Frequently asked questions
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General
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How much does a website cost?
- Websites start at $5,000 for Foundation (up to 7 pages), $15,000 for Growth, and $30,000 for Premium. The calculator on the Websites page prices your exact scope, from a few extra pages to a full custom build.
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Do you only work with accounting firms?
- We work exclusively with accounting and financial services firms. That includes: CPA firms, CAS practices, RIAs, trust management firms, financial planning firms, and similar.
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What's the AI Readiness Audit?
- A $7,500 audit of how your firm shows up in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, and Google AI Overviews. Scores your firm across five areas (AI search visibility, accuracy, off-site authority, SEO foundations, and content strategy), benchmarked against two competitors. The fee credits toward an SEO or AI Search retainer you start with us in 90 days.
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How long does a website project take?
- Foundation sites ship in 3 weeks from when content is received. Growth runs about 8 weeks and Premium about 12. The timeline updates as you scope your build in the calculator.
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Do you write blog posts for our firm?
- Every retainer includes 4 content outlines a month. The outlines are yours to write or hand to your writer, and 100% human-written blog posts are available as an add-on at $1,000 each.
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What does onboarding look like?
- Within the first week, we will run a kickoff call, gather required content, and provide you with a clear production timeline. You know what's happening, when, and what we need from you. No surprises after the contract is signed.
Choosing the right service
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Where should we start?
- Most firms start with the AI Readiness Audit ($7,500). It scores your firm across AI search and the SEO that feeds it, benchmarks you against two competitors, and ends with a prioritized fix list and an editorial roadmap. The audit fee credits toward an SEO or AI Search retainer you start with us within 90 days.
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Do I need an audit before working with you?
- No. Audits are the recommended starting points, but they're not gates. If you already know your website needs a rebuild or your SEO needs help, you can start there.
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Can I work with you without rebuilding my website?
- Yes. The SEO & AI Search retainer and Hosting & Maintenance both work on existing sites. We flag any technical limitations of your current site that affect results, but we don't push a rebuild unless one is genuinely necessary.
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How do I choose between the website tiers?
- Foundation ($5,000) fits firms that need the essentials done well and fast, up to 7 pages. Growth ($15,000) covers firms with multiple service lines and integration needs, and Premium ($30,000) handles multi-office firms with complex architecture. Firm size is the typical guide; scope is what actually determines the fit, and the calculator on the Websites page prices your exact build.
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How do I choose between the SEO & AI Search retainers?
- The SEO Retainer ($1,800/mo) is the on-site foundation: technical SEO, crawlability, and on-page work. SEO + AI Search ($3,000/mo) adds the visibility and accuracy layer on top, so your firm gets ranked in Google and cited correctly in AI search, run as one integrated effort with one unified report. Most firms choose SEO + AI Search. Both retainers include 4 content outlines a month.
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Do I have to use your hosting?
- No, but we recommend it. For sites we build, hosting with us lets us guarantee performance, security, and uptime. For SEO retainers on existing sites, it's optional.
Websites
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How do I know which tier is right?
- Scope is the filter, not firm size. Need the essentials done well and fast, go with Foundation. Multiple service lines and basic integrations, go with Growth. Multi-office or complex architecture, go with Premium. The calculator will point you to the right starting point, and we can confirm it on a call.
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What if my scope is between tiers?
- That's what the calculator is for. Start from the closest tier and add what you need. If your additions add up to near the next tier, we'll tell you, since a tier often includes that work for less than adding it piece by piece.
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Can I add pages to Foundation?
- Foundation includes up to 7 pages. If you need more, the calculator prices each additional page as an add-on, so you can stay on Foundation and pay only for the extra pages you need. We're clear about where the boundary is.
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Do you write our content?
- You can provide it, we can write it, or a mix. When we write it, it's conversion copy structured for AI search, priced per page. When you provide it, we give you outlines and structure to work from.
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What if we need an integration that isn't listed?
- Standard integrations are in the calculator. Anything bespoke, like a custom API or a client portal, we price together on a consult, and the calculator flags it.
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Who owns the site after launch?
- You do. The WordPress site, the design files, the content, and the code are yours. Hosting and Maintenance is offered separately, but you can host anywhere and edit however you choose.
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What if we only want to update part of our existing site?
- These tiers are complete builds. For ongoing changes to an existing site, the Hosting and Maintenance Unlimited tier handles that without a full rebuild. Worth a call to figure out which fits.
SEO & AI Search
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Can I get AI Search on its own?
- No. AI search sits on top of an SEO foundation, because AI systems overwhelmingly pull from pages that already rank. Running the layer without that foundation underneath it does not hold up, so AI Search comes as part of SEO + AI Search. Start with the SEO Retainer and add the layer when you are ready.
