responsive design, it’s now considered “mobile-unfriendly” and is dropping in the search engine rankings as a result.
  • The way we use the internet has changed! Nobody browses websites anymore. The Thesis 1.x design catered to the way we used the internet 10 years ago. It’s time for a generational update!

Perhaps you tried Thesis 2.x in 2012 or 2013, and that experience left you…unsatisfied.

(Many people tried Thesis 2.x in its early days and eventually retreated to their Thesis 1.x comfort zones. This was a perfectly rational decision at the time, but everything has changed since then.)

By now, you’ve probably realized the day of reckoning is coming, and you’re going to have to do something to update your website.

But generational updates are a big deal with a lot of unknowns. Here’s what most people want to know:

  • What will happen to my SEO data?
  • What is going to happen to my design?
  • What will happen to my old customizations if I move to Focus?
  • Will my website still work during the service?
  • Can I look at an example site so I know what to expect?
  • Will I have to re-learn everything I thought I knew?

I have great answers for each of these concerns, and I’ll address them all in this one-time offer to update and modernize your website.

Thesis 1.x Website Modernization Service

This is the ultimate way to update and modernize your Thesis 1.x website. Here’s how it works:

  • We install Thesis 2.x and Focus on your site
  • We ensure critical components like Google Analytics and your SEO data are set up in the most efficient and effective possible way
  • We breathe new life into your old design with Focus; the result is an optimized responsive design that:
    • loads fast
    • is appealing and legible thanks to Golden Ratio Typography
    • pleases both search engines and people
    • works on all devices
  • We set up an organized customization environment that is easy to maintain
  • We perform a Plugin audit and optimize the loading of Plugin CSS + JS
  • If necessary, we even adjust .htaccess settings to optimize for performance
  • We also provide you with a website maintenance document that includes:
    • before/after performance reports
    • precise details about what we did
    • recommendations to make it easier to run your site
    • info you need to keep your site on the cutting edge

What this is NOT:

This is not a custom design service! I am not here to come up with your next custom design or to cater to your subjective design whims. The point of this service is to modernize your website and provide you with a fast, responsive platform you can actually manage over time.

This is not a Plugin integration service! This is not your chance to finally integrate that new, clunky, and ridiculously complicated Plugin. I will only be working with your existing Plugins to optimize their implementations and preserve site performance.

Before we dig into the pricing, let’s address those common concerns…

Common Concerns About Major Website Updates

What will happen to my SEO data?

Nothing! Whether you used Thesis or a Plugin for your SEO data all these years, your data will remain intact when you move to Focus.

What is going to happen to my design?

When we switch your site over to Focus, it will be running on a completely different platform. Because of this, it will be different—but that’s kind of the point, as the goal of this process is to make your site significantly better!

The idea here is not to recreate your old design in a Focus context; instead, the idea is to reimagine your design in a Focus context.

We will not modify or remove your old design. In fact, Thesis 1.x and Thesis 2.x are completely different platforms, and both can be installed on your site simultaneously.

Because of this, you will be able to switch back to your Thesis 1.x design at any point to examine certain items or just to relive the earlier days of your website.

What will happen to my old customizations?

The two types of customizations in question here are CSS and PHP customizations.

CSS customizations from Thesis 1.x do not apply to the new Focus design, so we will not carry those forward. (But we will most likely create a few new CSS customizations as we reimagine your site on Focus.)

PHP customizations, on the other hand, are something we address on a case-by-case basis. Our goal is to eliminate as much custom PHP as possible, as this will leave your site with fewer moving parts and thus less to manage over time.

If your site has custom PHP, we will completely refresh your customization environment and ensure it is efficient and easy to maintain.

In addition, Focus makes everything easier, so a lot of custom PHP that was necessary in 2010 may not be necessary anymore. Less is more, and this is a big win for your site!

Will my website still work during the service?

Yes! We have a custom Plugin that enables visitors to see your old Thesis 1.x design while we prepare your new design on Focus.

On some sites, widgets will not work during this process, but here’s the deal—we are fast and will deliver your project within 3 days.

So even if your widgets don’t work while we modernize the heck out of your site, that minor pain point will be over in 3 days anyway.

Can I look at an example site so I know what to expect?

Will I have to re-learn everything I thought I knew?

Not really. The interfaces in Focus are different and more powerful than the old Thesis 1.x options panels, but the basic concepts are the same.

(And of course, I’ve created lots of video documentation to walk you through the options panels and to show you what everything does.)

And remember—after we set up your shiny new Focus website, we’ll deliver a document containing all the information you need to know about your new site, your customizations, and the stuff you can play around with and change (without breaking anything!).

Bottom line? Don’t worry! We’ve got this. The only reason we are offering this service is because we are extremely confident in the results!

I’m interested! How much does it cost?

The service starts at $1500. This includes $1400 for the service itself, and $100 for your Focus license.

Lightly customized Thesis 1.x sites will qualify for the lowest price and will also be given priority treatment. This enables us to help more people faster and more effectively.

More customized/specialized Thesis 1.x sites will be subject to a $150/hour rate—and possibly other “entanglement” charges—on top of the basic service if we determine the service would be a good fit.

My typical service rate is $300/hr. The $150/hr pricing is special for this modernization service. You can save 50% simply by taking advantage of this limited service offer!

(Some sites—especially ecommerce sites—are going to be too involved and complicated for this basic service, and costs could quickly spiral out of control.)

Our goal is to deliver fast turnaround times and tremendous results; this is why simpler sites will receive priority treatment.

Finally, payment will happen in 3 stages:

  1. Purchase Focus license
  2. Retainer: Pay half the service charge up front
  3. Delivery: Pay half the service charge upon delivery

Ready to get started?

Let’s do this →

Running WordPress Multisite? We will not perform the service on Multisite installations at this time.