Custom vs Template
From Brief to Launch: How We Build
A look inside the Mismi process, from first call to live site, so you know exactly what you are buying and how fast it moves.
A Mismi build runs in clear phases: discovery and fixed scope, content and visual capture, design, engineering with AI integrations, discoverability, then launch and handover, typically 2 to 8 weeks. You know the price before we start, you own the result, and you know exactly what is expected of you at each step. No hourly surprises, no black box.
- Typical timeline
- 2–8 weeks
- Pricing
- Fixed, upfront
- Your input
- Brief + sign-offs
- You own it
- Yes
Custom work makes people nervous for one reason: they cannot see what they are buying until it arrives. So here is the whole process, laid out. Knowing the steps is also how you judge any studio, ours included. A clear process is the difference between a confident build and an expensive guessing game.
The phases
- Discovery & scope: A short, focused conversation about your business, your buyer and the one job the site must do. We turn it into a written scope and a fixed price, so you approve the number before anything is built.
- Content & capture: We sort the words and the visuals: messaging, structure, and any photography or drone we are shooting. This is where real assets get made, on site where it counts.
- Design: We design the actual pages around your brand and your buyer's decisions, not a template. You review and sign off before a line of build code is written.
- Build & AI: We engineer the site to web, ISO and Apple standards, and wire in any AI: an on-brand assistant, automations, or integrations with your tools.
- Discoverability: SEO and AI discoverability are built in, not bolted on, so you are visible on Google and citable by ChatGPT and Perplexity from day one. See generative engine optimization.
- Launch & handover: We go live, check everything, and hand over a site you own, with what you need to run it. We are there after launch, not gone.
What we need from you
| Phase | Typical time | Your role |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery & scope | 2–4 days | One call + a short brief |
| Content & capture | 1–2 weeks | Input + a shoot day if needed |
| Design | 1–2 weeks | Review and sign-off |
| Build & AI | 1–3 weeks | Answer questions, provide access |
| Discoverability | Within build | Approve target keywords |
| Launch & handover | A few days | Final sign-off |
How AI speeds it up without cheapening it
We use the best language models to move fast on the engineering and content scaffolding, the work that used to eat weeks. That speed is then spent where it matters: original photography, drone and a design built around your specific buyer. The result is the pace of AI with a site that could not have been generated by anyone else. That combination, fast and unmistakably yours, is the whole point of how we work, and we explain the economics in what a custom AI solution costs.
Working with a London or Brighton business
Being able to come to you matters. For local businesses we run the discovery in person where it helps and shoot on site, your space, your team, your location, so the finished site is genuinely about you. Wherever you are in the UK, the intro call is free and the scope is fixed before you commit.
See exactly how your build would run.
Book a free intro call. We will walk you through the process for your specific project and send a fixed scope and price, with no obligation.
Book a free intro callFrequently asked questions
How long does a custom website take to build?
Most custom builds take 2 to 8 weeks, depending on size, how much content and photography is involved, and the depth of any AI integrations. We agree the timeline alongside the fixed price at the scope stage.
Will I know the price before you start?
Yes. After a short discovery conversation we write a scope and quote a fixed price against it, which you approve before any work begins. Changes are priced transparently, so there are no hourly surprises.
Do I own the website at the end?
Yes. Unlike a website builder where your site lives inside someone else's product, a custom build is yours to own, host and control, and we hand over what you need to run it.
What do you need from me during the build?
Mainly a short brief at the start, your input on content, a shoot day if we are capturing visuals, and timely sign-offs at the design and launch stages. We keep the asks focused so the project stays on schedule.
About the author
Mat Mora, MSc · Founder & AI Specialist, Mismi
Mat Mora is an AI specialist and the founder of Mismi, where he designs and ships custom AI solutions for businesses, from internal assistants to bespoke, AI-powered websites. He holds an MSc from the University of Sussex and AI credentials including Anthropic's AI Fluency Framework & Foundations, DeepLearning.AI and OpenAI prompt engineering. He builds and ships production AI products, including the Diving Standard app, and works with companies across London, Brighton and the UK.