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Do you write blog posts for our firm?
- Every retainer includes 4 content outlines a month. The outlines are yours to write or hand to your writer. We also offer 100% human-written blog posts as an add-on option for your retainer.
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Do you guarantee rankings or AI citations?
- No, and be careful with anyone who does. We guarantee the work: the technical fixes, the content, the outreach, the monitoring. Rankings and citations are earned, not promised.
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What do you report on?
- SEO reporting comes from Search Console, GA4, Microsoft Clarity, and a few other tools. Our AI Search reporting adds prompt monitoring across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, and Google AI Overviews, citation and mention tracking, accuracy findings, and Microsoft's first-party Copilot citation data. Additional LLM tracking is available as an add-on.
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Can I start with an audit first?
- Yes. The AI Readiness Audit shows exactly where you stand, and the fee credits toward an SEO or AI Search retainer you start with us in the next 90 days.
AI Readiness Audit
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AI already mentions our firm. Do we still need this?
- Being mentioned is not being recommended. Whether AI retrieves your firm, cites it, or recommends it changes from one query to the next. The audit shows where you stand on the queries that matter and what moves you up.
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Is this a website performance or accessibility audit?
- No. Page speed and accessibility are not scored areas. This is about whether AI and search recommend your firm, and whether they get the facts right.
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We already do SEO. What is different?
- SEO is the foundation, not the whole picture. The audit benchmarks your SEO and adds the AI search layer most firms have not touched yet.
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Who runs the audit?
- A senior practitioner at Starling runs the audit and walks you through it. No junior handoff, no outsourced production.
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How long does the credit last?
- 90 days from delivery. After that the credit expires. The report and the plan are yours either way.
Hosting & Maintenance
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Do I have to host with you to use your other services?
- No. The SEO & AI Search retainer and the audit work on sites hosted anywhere. Hosting with us is most common for sites we built and for firms that want the technical foundation and the search work aligned.
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What if our site isn't on WordPress?
- We host WordPress and custom builds after a technical review. If you're on Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, or Drupal, we'd handle that as a Website project to move you to WordPress first.
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What happens if I cancel?
- You take the site with you. We export a full backup, hand over admin access or transfer to your new host, and migrate DNS when you're ready. Hosting is month-to-month, and we require 30 days' notice to cancel.
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What counts as one update?
- A single discrete change within the update scope. Editing a headline is one. Swapping a hero image is one. A new page built from your existing blocks is one. Large batches get scoped as a project. If a request feels like a project, we tell you before it starts.
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What if a request crosses into project scope?
- We tell you, and we scope it with a clear price before any work starts. We don't quietly do project-scope work.
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How fast do you respond?
- Turnaround runs 3 to 5 business days on Core, 2 to 3 on Managed, and 1 to 2 for most requests on Unlimited. Smaller changes are often faster. Larger requests get a clear timeline before work starts.
Working with Starling
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How do I know if you can actually help my firm?
- That's what the call is for. We'll ask about your goals, your current state, and what you've tried that hasn't worked. By the end, you'll have an honest read on whether we're the right partner. If we're not, we'll say so and point you toward what might fit better.
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What's the first call actually for?
- It's a conversation, not a presentation. We want to understand your firm, where you're stuck, and what good would look like. We listen, ask follow-ups, and share what we're seeing across firms in your industry. No deck, no script, no pressure to commit to anything.
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How long is the call?
- 30 minutes is the default. That's enough time to talk through your firm without taking your whole afternoon. If the conversation has more to dig into, we'll schedule a follow-up rather than rushing through it.
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Will you try to sell me something on the call?
- No. If it feels like a fit by the end of the call, we'll talk about what working together could look like. If it doesn't feel like a fit, we'll tell you. Either way you leave with useful direction, not a high-pressure pitch.
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Is this a consultation where you tell me what to do?
- Partly. We'll share thoughts based on what you tell us and what we've seen across the industry. But the call's main purpose is figuring out whether we'd work well together, not solving your problems on the spot. If you want a deeper diagnostic, the AI Readiness Audit is the right next step.
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What if I'm not sure what I need yet?
- That's the most common case. Most firms know something isn't working but aren't sure what to fix first. Part of the call is helping you sort out where the real gap is.
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Do I need to prepare anything?
- No. Show up, and we'll guide the conversation. If you want to jot down a few things that have been on your mind, that helps, but it's not required.
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What if I'm just shopping around?
- Totally fine. You should talk to a few firms before deciding. Just be honest with us about where you are in the process so we can have the right kind of conversation. We know we're not the right fit for everyone, and that's part of how we want to work.
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