Aren't the modern local studios already fast and good-looking?

Several are — design is genuinely a strength for the better ones. The gaps we see most are mobile speed (it ranges widely), search visibility (a beautiful site that nobody finds), and transparency (you often can't get a price without a call). Neely publishes pricing, builds SEO in, and measures 90 mobile / 100 desktop.

Why compare against a category instead of naming names?

These are small local peers we respect and share a community with. Comparing the category honestly is more useful than calling out a neighbor — and everything here is based on measured data from real local sites.

Category comparison

Neely Solutions vs a modern local studio

The strongest local boutiques build genuinely modern sites and care about design. Where they tend to fall short is getting found in search, publishing real pricing, and turning the site into a lead-and-operations system rather than a good-looking brochure.

Modern buildDubuque area72mobile

Get a free audit See pricing

At a glance

The short version

Mobile PageSpeed

Neely Solutions

90 / 100

A modern local studio

72 / 100

Pricing

Neely Solutions

Published from $1,200

A modern local studio

Most don't publish prices — you book a call to get a number. A few publish; ranges vary widely.

Build

Neely Solutions

Hand-coded Next.js

A modern local studio

Varies

You own the site

Neely Solutions

Yes — code & content

A modern local studio

Usually — confirm first

Speed, measured

The same test, side by side

Google PageSpeed Insights scores the experience real visitors get. Higher is faster.

Mobile PageSpeed

0–100

Neely Solutions90

A modern local studio72

Desktop PageSpeed

0–100

Neely Solutions100

A modern local studio78

90+ good50–89 needs workunder 50 poor

Across the modern local studios we measured, mobile PageSpeed ranged from the mid-50s to high-80s — good-looking sites, uneven mobile speed. Neely scores 90.

Source: Google PageSpeed Insights (Lighthouse), measured June 2026.

Time to load (mobile)

1.8× slower

Neely Solutions3.3s

A modern local studio6s

Largest Contentful Paint — how long until the main content actually appears on a phone. Visitors leave long before a slow page finishes.

Side by side

Capability for capability

Green is a clear strength; amber flags a gap. We mark their genuine strengths too.

Capability

Neely Solutions

A modern local studio

Build & stack
Hand-coded Next.js, performance-first
Modern (Next.js / Astro / hand-coded) — varies
Build & stack
Neely Solutions
Hand-coded Next.js, performance-first
A modern local studio
Modern (Next.js / Astro / hand-coded) — varies
Mobile PageSpeed
90 mobile · 100 desktop
Ranges ~55–89 mobile (measured)
Mobile PageSpeed
Neely Solutions
90 mobile · 100 desktop
A modern local studio
Ranges ~55–89 mobile (measured)
Pricing
Published packages from $1,200
Usually quote-only
Pricing
Neely Solutions
Published packages from $1,200
A modern local studio
Usually quote-only
Get found (SEO)
Location + industry SEO built in
Often thin / map-pack reliant
Get found (SEO)
Neely Solutions
Location + industry SEO built in
A modern local studio
Often thin / map-pack reliant
Scope
Sites, CMS, Shopify, AI, ops systems
Mostly websites & branding
Scope
Neely Solutions
Sites, CMS, Shopify, AI, ops systems
A modern local studio
Mostly websites & branding
You own the site
You own the code & content
Varies — ask before you sign
You own the site
Neely Solutions
You own the code & content
A modern local studio
Varies — ask before you sign
Who you work with
1:1 with the developer (Nick)
Small team or solo (good access)
Who you work with
Neely Solutions
1:1 with the developer (Nick)
A modern local studio
Small team or solo (good access)

The build, scored

How we stack up, at a glance

Speed is the measured score; the rest is our honest read from the research. The further out, the stronger.

Speed is the measured PageSpeed score; the other axes are our assessment from public research. Detailed, even-handed notes are in the table above.

The honest take

Where each of us fits

Where we win

Published package pricing from $1,200 — no quote-gating to get a number
Location & industry SEO pages built in, so customers actually find you
Fastest in the local set: 90 mobile / 100 desktop
Sites that double as lead-capture and operations systems, plus AI add-ons
You own the code and content outright

Where A modern local studio is strong

Modern, well-designed sites that look current
Local, personable, and responsive
Real portfolios and a clear point of view on design

Choose A modern local studio if: Owners who mainly want a clean, modern-looking site from a local designer and aren't yet focused on search traffic, conversion systems, or transparent scope.

Switching is easy

What moving to us looks like

No lost rankings, no lock-in, no babysitting. Here's the whole move.

Step 1
We map & migrate
We pull your existing content, pages, and assets and set up 301 redirects, so the rankings and links you've already earned carry straight over.
Step 2
We rebuild, you review
A fast, modern build on your content. You review it on a private staging link and we refine it together before anything goes live.
Step 3
Launch in ~3 weeks — you own it
We flip it live with no downtime and hand over the code and content. No builder lock-in, no plugin lease, nothing to babysit.

Common questions