Ted Baern

CS Student · Carnegie Mellon University · Web Design for Local Business

Websites built to the highest standard.

I'm a Computer Science student at Carnegie Mellon, the #1 CS and AI school in the world. I build fast, efficient websites for small businesses that deserve better than a template.

Start a Project How I work
Engineered from scratch ✦ CMU Computer Science ✦ Performance-obsessed ✦ Mobile-first ✦ 99 Lighthouse score ✦ No templates. No bloat. ✦ Fast delivery ✦ Local business specialist ✦ Engineered from scratch ✦ CMU Computer Science ✦ Performance-obsessed ✦ Mobile-first ✦ 99 Lighthouse score ✦ No templates. No bloat. ✦ Fast delivery ✦ Local business specialist ✦

The Approach

Built different.
By design.

Drag to explore 
<section class="hero">
  <h1>Built right.</h1>
</section>

const score = 99;
function ship(site) {
  return optimize(site);
}
01

Code Quality

Engineered from scratch.

No WordPress. No Wix. No drag-and-drop builders. Every line of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is written from scratch, the way computer science teaches you to build things that actually work.

99
02

Performance

Obsessed with speed.

A one-second delay in page load reduces conversions by 7%. I target 99/100 Lighthouse scores on every build because for your business, good "enough" doesn't exist.

03

AI-Powered

The frontier, applied.

Studying at the #1 AI school in the world means I'm not just using AI tools, but I understand how they work. That translates into smarter copy, better SEO, and faster builds for you.

04

Local SEO

Built to get found.

Structured data, Google Business integration, fast-loading pages, and location-specific copy, the technical foundations that get small businesses ranking in their neighborhoods.

05

Direct Access

You talk to the builder.

No account managers. No handoffs. No agency markups. You get my direct line, my full attention, and a site that reflects exactly what we discussed, not what someone else interpreted.

What I Do

Every service.
Engineered to perform.

01

Website Design & Build

A fully custom, purpose-built site designed around your brand, your customers, and your goals. No templates. No bloat. Just something that works.

Custom Design Mobile-first Fast delivery
02

Local SEO

Your site optimized to rank in your city. Structured data, Google Business integration, location pages, and site speed all handled for you.

Google Maps Schema Markup Core Web Vitals
03

Booking & E-commerce

Appointment systems, online stores, and payment flows built right into your site — so you make money while you sleep.

Stripe Calendly / Cal.com Shopify
04

Maintenance & Growth

Monthly retainers for businesses that want ongoing updates, analytics reviews, landing page tests, and a developer always on call.

Analytics A/B Testing Priority Support

Ready to build
something real?

First conversation is always free — no pitch, just a genuine talk about what you need.

Get in Touch See Pricing

Pricing

Transparent pricing.
No surprises.

Every project is scoped to what you actually need. These packages cover the most common starting points. Not sure which fits? Let's talk.

Starter

$1,599

one-time · delivered in ~1 week

  • Up to 4 pages
  • Custom design (no templates)
  • Mobile-responsive
  • Contact form
  • Google Analytics setup
  • Submitted to Google Search
  • Local SEO optimization
  • Booking / e-commerce
  • Monthly maintenance
Get Started
BEST VALUE

Growth

$1,999

one-time · delivered in ~2 weeks

  • Up to 8 pages
  • Custom design (no templates)
  • Mobile-responsive
  • Contact form
  • Google Analytics setup
  • Submitted to Google Search
  • Local SEO optimization
  • Google Business integration
  • Booking / e-commerce
  • Monthly maintenance
Get Started

Pro

$2,799

one-time · delivered in ~3 weeks

  • Unlimited pages
  • Custom design (no templates)
  • Mobile-responsive
  • Contact form
  • Google Analytics setup
  • Submitted to Google Search
  • Full local SEO optimization
  • Google Business integration
  • Booking or e-commerce
  • 1 month free maintenance
Get Started

All packages include a free discovery call, two rounds of revisions, and a handoff walkthrough.
Need something that doesn't fit neatly? Custom quotes available.

Add-ons

Build exactly what you need.

These can be added to any package.

+$299

Booking System

Cal.com or Calendly integration with custom styling matched to your site.

+$199/mo

Maintenance Retainer

Monthly content updates, analytics reports, and a developer on call.

