Frequently asked questions about Bernadot Studios

Very little. The process is designed to save you time, not eat it up. You’ll answer a few key questions, then get updates along the way. We are also providing FREE content writing for all clients at this time, so you do not need to write any polished content for your website.

That’s a common concern. You’ll get clear deliverables, fair pricing, and real communication — plus a 100% satisfaction guarantee along the way. If something’s not right, it gets fixed, or you get your money back.

We also return all calls within minutes / hours and you will NEVER be ghosted.

Check out this review excerpt from one of our existing clients:

“You have been invaluable to us for the past several years with your assistance with three major updates for out websites. Not only have you assisted with the creative side, but your technical support has been outstanding. Every request or issue has been handled in a timely manner and followed through until we reached completion or a solution. We have never (yes, never) had to call you twice about a single technical issue.

Mary Macken-Garry
Macken Funeral Home, Rochester, MN

This is what you can expect when working with Bernadot Studios.

You don’t need to. Everything’s explained in plain English, and you’re guided through each step. You’ll always know what’s happening — and why it matters.

Both. Whether you’re just starting or your online presence needs serious cleanup, the process meets you where you are and moves you forward with clarity.

Putting off your online presence — or trusting the wrong people to handle it — costs you more than you think. Here’s how:

Missed Calls and Leads
When people can’t find you online or don’t trust what they see, they move on — fast.

Wasted Time on DIY Fixes
Hours lost fiddling with templates or trying to “figure it out” take you away from real work.

Ghosted by Designers or Salespeople
You sign the contract… then the help disappears. You’re left chasing updates, answers, or refunds.

Passed Around or Outsourced Overseas
TV and radio companies often resell digital services they don’t deliver. Your business ends up handled by someone who’s never even heard of La Crosse.

A Website That Makes You Look Second-Rate
Outdated, broken, or badly built websites hurt your credibility — even if your actual work is top quality.

Opportunities That Go to Someone Else
While you’re stuck or invisible online, your competitors are getting the clicks, calls, and clients.

It doesn’t have to be this way.
Work with someone who’s local, proven, and easy to reach — and finally get the online presence your business deserves.

Yes and no. It is possible, but it requires marketing skill sets and web design knowledge to do it successfully (image manipulation, content writing, SEO, schema, accessibility, value propositions, etc.). As of this writing (october 2025), my last 4 of 5 clients came from a Wix website they built themselves. I recommend saving your time and money and reaching out for a free consultation.

At Bernadot Studios, website pricing is clear and upfront. A professional 5-page website starts at $1,000 as a one-time project fee, plus the $99/month service suite when paid annually ($119/month if paid monthly). The service suite covers fast hosting, email, daily backups, security, software updates and licensing, and local support.

Additional pages are $200 each. If your project requires custom functionality, you’ll receive a detailed quote before we begin. No surprises, no hidden fees — just fair, transparent pricing designed for service-based businesses in the La Crosse area.

Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed before launch. If your website isn’t right, we’ll work with you to fix it. If we can’t meet your expectations, we’ll refund your money. You won’t pay for a website you’re not happy with.

You get 22+ years of local experience, transparent pricing, direct access to your designer, and results-driven websites built to grow trust and attract customers. All based here in La Crosse, WI and priced with fair, affordable prices and money-back guarantees.

Yes. We offer logo design for $500. Includes multiple designs and iterations to get you the logo you want. If we cannot meet your needs, we will refund all of your money.

Yes. We currently offer FREE content writing and editing to ensure your message is clear, persuasive, and aligned with local SEO.

Yes. We build every site with on-page SEO best practices and submit it to Google for indexing. Additional SEO services are available for more aggressive search goals.

You get fast, secure hosting with daily backups, full site restoration, continuous security monitoring, cleanup in case of a breach, daily software updates and licensing managed for you, email service, web hosting, and priority support seven days a week.

The service suite is $99/month when paid annually ($1,188/year), or $119/month if paid monthly.

