Lake & Anchor — Take your website back.

The Vendor Lock-In Test

Are you stuck with a toxic agency setup?

Five red flags. Check every one you recognize — most directors find they're trapped by at least three.

0 of 5 red flags so far

Bloated, ongoing flat retainers

You're paying $500, $1,000, or more every month for "maintenance" and "hosting." Pull up your last twelve invoices: what did they actually deliver? If the honest answer is "I'm not sure," you're funding their overhead, not your website.

Every small change becomes a big bill

Adjusting a font, swapping a photo, adding one new page — somehow each becomes a multi-hour line item at agency rates. The retainer was supposed to cover this. Instead, you're billed twice: once monthly, again per change.

Locked out of your own site

A staff photo, a corrected typo, a new board member's bio — you can't change any of it yourself. You submit a ticket, wait days or weeks, and pay for it on top of the retainer. Meanwhile your homepage still shows last year's event.

Black-box domain & hosting control

Your domain is registered under their account, not yours. Your hosting is on their server. The day you try to leave, you discover they hold the keys to your digital identity — and the handoff process is expensive, slow, or quietly refused.

Dated design — and possible legal exposure

Your site looks like it was built ten years ago, and nobody can tell you whether it meets WCAG 2.1 AA. With ADA Title II deadlines now codified into federal law, "we'll get to it" isn't a strategy — it's a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Check the boxes that sound familiar.

Calculate your escape timeline →

The Cost Audit

How much is your current vendor costing you?

Most organizations have never actually run this math. One number in, the real cost out — and what you'd save every year.

Your current vendor vs. self-managed with us

What you're paying — and what you'd save

Your current monthly cost

$

Self-managed with us ~$32 i

Your monthly savings $1,168

Annual savings $14,016

Ongoing maintenance savings, after your one-time migration. The full 10-year breakdown comes with your audit.

Send me a customized audit →

A personalized savings analysis paired with a comprehensive WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility risk audit of your website, delivered as a printable PDF.

Rather just talk it through? Book a 30-minute call instead →

Free instant audit · reviewed by a real person

See what's on your site right now.

Enter your website and we'll run a live accessibility, show you what we find, then a real person reviews the rest and sends your full audit — with your personalized savings breakdown — within 2 business days.

What we do

A clean break, a better website, and the keys handed back to you.

Three pieces of work bundled into one project — never separately, never up-charged.

i.

Migration

We move your content, pages, and SEO from your current vendor onto a platform you actually control — one your team can update without a ticket, an invoice, or a wait. No lost rankings. No broken links. No downtime.

ii.

Redesign

You don't just get your old site on a new platform. You get a modern, mobile-first redesign that makes your organization look as serious as it actually is.

iii.

Accessibility

Every site we deliver meets WCAG 2.1 AA standards. For healthcare, education, and government-adjacent organizations, this isn't optional anymore — it's a deadline you can finally close.

New in 2024: The DOJ codified WCAG 2.1 AA as the technical standard under ADA Title II. State and local government entities — and many of the nonprofits that contract with them — must comply by April 26, 2027 (entities serving 50,000+) or April 26, 2028 (smaller entities and special districts).

When we're done, you own the site, you can update it yourself, and your monthly cost drops to roughly the price of a streaming subscription.

Proof

Real organizations. Real numbers.

Our most recent migration.

Lorain County Health & Dentistry · 102 staff

Was paying$1500/month

Migrated in8 weeks

Now paying$23/month

Annual savings$17,724

WCAG 2.1 AA compliant, fully self-managed, redesigned from the ground up.

"With the new website we have been securing numerous new patient requests via the website each month. We have heard through our patient satisfaction surveys that our new website is more user-friendly for patients." Ben Kosewski, Chief Executive Officer, Lorain County Health & Dentistry

Read the full case study →

The process

How a migration actually works.

Most of our clients are surprised by how straightforward this is. Projects typically run six to eight weeks end to end — the exact timeline flexes around how quickly photos, copy, and approvals come together.

01

Week 1

Discovery & audit

We review your current site, identify what's worth keeping, audit your accessibility gaps, and map your content. You get a clear scope and a flat-rate quote — and nothing is billed until you approve it.
02

Weeks 2–3

Design concepts

We generate redesign concepts aligned with your goals, then refine them together until it's right. You see progress weekly.
03

Weeks 4–5

Develop with accessibility in mind

We develop every page by hand and check against WCAG 2.1 AA — alt text, contrast, keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, the works.
04

Week 6

Launch with SEO preservation

We point your domain at the new site and go live. Most launches happen with zero downtime.
05

Week 7

Training & handoff

We train your team on how to update the site, give you written documentation, and you're independent. We are always available for ongoing support if you ever need assistance.

Pricing

Transparent, flat-rate pricing.

No hourly billing surprises. No scope-creep invoices. You'll know the price before we start.

Essential migration

$5,200

Ideal for small, single-location organizations currently running lean sites of fewer than 10 pages.

Complete redesign and site migration
WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility pass
Core structural SEO mapping
Training material specific to your team's needs

Most common

Standard migration

$10,500

Built for established regional organizations or deep content sites up to 30 pages. Simple integrations such as event calendars, donations, contact forms, and newsletter sign-ups.

Everything in Essential
Deep UX discovery & content mapping
Complex multi-tier navigation
30-day post-launch safety window

Complex migration

Custom quote

Engineered for large enterprise environments, complex integrations, or e-commerce.

