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Forerunner Sites

Get found. Get chosen.

Forerunner Sites designs and builds fast, strategic websites for Austin restaurants, service businesses, and growing brands ready to move beyond average—because your next customer is already deciding online.

Start a ProjectView Our Work
manuels.com
Manuel's homepage on desktop: the Manuel's wordmark over a plated shrimp dish on a dark, warm background

Manuel'sRestaurant & hospitality

trzdetail.com
TRZ Shine & Detail homepage on desktop: 'Your car deserves the best' headline beside a detailed black Rolls-Royce

TRZ Shine & DetailAutomotive detailing

cleanzatx.com
CleanZ ATX homepage on desktop: 'Streak-Free Windows. Every Time.' headline beside a photo of the crew cleaning a modern home

CleanZ ATXExterior cleaning services

The studio

Lawson Bickerstaff, Designer & developer at Forerunner Sites
Lawson BickerstaffDesigner & developer

Hi, I'm Lawson. I run Forerunner Sites out of Austin, and I manage the strategy, design, development, and performance of your website with precision.

I grew up in Austin and spent most of my working life inside the kinds of businesses I now build websites for: a restaurant, car detailing, a country club retail floor, a desk where the whole job was explaining complicated things in plain English. I know what a Saturday rush looks like, and what it costs when a customer can't find a menu, a price, or a way to book.

I make it an absolute priority to be responsive and work with my clients to ensure a strong product and effective results. Send me an inquiry and let's get started.

More about the studio
manuels.com

Manuel'sAustin, TX

Restaurant & hospitality

Manuel's

The challenge
Four decades of interior Mexican cooking and a content-heavy site to match: menus, brunch, happy hour, private dining, reservations, and online ordering.
The build
A structured, mobile-first site that puts menus and reservations one tap away and lets the food carry the design.
  • Site architecture
  • UX & content structure
  • Custom design
  • Responsive development
Read the case studymanuels.com
trzdetail.com
The same Porsche 911 after detailing, paint corrected to a mirror finish
A Porsche 911 before detailing, paint dull and marked
BeforeAfter
Porsche 911 — exterior detail

TRZ Shine & DetailWest Austin, TX

Automotive detailing

TRZ Shine & Detail

The challenge
An owner-operated detailer trusted with Rolls-Royces and Bentleys — with a word-of-mouth reputation that had outrun his web presence.
The build
A warm, confident site with transparent pricing and a booking path short enough to finish from a driveway.
  • Brand-led design
  • UX & content structure
  • Responsive development
  • Pricing presentation
Read the case studytrzdetail.com
cleanzatx.com
The full CleanZ ATX homepage, from the hero through services, pricing, and reviews

CleanZ ATXLakeway & West Austin, TX

Exterior cleaning services

CleanZ ATX

The challenge
In-home services live or die on trust. CleanZ needed proof, pricing, and scheduling in one place — without making homeowners pick up the phone.
The build
A conversion-focused site with itemized pricing, real reviews, and a fast quote flow built for phones.
  • UX & content structure
  • Custom design
  • Responsive development
  • Conversion-path design
Read the case studycleanzatx.com
See all work

Services

Everything a working website needs.

Strategy through launch and beyond, handled by one person who's accountable for all of it.

About each service

  • Website strategy

    Every build starts with how your customers decide, not with a template.

  • UX & content structure

    Pages organized around the questions people actually arrive with.

  • Custom web design

    A visual identity that matches how good your work already is.

  • Responsive development

    Hand-built, fast, and dependable on every screen size.

  • Local SEO foundations

    Structure, metadata, and schema so Austin can find you.

  • Performance optimization

    Pages that load before your customer loses interest.

  • Analytics & conversion tracking

    Know which pages earn calls, quotes, and bookings.

  • Website redesigns

    Keep what works, rebuild what's costing you customers.

  • Ongoing support

    Updates, fixes, and improvements after launch — from the person who built it.

Process

Five steps, no mystery.

You'll always know where the project stands, what's next, and what's needed from you.

  1. 01

    Discover

    We talk about your business, your customers, and what the site has to accomplish. No jargon, no forty-page questionnaire.

  2. 02

    Define

    I write up a sitemap, a page plan, and a scope. You will know exactly what I am building, why, and what it costs before I start.

  3. 03

    Design

    I work the look and feel out in the open. You review real pages, not abstract mood boards, and your feedback changes them.

  4. 04

    Build

    I hand-code every page. You get a live preview link in the first week and watch the site come together.

  5. 05

    Launch

    I handle the domain, analytics, and search setup, then walk you through all of it. You launch understanding your own site.

I'm Lawson, and I handle all five steps myself. You have my email and my phone from the first conversation to launch day — no account manager relaying your notes to someone you have never met.

Pricing

Clear packages, honest scope.

Three ways to work together, each priced as a one-time project. Most established businesses land on Growth.

Compare in detail

Launch

$500one-time

A new business that needs a credible online presence quickly.

  • One-page website
  • Professionally arranged semi-custom design system
  • Up to five primary sections
  • Mobile-responsive development
  • Contact or lead form
  • Social links
  • Everything included

Timeline: 5–7 business days

Choose Launch

Most popular

Growth

$1,500one-time

An established local business that needs a complete, conversion-focused website.

  • Up to five core pages
  • Customized visual direction
  • Strategic sitemap & page structure
  • Responsive design & development
  • Conversion-focused page layouts
  • Contact, quote, reservation, or booking integration
  • Everything included

Timeline: 2–3 weeks

Choose Growth

Custom

$3,000+starting at

A business that needs a distinct brand experience, advanced functionality, or a larger content structure.

  • Discovery & strategy session
  • Custom scope & sitemap
  • Fully custom visual design
  • Custom page templates
  • Advanced UX & conversion planning
  • Scalable responsive development
  • Everything included

Timeline: 4–6+ weeks, depending on scope

Request a Custom Proposal

Why Forerunner

What you get that an agency won't give you.

  • You work with me

    Lawson, start to finish. Ask a question and it goes to the person who wrote the code, not a middleman.

  • Built for you specifically

    I design around your customers and your goals. Nothing here comes off a theme marketplace shelf.

  • Mobile-first execution

    Most of your visitors are on a phone. The site is built for them first, not adapted later.

  • Fast performance

    Speed is a feature: better rankings, fewer abandoned visits, more completed inquiries.

  • Transparent scope

    You get pricing and deliverables in writing before I start. I have never sent a surprise invoice and I do not intend to.

  • Business-focused decisions

    Every page has a job — earn the call, the booking, or the order — and is judged against it.

  • No agency overhead

    There is no org chart to pay for here. No layers, no hand-offs, no retainer you did not ask for.

Start a project

Your next customer is already looking. Make sure they choose you.

Tell me about your business and what the website needs to do. You'll get a straight answer on scope, timeline, and price — usually within one business day.

Start a Projector email lawbick@gmail.com