Minneapolis
Web Developers.
Custom web development in PHP, JavaScript, React, and WordPress. We're the Minneapolis web developers building from the ground up for speed, search visibility, and real business results across Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the Twin Cities metro. No page builders. No bloated frameworks. Just clean, hand-written code.
$85/hr. Billed weekly. No retainers, no packages.
Verified Proof
We tested 21 Minneapolis web design agencies. We ranked #1.
Our site scored 98 on Lighthouse mobile with a 2.2-second LCP, the fastest in the Minneapolis market. See every agency's actual Lighthouse score, including the 16 that failed Core Web Vitals.
See the 2026 Speed Report →
Code that converts.
Speed that ranks.
Discovery
We learn your business, goals, audience, and competitors before writing a single line of code.
Architecture
URL structure, database schema, API design, and SEO foundations planned before a single pixel ships.
Development
Hand-written code, mobile-first responsive design, and staging site for your review at every milestone.
Testing
Cross-browser testing, Core Web Vitals audit, accessibility checks, and performance benchmarking.
Launch
DNS, SSL, redirects, analytics, schema markup, and Search Console. Every go-live detail handled.
What does custom web development
in Minneapolis look like?
Custom Website Development
Hand-coded websites built to your exact specifications. No pre-built templates, no page builder bloat. Every line of code serves your business goals and loads fast on every device.
API & Backend Development
REST APIs, third-party integrations, CRM connections, payment gateways, and custom backend logic. We wire your website into the tools your business already runs on.
Responsive & Mobile-First
Every site starts on a phone screen and scales up. Over 60% of your visitors are on mobile. We design for them first, not as an afterthought.
Performance Engineering
Sub-2-second load times through CDN configuration, lazy loading, critical CSS inlining, image optimization, and eliminating every render-blocking resource.
Website Migrations
Moving from Wix, Squarespace, or an outdated CMS? We migrate your content, URL structure, and SEO equity to a platform that grows with you, without losing a single ranking.
SEO-First Architecture
Semantic HTML, structured data, server-side rendering, proper heading hierarchy, and crawl-efficient URL structures. SEO is baked into the architecture, not bolted on after launch.
Why choose custom web development in Minneapolis?
Template websites have a ceiling. They load slowly because they ship 300kb of CSS you don't need. They rank poorly because their HTML is a mess of nested divs with no semantic meaning. They break when you try to do anything the template designer didn't anticipate. And they look like every other Minneapolis business site on the internet because they are every other site on the internet.
Custom web development removes those ceilings. When every line of code is written for your specific business, your site loads faster, ranks higher, and converts better than anything a drag-and-drop builder can produce. More importantly, it scales. When your business needs a new feature, a custom codebase accommodates it. A template fights you.
We've been building custom websites in Minneapolis for over 25 years. We've seen the template-to-custom migration cycle play out hundreds of times: a business starts cheap, outgrows it, and rebuilds from scratch. Smart businesses skip the first step and invest in a foundation that lasts.
How does custom development compare to template sites?
Template / Page Builder
- 300kb+ of unused CSS and JavaScript
- 3–6 second load times on mobile
- Generic SEO structure shared by thousands of sites
- Breaks when you need custom functionality
- Locked into one platform's ecosystem
Custom Development
- Only the code your site actually needs
- Sub-2-second loads with 90+ Lighthouse scores
- Semantic HTML and schema built for search engines
- Any feature, any integration, no limitations
- You own every line of code, zero lock-in
Why work with a senior-led studio?
Most Minneapolis web development agencies assign your project to a junior developer you'll never meet. You talk to an account manager who talks to a designer who talks to a developer who bills you for meetings about meetings. By the time anything ships, the budget is half gone and the timeline has doubled. It's a pattern we've watched play out across the Twin Cities for 25 years.
Minneapolis Made works differently. Christopher Merry personally architects the database, writes the frontend code, configures the server, and answers the phone when you call. A small studio team of five supports him on content updates, copy edits, and ongoing site care. There's no junior dev learning on your dime, and there's no single point of failure either. That's the hybrid: senior craft from the principal, with the capacity and continuity of a studio.
That direct line means faster decisions, fewer revisions, and a website that actually reflects what you asked for. After 25 years and 500+ projects for businesses across Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, and beyond, we've refined a process that consistently delivers sites scoring 90+ on Core Web Vitals and ranking within 90 days of launch. Not because we have a magic formula, because we've made every mistake already and built systems to prevent them.
Hiring web developers in Minneapolis?
Most Minneapolis web developers fall into one of three buckets. Freelance generalists who can ship a brochure site but stall on anything that touches an API. Big agencies that staff your project with rotating juniors and bill for meetings. And national shops that ship offshored code through a domestic account manager. None of them give you a senior engineer on the keyboard for the price of a freelancer.
Minneapolis Made is the hybrid. Christopher Merry is a senior full-stack web developer who has been writing code for Twin Cities businesses since the late 1990s. The keyboard, the architecture decisions, the migration plan, the performance audit, the on-call response when something breaks at 11pm: same principal every time. Behind him, a five-person studio handles content updates, deployments, and ongoing site care so projects move at studio pace, not freelancer pace. Billed at $85 per hour, weekly invoices, scope set after a free discovery call.
That model is rare in the Minneapolis web development market and it is the entire reason this page exists. If you want a senior developer's brain on every hour of your project, with a studio behind him for the parts that don't need senior craft, that is what we offer. The same studio also runs Minneapolis web design and SEO, which is why most engagements ship with the design and search work integrated rather than handed off to separate vendors.
Custom web development
or WordPress development?
Both are good answers to different questions. Here's how we route projects between the two so you spend on the right approach instead of the prettier brochure.