Absolutely. You own your website, content, domain, and hosting accounts. We never lock you into proprietary systems or hidden contracts.

Yes. Your site is built on WordPress, which allows you to easily make updates. We also provide guidance and support if you ever need help.

Most websites are completed within 30 days, depending on your responsiveness and the complexity of your project.

Our standard 5-page website package starts at $1,000 as a one-time project fee, plus the $99/month service suite when paid annually ($119/month if paid monthly). The service suite covers hosting, email, support, software licensing, performance and security. Custom quotes are available for larger or more complex projects.

Working with a local web designer like Bernadot Studios means you get a partner who understands your market, your customers, and your competition. We’ve helped over 100 La Crosse area service businesses build websites that get found and trusted locally. Plus, you get direct support (no call centers) and fast responses—even on evenings and weekends. When you’re searching for a “web designer near me,” you’re really looking for someone you can count on—and that’s exactly what we deliver.

Yes. As long as your site runs on WordPress and meets our basic standards, we can take over support and updates.

Please note that we do not accept websites running a WooCommerce store.

We specialize in service-based businesses and generally do not support websites using WooCommerce or other built-in online store plugins. If your site includes an embedded store powered by a third-party platform (like Shopify, Mindbody, or an appointment-based app), that’s typically acceptable. However, we do not offer support for any eCommerce functions such as managing orders, shipping, or payments.

Support is available 7 days a week and most minor updates or edits are processed the same day. We typically reply in minutes / hours and will respond to all requests within 24 hours.

It includes priority phone & email support, daily website software updates for WordPress, plugins & themes, security setup, site restoration if something breaks, premium plugin licensing, and performance optimization for fast loading pages.

If something goes wrong during an update, we’ll fix or restore your site at no extra cost. That’s part of the service.

The Service Suite is Bernadot Studios’ all-inclusive website support solution that began in 2021 with our $1,000 website package. It includes everything from the Support+ Plan plus secure web hosting and professional email services under one plan. The Service Suite is $99/month when paid annually ($119/month if paid monthly). The Support+ package is primarily for non-clients who already have a WordPress website and want reliable maintenance, updates, and fixes, but do not need our web hosting or email services.

Yes. If you are dissatisfied within the first 30 days of service, we can work to make things right, or offer you a complete refund (including setup fees).

No refunds are offered after 30 days on the Yearly plan.

In the event of a negative Google review, we will alert you and help you craft a professional response. Upon your approval, we will publish the response to your Google Business Profile.

Very easy. I will create a page on your website that has a form with 2 fields: Customer name and Email Address.

You enter in the information and click submit.

The system will take care of the rest, including sending one reminder after 2 days, if the customer has not responded.

No. There are a couple of reasons your customer may not leave you a Google review.

1. No Google account – a person needs a Google account to leave a review on Google
2. Choose not to participate – some people are too busy or choose not to share their experience on Google

This is why a system is so important, as this is a numbers game. You want to simplify your life and make sending requests easy and effective.

Instantly, or as fast as you can send out a request. Once a review is submitted, it will post in just seconds.

Yes, in fact, I will manage this for you so you do not have to learn a new system.

Perfect — this connects directly to it and enhances what you already have.

By default, here is how 5 Star Engine works:

1. Send customer review request via email
2. Customer clicks link in email and is taken to a customized form for your business
3. Customer completes form and submits
4. Customer is asked if they wish to leave a review on Google or other platforms you’ve included
5. Customer simply clicks link to the other platform and pastes in their review that they typed in step 3
6. Positive reviews are auto-posted to your website

If you wish to target only Google Reviews, for example, and skip collecting reviews from people who do not have a Google account or wish to leave a Google review, the process works like this:

1. Send customer review request via email
2. Customer clicks link in email and is taken to a page with a single button linked to your Google reviews (no form)
3. Customer clicks button and is taken to your Google Business Profile to leave a review
4. Positive reviews are auto-posted to your website

Not a problem. You can set one up now or we offer a service to do it for you. You will be responsible for verifying your business with Google once the account is set up. Verification is required to manage your profile.

