Most pages are built to look right.
The ones that work are built to convert.
A designer optimises for appearance. A developer optimises for output. Neither is optimising for the commercial event the page was built to produce. That is the gap most pages live in permanently.
404 is not a general web agency. It builds the specific digital assets that determine whether acquisition spend becomes pipeline.
The scope is deliberate. Every brand system, every page, every interface built here connects to a commercial objective defined in the acquisition programme or the commercial blueprint. Nothing is built for its own sake.
Every page and brand system is built from a clean brief derived from the commercial objective — not from a template library with a logo swap and a colour change. The structure of the page, the hierarchy of information, the visual identity system, the conversion elements — all derived from the audience, the intent stage, and the pipeline metric the asset is accountable to. Brand identity work covers logo creation, visual identity systems, packaging where relevant, illustration, and social media visual architecture — all built from strategy, not aesthetics first.
404 does not accept a completed design file and build it — nor does it produce brand or UX work without a defined commercial objective. The process begins with the brief. UX research, information architecture, expert UX review, and UI design are all informed by that brief. A brand that looks polished but does not communicate the right message to the right audience is a failed brand asset. A page that looks polished but does not convert is a failed page.
Every asset built here connects to one of two things: a live acquisition programme sending traffic to it, or a CRO programme testing and optimising it after launch. A brand without an acquisition programme is a visual exercise. A page without traffic is an asset with no commercial value. 404 builds digital assets that are designed to receive acquisition-driven traffic and built to improve under active testing.
The development capability covers front-end, back-end, CMS integration, third-party integrations, and data analytics implementation — built on modern technology standards with performance, stability, and data integrity as non-negotiable requirements. But development at 404 does not begin with a specification that was not preceded by a commercial brief and a UX/UI design process. The code implements a commercial decision. It does not substitute for one.
Brand without strategy is decoration.
Design without research is assumption.
Every asset built at 404 begins with the commercial brief — and every decision made after that serves it.
The build begins with a single document: who is the audience, what does the brand need to communicate to them, what is the commercial action the digital asset exists to generate, and what is the metric it will be held against. For brand engagements, this includes brand strategy — positioning, character, values, and the visual communication principles that follow from them. For page builds, this is the conversion brief. Every subsequent decision is derived from it.
Commercial and brand strategy brief — audience definition, positioning, conversion objective, visual communication principles, and pipeline success metric. Approved before any design work begins.
Before any visual design, the experience is mapped. UX research — user behaviour analysis, intent stage mapping, expert UX review of existing assets where relevant — establishes what the audience needs to find, in what order, to take the action the asset exists to generate. Information architecture defines the structure. The hierarchy of content, the navigation logic, the conversion flow — specified before a single visual decision is made.
UX research findings, information architecture specification, and conversion flow map — section by section, with the commercial rationale for every structural decision documented. Approved before design begins.
Design built on the brief and research — not the other way around. For brand engagements: logo creation, full visual identity system, typography, colour, illustration style, packaging where required, and social media visual architecture — all built as a coherent system with defined rules for every application. For page and interface design: UI design and application design built on the information architecture, with visual hierarchy that guides the visitor toward the primary conversion action across every device and breakpoint.
Complete brand identity system or high-fidelity UI designs — desktop and mobile — with Figma files, brand guidelines, and all working files delivered at handoff. Design approval gates development. Nothing is built from a design that has not been reviewed against the commercial brief.
Front-end built on semantic HTML with correct heading structure, schema markup, AEO entity definition, and Core Web Vitals performance targets met on both desktop and mobile. Back-end architecture, CMS integration, and third-party integrations — built on modern technology standards with maximum stability and performance. Analytics implementation — every conversion event instrumented and verified before the asset goes live. Data collection architecture that connects marketing source data to on-site behaviour to CRM outcomes.
Fully developed asset built to performance specification — Core Web Vitals targets met, schema markup implemented, AEO entity structure in place, all integrations tested, all tracking events verified. Performance audit documented at handoff.