Custom web development
Hand-written code from the database up. PHP, JavaScript, React, Tailwind, REST APIs. The right call when content is mostly static, traffic is high, integrations are bespoke, or the UX has to be one of a kind.
- ✓Performance is the differentiator
- ✓You need a bespoke API or data model
- ✓Plugin licensing is a long-term tax
- ✓The page templates are stable
- ✓You have a developer relationship for ongoing work
Examples: this site (custom PHP), the speed report, custom dashboards, marketplaces, internal tools, AI-augmented apps.
WordPress development
Custom WordPress themes and plugins on the WordPress CMS. The right call when content velocity matters, the owner wants to update without a developer, or you need ecommerce via WooCommerce. We build clean WordPress, not bloated WordPress.
- +The owner wants to publish without a developer
- +You're running an ecommerce catalog
- +You want a blog and CMS without rolling your own
- +The team is non-technical
- +You'd rather rent infrastructure than maintain it
Examples: marketing sites with weekly content, WooCommerce stores, multi-author blogs, membership sites. See our WordPress development page ›
Where Minneapolis Made web developers
have shipped code.
Specific track record across the parts of the modern web stack that actually move metrics: integrations, frameworks, performance engineering, migrations, and security.
API integrations
REST API integrations with WordPress, DataForSEO, Cloudflare, Google Search Console, GA4, GTM, SendGrid, SMTP gateways, GitHub Actions, IndexNow, and bespoke client systems. Including the WordPress headless API powering this site's blog, talking to a custom PHP renderer with a 5-minute JSON cache.
PHP & backend
Custom PHP across WordPress core, plugins, MU-plugins, and from-scratch sites. Server-side rendering, caching layers, schema generation, sitemap engines, and contact-form pipelines. PHP 8.x, MySQL, composer, and clean dependency-free routing where it makes sense.
JavaScript & React
React frontends, vanilla JS for performance-sensitive components, and progressive enhancement so the site renders without JS. Tailwind CSS, GSAP for motion, IntersectionObserver, modern CSS layout. We default to as little client-side JS as the experience requires.
Migrations
Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, GoDaddy, Joomla, Drupal, and ancient WordPress installs migrated to modern stacks without losing rankings. Full URL inventory, 301 redirect maps, schema preservation, sitemap resubmission, and 90-day post-launch indexation QA.
Performance engineering
This site benchmarks #1 in the Minneapolis web design speed report against 21 Twin Cities agencies. 2.2-second LCP, 98 Lighthouse mobile, three-layer cache cascade (Cloudflare + LiteSpeed + JSON), CF Polish for image compression, and Web Vitals monitored in production.
Security & hardening
CSP headers, HSTS preload, strict referrer-policy, X-Content-Type-Options, anti-CSRF tokens, parameterized queries, plugin auditing, secret rotation, and WordPress hardening on managed-services accounts. Real WAF rules, not just plugin checkboxes.
Want a deeper read? Core Web Vitals explained walks through the same performance discipline we apply to every project, and the real cost of a slow website covers the dollar math.
Technologies We Work With
Frequently Asked Questions
About Web Development in Minneapolis
Minneapolis Made bills $85 per hour, invoiced weekly. There are no retainers, no packages, no fixed-price bundles. A typical brochure-site rebuild runs 60 to 120 hours, an integration-heavy custom application runs 200 to 500 hours, and a WordPress migration with redirect mapping runs 30 to 80 hours. We scope every engagement after a free discovery call so the hour estimate matches your actual goals and tech stack.
Custom web development means writing the entire codebase from scratch in PHP, JavaScript, React, or another framework. You own every line. WordPress development means building on the WordPress CMS using custom themes, plugins, and integrations so non-technical owners can update content. Custom is the right call for high-traffic apps, bespoke integrations, and bespoke UX. WordPress is the right call when content velocity matters and the owner wants direct control.
Most custom websites launch in 6 to 12 weeks. Simple brochure sites can be faster, while complex applications with API integrations or e-commerce may take 12 to 16 weeks. We'll give you a realistic timeline after scoping your project.
No. While WordPress is our most popular platform, we build on whatever stack fits your project. Static PHP, headless CMS architectures, React frontends, and custom web applications are all in our wheelhouse. We recommend the right tool for the job, not the one we're most comfortable with.
Yes. We map every existing URL, set up 301 redirects, preserve meta data, and resubmit sitemaps to Google Search Console. Our migration process is designed to maintain, and often improve, your organic rankings during the transition.
We offer ongoing managed services including security monitoring, performance optimization, content updates, and technical support. Most clients choose a monthly plan so their site stays fast, secure, and current.
Every site we build is mobile-first responsive. We design for phones first, then scale up to tablets and desktops. Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices, so responsive design isn't optional, it's the starting point.
Hire Minneapolis web developers
who build it right the first time.
Tell us about your project. We'll tell you exactly how we'd build it, how many hours it takes, and when it ships.
$85/hr. Billed weekly. No retainers.
Get a Free Project EstimateOr call (612) 868-9079
Related Reading
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Core Web Vitals Explained: What Minneapolis Business Owners Need to Know
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Website Speed Optimization: The Real Cost of a Slow Website (And How to Fix It)
Each additional second of load time reduces conversions by 4.42% (Portent, 2022). Here is what slow actually costs Minneapolis businesses...
Minneapolis Made
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Service Area
Web development services for businesses across the entire 7-county Twin Cities metro area: Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Washington, Scott, and Carver counties.
Where we work in the Twin Cities
Headquartered on Aldrich Avenue South in Minneapolis. Dedicated landing pages for the suburbs we work in most often.
Also serving Maple Grove, Wayzata, Minnetonka, Eagan, Burnsville, Woodbury, and the broader Twin Cities metro on a project basis.