The Web Architect

Dan Strand Avatar

Dan Strand, The Web Architect

I was doing fine building websites. Why did I get into this mess?

For years I built websites for clients. The work was fine. What kept going wrong was everything around it: owners who did not own their sites, sites built badly underneath, sites invisible to the new AI search, and sites nobody kept up to date. So I started making tools to fix it. This is where I explain why each one exists.

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The four rules

The four rules

Every fix I made for a client came down to four rules. Everything I build now has to pass them, and each one has its own section on this site.

01

The site is the client’s.

The domain and the hosting are in the owner’s name, they have full administrator access, and they can leave without asking anyone. Why it matters

02

It is well built.

A clear structure, fast pages, a layout that works on phones, the accessibility basics and clean, standard WordPress underneath. Why I make my own themes

03

It is ready for AI search.

The site describes itself in a language machines read, answers questions clearly and lets search engines and AI assistants in. Why my themes come with plugins

04

It is kept current.

WordPress, the theme and the plugins are up to date, with nothing abandoned left installed. How I think about upkeep

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Every article by topic

What I make

All of it sits under The Web Architecture, the name I gave to the family.

  • NoTiesBuilder, a site builder that delivers a standard WordPress site in your name. Easy to build, yours to keep.
  • FreeYourWeb, for getting an existing site out of a platform, host or agency that will not let it go.
  • Seventeen WordPress themes, each designed for one kind of site, at Powerful WP Themes.
  • The plugins that go with them, free on WordPress.org and with paid versions for more, at Powerful WP Plugins.

I also set up Web Architect Certified, a free certification for builders who work by the same four rules.