FREQUENTLY ASKED
Questions we hear before the discovery call.
Grouped by stage of the engagement — getting started, the platform itself, pricing, and after-launch. Don't see your question? Send it our way.
GETTING STARTED
Before you reach out
How do I start a project with Lodestar?
Send a message via the Contact page or call (619) 535-6104. First step is a free 30-minute scoping call to understand what you're trying to build, your timeline, and budget. No pressure; we tell you if we're not the right fit.
What kind of businesses is Lodestar a good fit for?
Small-to-medium service businesses (5–250 employees) that sell time, expertise, or services — professional services, trades, hospitality, healthcare practices, real estate, MSP / IT, education, nonprofits. The stack is intentionally not optimized for full e-commerce, SaaS product sites, or native-mobile-first products.
How long from kickoff to a live site?
Typical engagement: 1–2 weeks from intake call to a staging site we walk through together, another 1–2 weeks for revisions and content, then launch. Faster paths exist when the brand assets and content are ready on day one.
What do I need to provide?
Business identity (name, address, phone, hours, social links), brand assets (logo SVGs, brand color hexes if you have them — otherwise we pick from your existing materials), and rough content notes. We turn that into the populated site; you review and approve.
WHAT IT IS
About Lodestar (the platform)
What ships in the starter?
The whole foundation, already wired: a fast Astro static site, the security headers most sites forget, search-engine structured data, WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility, Core Web Vitals tuning, cookieless privacy-first analytics, and a spam-protected contact form. The full acronym-heavy parts list lives on the Features page if you want it.
Do I own the code?
Yes. Every Lodestar site is provisioned into a private GitHub repo owned by the client (or by us on the client's behalf with transfer-on-request). No license fees, no vendor lock-in, no obligation to keep using us for maintenance after launch.
Can I self-host?
Yes. Lodestar produces a static `dist/` directory that runs on any static host — Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, SiteGround (our default), S3 + CloudFront, even GitHub Pages. We default to SiteGround + Cloudflare because the combined cost is under $20/month for a typical SMB site.
What if Lodestar gets updates after my site launches?
You get them. Behind-the-scenes fixes — security headers, accessibility, schema — land in your repo automatically. Bigger changes show up as a review prompt you accept or skip, file by file. Anything that's genuinely yours — content, config, branding — is off-limits to the sync; Lodestar never overwrites it.
INVESTMENT
Pricing & engagement model
How is a project priced?
Fixed-scope quote after the discovery call. We give you a single number that covers design adaptation, content population, security/SEO/accessibility setup, and launch. Subsequent maintenance is hourly or under a small retainer; you pick.
Is there a contract minimum?
No. One-time launch projects are welcome. Retainers are month-to-month with 30 days notice. We don't lock anyone into 12-month contracts that need to be paid out for cancellation.
What's the standard hourly rate for work outside scope?
Hourly engineering work — additions, integrations, security responses, migrations — is billed at a standard hourly rate spelled out in the engagement letter. Smaller managed-monthly arrangements bundle predictable maintenance under a flat fee instead.
ONGOING
After your site is live
Who handles updates and security patches?
On managed plans, we monitor for dependency vulnerabilities (Dependabot + Socket.dev), apply security patches, rotate any expiring credentials, and keep Lighthouse scores within agreed thresholds. Unmanaged sites get the same starter code but you (or another developer) handle ongoing maintenance.
What about hosting and SSL?
Default stack: SiteGround shared hosting (where your built files live) + Cloudflare in front (DNS, WAF, CDN, automatic SSL via Universal SSL). Both are wired into the deploy workflow. Combined cost is typically under $20/month for SMB-sized traffic.
How fast is support response?
Existing managed clients have SLA-bound response windows in their engagement letter (typically 1–2 hours during business hours). Genuine emergencies — site down, data breach, ransomware — are routed faster. New inquiries via the contact form get a reply within one business day.
Still have a question?
The fastest way to a real answer is a 30-minute call — no pitch deck, no obligation. Or send a message and we'll reply within one business day.