Prepared by Nodal AI, Business Intelligence

Gladstone Morgan

Digital Front Door, Brief & Response

A brief and phased quotation for the Gladstone Morgan website refresh, prepared for James Chen, Head of Growth (CC Sarah Liu, Digital Director), September 2026.

Prepared by Nodal AI, Business Intelligence

01 · The Brief

What We Heard

The context

The brand agency's scope covers the visual refresh concept and Figma designs for the new pages. Their scope ends at design, they are not responsible for the website build, technical implementation, hosting, optimisation, SEO, or ongoing support. There is currently no dedicated development budget approved, so this document is built to be taken internally, with value demonstrated at every phase.

The opportunity, as framed by Gladstone Morgan

Option 1

Digital Front Door & Technical Build

Implementation of the new brand designs
Technical development and deployment
Quality assurance and testing
Hosting and website health review
Performance, security, and maintenance recommendations

Option 2

Front Door + Website Optimisation (in addition to Option 1)

Review of site architecture and navigation
Content and user experience recommendations
SEO audit and implementation recommendations
Site performance and conversion improvements
Analytics and tracking review
Broken links, redirects, and technical clean-up

Future Workstream

Separate engagement

Ongoing digital marketing support
Paid media management (Google/LinkedIn)
Reporting and dashboarding
Digital growth strategy

The constraints we're respecting

The firm has invested in website updates over recent years, so there may be reluctance to support a significant rebuild. Any recommendation needs to be practical, clearly demonstrate value, and be structured in phases. We agree, and we agree with the view that simply applying a new visual layer to the existing experience would be a missed opportunity.

02 · Where the Site Stands Today

Where the Site Stands Today

Based on our audit, conducted August 2026

C+

Overall SEO grade

significant room for improvement

~2,277

Monthly organic visits

almost entirely brand-driven ('Gladstone Morgan')

Weak

Backlink profile

limited referring domains

Low

Mobile speed

below thresholds, impacts UX and rankings

Markets with presence

HK · SG · SH, thin outside brand terms

The site was updated recently, so these options build on what you've already got rather than starting from scratch. The existing WordPress and Cloudflare setup is sound and stays.

03 · Our Response

A Phased Plan with Value at Every Step

Phase 0, Audit First

~2 weeks · recommended before the build

Comprehensive Audit

A comprehensive audit covering audience and positioning, site architecture and user journeys, content structure, SEO health and metadata, performance and Core Web Vitals, WordPress/plugin/hosting health, analytics and tracking, plus broken links and technical clean-up.

Deliverable: a prioritised list of improvements, each rated by effort and impact, walked through in a session you can question.

Why firstIf the audit identifies changes to navigation, structure or content, it is far cheaper to build the six new pages correctly the first time than to build them and rework them later. The findings can also be shared with the brand agency so the Figma designs account for them. (If timelines demand it, the audit can run in parallel with the build, but some rework should then be expected.)

Phase 1, The Build

4–6 weeks from final Figma designs

Option 1, Reskin & Technical Build

Implementation of the confirmed page designs, technical development, responsive build (desktop/tablet/mobile), QA and cross-device testing, deployment, plus a hosting and health review with performance, security and maintenance recommendations.

InvestmentScoping is now complete. The build is confirmed at AUD $3,750 for standard template pages, or AUD $6,250 where the designs call for custom functionality or animations, plus hosting at AUD $260/month. The final build option is confirmed once the brand agency's Figma designs arrive, and the quote is then locked.

Phase 2, Optimisation

~8–12 weeks total including the build

Option 2, Reskin + Optimisation

Everything from the audit findings, implemented in order of impact, site architecture and navigation, content and UX recommendations, SEO implementation (mobile speed, metadata, structured data), performance and conversion improvements, analytics and tracking setup (GA4, conversion events, goal tracking), and technical clean-up (broken links, redirects).

ApproachBegins with a small fixed-scope audit (quoted as its own step), so the six pages are built right the first time and findings can be folded into the Figma designs. Improvement work is then prioritised and quoted directly from the audit findings.

Our recommended option. The reskin makes the site look better; this is what makes it perform.

Phase 3, Growth

Separate engagement · no dependency

Future Workstream

Paid media management (Google/LinkedIn), monthly reporting and dashboarding, quarterly digital growth strategy, and ongoing content/SEO support.

RetainerSeparate engagement, monthly retainer scoped to your needs

Before committing to ongoing SEO we'd run a keyword feasibility audit: if the realistic outcome is Page 2 rather than Page 1, that budget is better spent on Ads. We'd rather tell you that honestly up front.

Ongoing Care · Optional Add-On

Managed hosting migration (one-time, ~AUD $350), then managed hosting + security monitoring, WordPress updates, monthly reporting and 1 hour of content updates per month (~AUD $270/month). Indicative, confirmed at quote.

Note: your current hosting provider is a known weak point; everything else (WordPress, Cloudflare) can stay as-is, protecting the investment already made.

04 · Strategic Recommendations

Beyond the Brief

Focus on one audience (client acquisition)

The homepage positions Gladstone Morgan correctly as 'a leading independent financial advisory firm', but the rest of the site mixes two jobs: attracting new clients (B2C) and recruiting advisers (B2B). It converts neither well. For a firm that wins revenue through client acquisition, the site should speak primarily to potential clients. Adviser recruitment belongs on a dedicated careers page. This is the single most important decision in the project, and it should be made before the designs lock.