Yes. If there is a link to a review form, I can add any 3rd party website for you.

An example would be a dentist / physician who wants to boost their profile on Healthgrades. Once the dentist has a profile active, I can include the link to review on Healthgrades.

In fact, if you choose not to target Google and just want to target Healthgrades, for example, I can set that up for you too.

Yes.

We offer our 5 Star Engine Online Review System to request, monitor, and showcase your customer feedback. This service works perfectly together with the GBP Managment service, and it is recommended you use both together.

Learn more about 5 Star Engine here.

Ranking depends on multiple factors — proximity, relevance, and prominence. Even with perfect optimization, Google will favor businesses physically closer to the searcher.

It can — but there are limits.

Google’s local results are driven mainly by proximity — how close your business is to the person searching or to the location typed into the search. That means your profile will rank most strongly in the city where your business is physically located.

If your business is based in Onalaska, for example, your main goal should be to appear in the top local results for searches like “Service Name Onalaska.” Once you consistently rank well there, you may start showing up in nearby cities if:

• The competition in those areas is lighter

• Your Google Business Profile is fully optimized (categories, reviews, photos, website, etc.)

• Your business location is close enough to those surrounding areas

Adding service areas in your profile helps Google understand where you operate, but it does not guarantee visibility outside your city. The best strategy is to dominate your home city first, then expand reach naturally through strong optimization, reputation, and local relevance.

We would be happy to listen to your situation. We may be able to provide assistance, as Google always has the final say.

This would be an add-on service with additional fees.

No further changes are made on your behalf. and you’ll keep control of your GBP.

We will also remove ourselves as an authorized user of your account.

Yes. You’ll need to complete Google’s business verification process to confirm your ownership.

This involves recording a short video showing your business location and assets, following Google’s verification steps to prove authenticity.

Please note, verification is not included in the standard Google Business Profile Management service but can be provided as an optional add-on in the rare event that you may need verification assistance.

Most businesses see improvements in visibility and engagement within 4–8 weeks, depending on competition and consistency of updates (posts, reviews, photos, etc.).

Absolutely. Many profiles are incomplete or inactive. We clean up, optimize and manage it so it works for you.

No — whether you have a physical shop or provide service in the field, we optimize your profile for your service area.

We will grant a 100% refund for the citation submission service should you change your mind before we submit your data to our 3rd party service. Once your data is submitted, no refunds will be provided, as there is no way to cancel the process once initiated.

Yes. Local citations are still a top ranking factor for local search visibility — and consistency across listings is one of the most trusted signals Google looks for.

Yes, but you can cancel upon any renewal period. It’s a $350 / yearly fee for full submission to the top five leading aggregator networks. Failure to renew can lead to your information being removed or being inaccurate.

Yes. Tools like Siri, Alexa, and ChatGPT pull business info from platforms like Foursquare and Google Business Profile. Getting listed properly improves your chances of showing up in these AI-driven results.

If you do not have a Google Business Profile for your business, make sure to check out our GBP Management Service.

No ongoing work is needed for most. But if your business info changes (address, phone number, etc.), just let us know and we can re-submit your business information so that your data stays accurate across all aggregators.

We submit your business info to five major data aggregators (like Foursquare and Data Axle). They distribute your information to hundreds (or even thousands) of directories, apps, and voice search tools — saving you countless hours.

Backlinks are clickable links from one website to yours. Citations may or may not include a link, but their primary power lies in validating your business’s identity across trusted sources — especially important for local SEO and AI search.

Citations build trust with Google, AI search engines, and customers. They improve your local rankings, increase visibility, and ensure people find the right information about your business — no matter where they search.

A citation is any online mention of your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP). These usually appear in directories like MapQuest, or Apple Maps and help customers — and search engines — verify your legitimacy.