Custom technical integrations
Legacy digital footprint archaeology
Multi-stakeholder phase management
Bespoke layout modules
Scoped directly after discovery

A note on availability

FAQ

The questions everyone asks.

What if I'm not comfortable maintaining the website myself?

Most of our clients tell us they were nervous about this — and most are surprised by how quickly it clicks. The platform we migrate you to is genuinely intuitive: editing a page feels closer to using a word processor than running a website. We also include hands-on training and written documentation tailored to your team, so you're never left guessing. And you're never on your own. We are always reachable for questions, and if you'd ever prefer to hand a specific update off rather than do it yourself, we are available for ongoing maintenance at our standard hourly rate, with no monthly retainer.

What if we need a new feature down the road?

For bigger additions like a new donation form, event registration, or a custom integration, just send us a note and we'll scope it for you. There's no retainer, no minimum, and no rush to commit. You only pay when you actually need something built.

Will we lose our Google rankings when we move?

No — protecting your SEO is one of the first things we plan for. Before launch, we map every existing URL to its new location, set up proper 301 redirects if necessary, and preserve your page titles and metadata. Most migrations launch with zero measurable ranking impact, and many sites see improved rankings within a few months thanks to faster load times and a fully accessible codebase.

Will our website go down during the migration?

No. We build the entire new site on a staging environment first, test it thoroughly, then point your domain at the new server only once everything is verified. The vast majority of our launches happen with zero downtime — your visitors won't notice a thing except that the site looks better and loads faster.

What if I'm under contract with my current vendor?

Most contracts have an exit window. We help you plan the timing, and in many cases the long-term savings cover any remaining obligations.

What about accessibility lawsuits and the new ADA rule?

WCAG 2.1 AA is the standard courts and the DOJ reference. In 2024, the DOJ finalized a rule under ADA Title II that makes WCAG 2.1 AA mandatory for state and local government entities — and the rule has significant implications for the nonprofits and private organizations that contract with them. Current deadlines: April 26, 2027 for entities serving 50,000 or more people, and April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special districts. Every site we deliver meets the standard, and we document the work so you have evidence of compliance.

Who owns the website, the domain, and the hosting when we're done?

You do — fully and unambiguously. Your domain is registered in your organization's name, your hosting account is in your organization's name, and the website files belong to you. If you ever decided to part ways with us, you'd walk away with everything you need to keep operating. That's the entire point of what we do.

How long does it take?

Most projects run 6–8 weeks from kickoff to launch. The biggest variable is how quickly we get what we need from you — if you're gathering new photography or video, or simply aren't in a rush, it can run a little longer. We'll set a realistic timeline together during discovery.

About us

Why we do this.

Jeff BallingerFounder · Avon Lake, Northeast Ohio · working with organizations nationwide

I started Lake & Anchor after watching too many nonprofits and small organizations get stuck paying agencies thousands a month for websites they couldn't touch, on platforms they didn't own.

I've spent 15 years as a software engineer and have shipped hundreds of websites. Every migration I do hands an organization their website, their data, and their independence back.

— Jeff Ballinger

Get started

Ready to take your website back?

Two ways to start. No pressure either way.

Free · human-reviewed

Get your accessibility risk audit

A real person reviews your site against WCAG 2.1 AA, flags the issues that matter most, and sends back a prioritized list — plus your full savings breakdown — within 2 business days.

Send my audit →

Direct

Book a 30-minute call

No pitch, no pressure. We'll look at your current site together and tell you honestly whether a migration makes sense for you.

Book a call

Say hello

Get in touch.

Questions, a tricky migration, or just want a second opinion on your current setup? Send a note and we'll get back to you.

For local small businesses

Run a business here in town? We've got a plan for that.

Restaurants, shops, clinics, and studios in our area get a dedicated package — simpler, faster, and priced for small businesses.

See local plans →

Take your
[website] back

Are you stuck with a toxic agency setup?

Bloated, ongoing flat retainers

Every small change becomes a big bill

Locked out of your own site

Black-box domain & hosting control

Dated design — and possible legal exposure

How much is your current vendor costing you?

What you're paying — and what you'd save

See what's on your site right now.

Every issue prioritized, plus your savings breakdown — reviewed by a real person.

A clean break, a better website, and the keys handed back to you.

Migration

Redesign

Accessibility

Real organizations. Real numbers.

How a migration actually works.

Discovery & audit

Design concepts

Develop with accessibility in mind

Launch with SEO preservation

Training & handoff

Transparent, flat-rate pricing.

The questions everyone asks.

Why we do this.

Ready to take your website back?

Get your accessibility risk audit

Book a 30-minute call

Get in touch.

Run a business here in town? We've got a plan for that.

Take your [website] back

Are you stuck with a toxic agency setup?

Bloated, ongoing flat retainers

Every small change becomes a big bill

Locked out of your own site

Black-box domain & hosting control

Dated design — and possible legal exposure

How much is your current vendor costing you?

What you're paying — and what you'd save

See what's on your site right now.

Every issue prioritized, plus your savings breakdown — reviewed by a real person.

A clean break, a better website, and the keys handed back to you.

Migration

Redesign

Accessibility

Real organizations. Real numbers.

How a migration actually works.

Discovery & audit

Design concepts

Develop with accessibility in mind

Launch with SEO preservation

Training & handoff

Transparent, flat-rate pricing.

The questions everyone asks.

Why we do this.

Ready to take your website back?

Get your accessibility risk audit

Book a 30-minute call

Get in touch.

Run a business here in town? We've got a plan for that.

Take your
[website] back