Your Minneapolis business deserves a site that pulls its weight.
I'm River, a Minneapolis web developer. I design and hand-build fast, custom websites and web apps that turn visitors into customers, for Twin Cities small businesses (and clients anywhere) who are done wrestling with page builders.
What I build
Everything your site needs, nothing it doesn't.
From a single high-converting page to a full web app, every project is built around what actually moves your business, not a theme with your logo dropped on top.
Websites that convert
Custom-designed, responsive sites built to load instantly and guide visitors toward taking action: booking, buying, or getting in touch.
Landing pages that sell
Single-purpose pages for launches and campaigns, with sharp copy hierarchy and clear calls to action engineered to convert clicks into customers.
Web apps & tools
Dashboards, booking systems, and full-stack products built with modern frameworks and code that's easy to extend as you grow.
Redesigns & rebuilds
Turn a slow, dated site into something fast and modern, with better performance and a fresh identity that still feels like you.
Maintenance & support
Updates, fixes, and small features so your site keeps running smoothly long after launch, without you touching a line of code.
SEO & performance
Technical SEO, Core Web Vitals, and accessibility tuning so people find your site, and it loads the instant they arrive.
How it works
From first email to live site, without the runaround.
Four clear steps. You'll always know exactly what's happening and what's next. No jargon, no radio silence.
Discovery
A quick call or email about your goals, audience, and what the site needs to do. This shapes the scope and a fixed quote.
Design
A custom mockup tailored to your brand, never a template. You approve it before a single line of code is written.
Build
Hand-coded, responsive, and fast. You get regular progress updates, not one big reveal at the end.
Launch & support
Deployed, tested across devices, and handed off clean. I stick around for fixes and tweaks after you're live.
Why me
Built like it's my own business, because it is.
I'm River, the developer behind riverbuilds.dev, based right here in Minneapolis. I started this because I got tired of watching local businesses get handed slow, cookie-cutter sites and a big invoice. I'd rather build you something I'd be proud to put my own name on.
I care more about a site that actually works for your business than about padding a portfolio with effects nobody asked for. When you hire me, you get me, start to finish.
River
River · riverbuilds.dev
You talk to the person building it
No account managers, no ticket queues, no telephone game. Direct line to the developer, every step.
Built to last, easy to change
Clean, hand-written code instead of bloated plugins, which means faster load times and a site that's simple to update later.
Clear scope, fixed quotes
We agree on scope and price up front. No surprise line items, no scope creep billed after the fact.
You own everything
Your code, your content, your domain, your accounts. No lock-in, no hostage situations. It's yours.
Good to know
Questions, answered.
Every project is quoted individually because every business needs something different. After a short discovery chat I'll send a fixed quote for the exact scope, so you know the full price before any work starts. No hourly surprises.
Most sites land in the 1 to 3 week range from approved design to launch. Landing pages are faster; larger web apps take longer. You'll get a realistic timeline with your quote, and progress updates throughout.
It helps, but it's not a blocker. If your copy and images aren't finalized, I'll build around placeholders and we'll slot the real content in before launch. I can also point you in the right direction on structure and messaging.
I don't disappear the moment it goes live. You get a clean handoff with everything in your name, and I'm available for fixes, tweaks, and ongoing maintenance whenever you need them.
Yes. I build with maintainability in mind and can wire up a simple content editor for the parts you'll want to change often. For everything else, I'm one email away.
My promise to you
You don't pay until you love it.
Hiring someone you found online is a leap of faith. So I take the risk off your plate: you see a real design first, and you only pay once you're happy to move forward.
No upfront payment
You approve the design before any money changes hands.
Fixed price, in writing
Agreed before we start. No surprise invoices, ever.
Not feeling it? Walk away.
If the first concept misses, I revise it or we part ways, no charge.
Let's build something
Ready for a site that actually works?
Tell me a bit about your project and I'll get back to you within a day or two with next steps and a rough estimate.
Start a project