+$399

E-commerce Setup

Shopify or Stripe integration with product pages and a checkout flow.

+$149

Logo & Brand Kit

A wordmark logo, color palette, and type system delivered as usable files.

+$249

Extra Revision Round

An additional full round of design revisions beyond what's included in your package.

+$199

Speed Audit

Full Lighthouse audit with a written report and fixes implemented until the score is 95+.

FAQ

Questions,
answered honestly.

Can't find what you're looking for? Just ask me directly.

You can — but Wix builds your site on top of its own bloated framework, which means slower load times, lower Google rankings, and a $200+/year bill that never ends. You're also limited to their templates and locked into their platform forever. A site engineered from scratch loads in a fraction of the time, ranks higher, costs nothing to host, and is yours to keep. And the hours you'd spend wrestling with a drag-and-drop builder are hours away from actually running your business — I handle all of it, and the result looks like it cost far more than it did.
No. Every site I build is engineered from scratch in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (or a framework like Next.js for more complex projects). This means no monthly platform fees, no plugin conflicts, no bloat slowing your site down. You own the code outright.
Starter sites typically launch in about a week. Growth packages take around two weeks. Pro projects and custom builds usually run three to four weeks. Timelines depend on how quickly you can provide content (text, photos, etc.) and feedback during revisions.
Yes. For clients who want to manage their own content, I can build on a headless CMS (like Sanity or Contentful) that gives you a simple dashboard — no code required. Otherwise, I can handle updates for you via a maintenance retainer.
Fair question. Every site I ship comes with a 30-day bug fix guarantee — if anything breaks within 30 days of launch, I fix it for free, fast. For ongoing peace of mind, my maintenance retainer keeps me available on an ongoing basis. Being a student also means I'm not juggling 40 client accounts; you get my full attention.
To kick things off, I need a sense of what your business does, who your customers are, and any examples of sites you like or dislike. Content (your logo, photos, written copy) comes later — I'll walk you through exactly what's needed after our first call.
I collect 50% upfront to reserve your spot and begin the project, and the remaining 50% on launch day. Payment is via bank transfer, Venmo, or Stripe. No payment is due until after our free discovery call and you've decided to move forward.
I deploy sites to Vercel (for Next.js projects) or Netlify, both of which have excellent free tiers that cover most small business needs. I'll set everything up and transfer ownership to you at launch. If you already have hosting, I can deploy there instead.
Absolutely. Redesigns follow the same process as new builds — we start from your goals and your customers, not from what's already there. If you have content you want to keep, I'll migrate it. Pricing is the same as a new build since the work involved is similar.

About Ted

Trained at the top.
Working for you.

I'm Ted Baern, a Computer Science student at Carnegie Mellon University — consistently ranked #1 in the world for both Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence.

I started building websites because I kept seeing the same thing: small businesses with real value to offer, stuck with generic templates or overpriced agencies that didn't understand what they actually needed. I can do better, and I can do it for a fraction of what agencies charge.

At CMU, I study algorithms, systems design, and software engineering at the deepest level. That rigor doesn't stay in the classroom — it's in every site I build. Lean code, fast load times, clean architecture. The technical standard you'd expect from someone who actually knows how the web works.

I work with a small number of clients at a time, by design. You won't be handed off to a junior or lost in a queue. When you hire me, you get me.

Currently studying at Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science · Pittsburgh, PA
#1 Computer Science #1 Artificial Intelligence

Performance is non-negotiable.

I won't ship a site with a Lighthouse score below 90. Speed isn't a feature — it's the foundation. A slow site loses customers before they read a single word.

No templates. Ever.

Every site is designed from a blank canvas around your specific business, audience, and goals. The design should be unmistakably yours — not a theme someone else already bought.

You deserve to understand what you're paying for.

I explain every decision in plain language. No jargon used to justify billing hours. If I'm doing something, you'll know why — and if you disagree, we'll talk about it.

Small businesses deserve serious engineering.

The corner restaurant and the local law firm shouldn't have to settle for worse technology than a Fortune 500 company. The tools are the same — what matters is who's wielding them.

HELLO

Get in Touch

Let's build
something
great.

Tell me about your business and what you're trying to accomplish. First conversation is always free — no sales pitch, just a real talk about what you need.

✉

Email

theobaern@gmail.com
📅

Book a Call

Free 30-min discovery call
in

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/tedbaern