Build the client enquiry journey

There is currently no prominent 'Book a consultation' or client enquiry path on the site. This is the most important commercial journey for Gladstone Morgan and it's missing. We recommend a dedicated consultation booking section with a clear enquiry form and supporting content.

Services as proof, not directory

The services section currently reads like a product catalogue. Reframe it as advisory case studies that answer a client's questions: what outcomes were achieved? We'd also merge the current separate 'services' and 'team' sections under one advisory banner.

Page hierarchy & content

Based on James's thinking: About = firm overview + Team; Expertise = extension of About showing the depth and breadth of the firm beyond core advisory; a Careers page is a future module once the employer brand is developed (a simple LinkedIn link-off vs an on-site jobs page is a decision to make internally, both are simple for us to build). The agency designs the pages; the copy is ours to shape, so this structure can be reflected without changing their scope.

One brand story across domains

Searches for 'Gladstone Morgan' surface unrelated businesses plus the firm's own second domain (gladstonemorgan-advisory.com) carrying alternative messaging. Align messaging across both domains so the brand tells one story.

05 · The Confirmed Pages

The Confirmed Pages

The brand agency has confirmed the pages they will design, and they've chosen them well:

Home

About

Expertise

Services

Insights Overview

Insights Article

These six give us the widest range of building blocks, 'modules', for the rest of the site. Once built, we roll out the remaining pages from these templates. The News Article template is deliberately simple. And because the agency's scope is page design only, the copy can evolve as the content structure is refined.

06 · Investment Summary

Investment Summary

Scoping is now complete, so the earlier indicative range has been replaced with firm figures. The final build option is confirmed once the brand agency's Figma designs arrive, and the quote is then locked.

Website build (one-off)

Option A

AUD $3,750

The template pages built to design, with no additional functionality or animations. This covers most standard reskins.

Option B

AUD $6,250

The same pages, but including custom functionality or animations where the designs call for them.

Both options assume we are editing the existing website rather than rebuilding from scratch, which keeps costs down.

Website audit

AUD $3,750one-off

Recommended first step. It validates the build scope, surfaces anything technical under the hood, and means improvement work is quoted from actual findings rather than estimates.

Previously confirmed figures

Hosting

AUD $260

per month

Ongoing web support

AUD $270

per month

One-time migration

AUD $350

one-off

Phase 1 total for stakeholder sign-off

AUD $7,850 to $10,350 depending on the build option (audit + build + migration), plus AUD $530 per month for hosting and support.

Optional growth services (quoted separately)

SEO program

AUD $2,100 per month

Targeting 50 keywords

Paid ads management

AUD $1,375 per month

With an ad budget of up to USD $2,000 (management fee scales with budget)

LinkedIn lead gen

AUD $1,500 per month

Targeted expat professional campaigns

Landing pages

AUD $1,250 per page

Design and development included

What happens next

Once you have had a chance to review this, here's how we'd suggest moving forward:

01We walk through the brief and options together on a call, and answer any questions.

02You take it internally for budget sign off.

03We kick off with the Option 2 audit, so the six pages are built on evidence, not guesswork.

07 · Decisions & Next Steps

Decisions & Next Steps

Five decisions will shape this project, four of them are Gladstone Morgan's to make:

01Which option to proceed with (we recommend Option 2, starting with the audit)

02Client acquisition-first direction, needed before designs lock, since it shapes content and structure

03Careers page: LinkedIn link-off or on-site jobs (can be decided later)

04Hosting: stay or migrate

05Confirm the six pages with the brand agency (or swap any)

Then: we audit → findings shared with the agency → designs locked → we build. A formal proposal with exact pricing follows once we've seen the Figma designs.

To lock the fixed quote, we need:

Design (decides the build option)

01Do the Figma designs include animations, scroll effects or parallax, or are they clean static layouts?

02Standard template layouts throughout, or bespoke layouts per page?

03Does the brand agency hand over a full design system (components, web-licensed fonts, spacing rules) or just final page mock-ups?

Scope (decides how many pages we are pricing)

04Confirm the page count: the brief listed 6 pages but scoping assumes 5. Are News Overview and News Article effectively one template?

05Do the remaining site pages roll out from these templates in this phase, or a later one? Roughly how many are there?

06Careers/EVP page: in scope now, later, or a LinkedIn link for now?

Functionality (each yes adds cost)

07Consultation booking: embedded calendar on site, or a Book Consultation button linking out?

08Insights: dynamic CMS feed (categories, filtering, auto-publish) or static article pages?

09Services: market filters or an interactive map, or a simple grid?

10Forms and integrations: enquiry form, newsletter signup, any CRM connection?

11English only, or multilingual?

Migration and timing

12Any URL structure changes planned, so redirects can be mapped?

13Which tracking carries over or needs setting up (GA4, GTM, pixels)?

14Who supplies final copy and imagery, the brand agency or us?

15When do the Figma files land, and is there a hard launch date?

The three answers that matter most are animations, consultation booking integration and dynamic insights. They decide between the two build options; everything else tightens the fixed quote.

Everything here is phased so you can commit in stages and show clear value internally at each one. Happy to walk through any of it on a call.

Schedule a call