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Services→Umbraco CMS

Umbraco CMS —
built properly.

Umbraco v8 - v17

An Umbraco build gives your team full control over their content — updating pages, publishing news, making changes — without ever touching code. And a platform that grows with your organisation, not against it.

Most small and medium organisations outgrow their first website faster than they expect. What started as a straightforward brochure site becomes a problem the moment someone needs to add a page, update a team member, post news, or launch a new service.

If your current site requires a developer every time something needs changing — that's not a website, it's a liability.

—Your team can't update content without developer help

—The site is slow and nobody knows why

—You're embarrassed to send clients to your website

—You've outgrown a page builder or template site

—You need to launch new pages regularly without bottlenecks

—You're on an old platform that nobody will support for much longer

— Why Umbraco

The right CMS for the long term.

Umbraco is a mature, open-source content management system trusted by over 700,000 websites worldwide, including large organisations and public sector bodies. It's flexible enough to handle complex content structures, and straightforward enough that non-technical teams can use it confidently from day one.

Unlike page builders and hosted platforms, you own the codebase outright. There are no monthly licence fees, no vendor lock-in, and no arbitrary limits on what you can build. It's a platform you can grow into, not one you'll grow out of.

Open source · no licence fees

700,000+ websites worldwide

Owned outright — no vendor lock-in

WordPress powers a third of the internet for good reason — but it's also the most-targeted CMS for security vulnerabilities, and its plugin ecosystem can become a maintenance burden over time. For organisations that need something more structured, more secure, and better suited to custom development, Umbraco is the stronger choice.

— What's included

Everything you need, nothing you don't.

Every Umbraco project is scoped individually — but this is what a typical engagement covers.

DISCOVERY

Scoping & requirements

We define the content structure, user journeys, and technical requirements before a line of code is written.

DESIGN

Custom design, not templates

A site designed for your brand and your audience. Delivered in Figma before build begins.

BUILD

Umbraco CMS setup & configuration

Everything set up so your team can start managing content from day one — pages, blocks, images, and workflows all configured.

FRONT-END

Performant, accessible front-end

Fast, responsive, and accessible on every device — as a baseline, not an afterthought.

CONTENT

Content migration & population

Existing content moved across cleanly. Your team doesn't start from a blank slate.

TRAINING

Editorial team training

A walkthrough session so your team can manage content confidently from day one.

LAUNCH

Deployment & go-live

Hosted on Umbraco Cloud or your preferred infrastructure. Full deployment handled.

HANDOVER

Documentation & credentials

You get everything: codebase, credentials, and a plain-English guide to managing your site.

SUPPORT

30 days post-launch support

Bugs fixed, questions answered, adjustments made — included as standard for the first month.

A clear process,
no surprises.

— How it works

01

Discovery

We talk through your goals, your audience, and your content needs. I'll ask questions about your team's workflows, your existing site (if any), and what success looks like twelve months after launch.

02

Proposal & Scope

You receive a clear written proposal: what's included, what's excluded, timeline, and the fixed project cost. No surprises, no scope creep if we've defined it upfront.

03

Design & Build

Design is signed off in Figma first. Once approved, the Umbraco build begins — I'll share progress at agreed milestones and you'll have access to a staging environment throughout.

04

Launch & Handover

We test thoroughly, migrate your content, and go live. I'll run a training session with your team, hand over everything, and remain available for 30 days post-launch.

— Best for

Is this the right fit?

An Umbraco build makes most sense for organisations where content management is an ongoing need — not a one-off task.

A good fit if...

—You have a team who will manage content regularly

—You need custom content types (events, case studies, team members, etc.)

—Your site will grow significantly over the next 2–3 years

—You need a CMS that can integrate with other systems (CRM, email, etc.)

—You want to own your platform outright with no vendor dependency

Might not be the right choice if...

—You're a sole trader who won't touch the site once it's live

—Your budget is under £5,000

—You need a site live in under four weeks

—You have a very small, stable site that won't change often

A Next.js build might suit you better →

— FAQ

Common questions.

Umbraco is an open-source content management system built on Microsoft's .NET framework. It powers over 700,000 websites — from small business sites to large public sector and enterprise platforms. Unlike WordPress, it's built on a strongly-typed, compiled language, which makes it more structured, more secure, and better suited to custom development.

Both are legitimate choices depending on the project. WordPress has a larger plugin ecosystem and is faster to set up for simple sites. Umbraco gives you a cleaner, more structured content model, a better developer experience for custom builds, and a significantly better security track record. For organisations that need something built to spec rather than assembled from plugins, Umbraco is usually the stronger choice.

A typical project runs eight to fourteen weeks from kick-off to launch. Discovery and design take three to four weeks; the build itself four to six weeks; testing, content migration, and launch one to two weeks. Timeline depends on scope, content volume, and how quickly feedback and sign-offs come through on your side.

No. The Umbraco back office (the admin interface) is designed to be used by non-technical content editors. After the handover training session, your team should be able to add pages, update content, manage media, and publish news without any developer help.

Yes — completely. You'll have the full codebase, all credentials, and no dependency on me to keep the site running. There are no licence fees for Umbraco itself. Hosting costs depend on the infrastructure chosen, but I'll advise on the most cost-effective option for your needs.

In most cases, yes. Umbraco has a well-documented API and integrates cleanly with common third-party tools — CRM systems, email marketing platforms, analytics, payment gateways, and more. Integration scope is discussed and scoped during the discovery phase.

If you'd like continued support beyond the first month, I offer a monthly retainer covering updates, fixes, and peace of mind. Alternatively, because you own the codebase outright, you can bring in any Umbraco developer to work on it in the future.

Projects are scoped and priced individually based on complexity, number of content types, integrations, and design requirements. I don't publish fixed prices because two Umbraco projects are rarely the same — but I'm always transparent upfront. Get in touch with a brief outline of your project and I'll come back with an honest indication quickly.

Get in touch

Ready to talk about
your Umbraco project?

Send me a brief outline of what you're looking to build and I'll come back to you within one working day.

hello@buildnl.co.uk