Before anything goes live: cross-browser and cross-device testing, form submission verification, integration testing, load speed validation, and full analytics QA. All working files — design files, source code, CMS access — delivered to the client at handoff. For pages entering the CRO programme: a full handoff brief documenting the conversion architecture, the first-cycle testing hypotheses, and the pipeline metric the page is accountable to.
Fully QA’d, live-ready asset with all files and access delivered. For web builds: CRO handoff brief with conversion architecture documented and first testing cycle recommendations provided.
Three disciplines. One commercial objective. Brand, design, and development applied in sequence — each informed by the brief that preceded it, each held accountable to the pipeline outcome it exists to serve.
Logo creation, brand strategy, visual identity systems, typography, colour, illustration, packaging, and social media visual architecture. Built as a coherent system with defined rules for every application — not a logo and a colour palette handed over without context.
User behaviour analysis, intent stage mapping, expert UX review, and information architecture specification. The research and structural layer that ensures every design decision is derived from audience behaviour — not designer preference.
Interface design for websites, landing pages, and applications. Built on the information architecture, designed for conversion, and specified at high fidelity across desktop and mobile before development begins.
Semantic HTML, CSS, and JavaScript built to Core Web Vitals standards. Schema markup and AEO entity structure implemented by default. Performance validated before handoff. No theme shortcuts. No compromised markup.
Back-end architecture, content management system build and configuration, third-party integrations — CRM, marketing automation, analytics, payment systems where required. Built on modern technology standards for maximum stability and performance.
Analytics implementation, conversion event instrumentation, data collection architecture, and A/B testing infrastructure. Every asset goes live with measurement in place — so performance is visible from the first session and the CRO programme has the data it needs from day one.
Not a deliverable. A complete digital asset — brand, design, and development — built from a commercial brief and handed off with everything required to put it to work immediately.
Every file, every access credential, every working document — delivered at handoff. No assets held. No ongoing dependency on 404 to make basic changes.
Anything not answered here will be addressed in our response to your application — within 48 hours.
Yes. The scope covers brand strategy, logo creation, full visual identity systems, illustration, packaging, and social media visual architecture — through to UX research, UI design, and full-stack development. Every discipline is applied from the same commercial brief so the brand system and the digital execution are coherent by design, not by coincidence.
Copy architecture is part of the brief process — headline logic, conviction flow, proof structure, and CTA hierarchy are specified as part of the conversion architecture. Final copy is either written by 404 or by the client against the architecture specification. A page built on copy that does not follow the conversion architecture is not a page built to the correct standard.
The stack is selected based on the asset’s role in the programme, the client’s team capability, and the performance requirements of the build. Modern front-end frameworks, stable back-end architecture, and CMS platforms selected for the specific use case — not defaulted to regardless of context.
Everything. Figma design files, all working source files in standard formats, brand guidelines, CMS access, source code, and documentation. No assets are held. The client has full ownership and full access to everything produced.
Yes — and this is the default. Every page built ships with correct heading structure, semantic HTML, schema markup, and AEO entity definition. A page optimised for paid traffic conversion and a page built to rank organically are not in conflict when the build process is correct.
Yes. Where brand guidelines exist, they are an input to the design brief — applied within the conversion architecture. Where they conflict with conversion or UX requirements, the conflict is surfaced and resolved before design begins, not discovered after the page is live.
Both models exist. Brand and web builds are typically project-based — a defined brief, defined deliverables, defined timeline. Ongoing development support, continuous CRO-connected rebuilds, and active design maintenance are available on a retainer model for clients in the full programme.
Every engagement begins with the application. 404 responds within 48 hours with a specific assessment of the asset requirement and a proposed brief structure — so the first conversation is productive, not exploratory.
Every asset built here serves an acquisition programme that sends traffic to it, or a testing programme that optimises it after launch. These three capabilities are the direct connections.
A brand is not a logo.
A page built without a commercial brief is not a page.
It is a cost the acquisition programme is paying to underperform.
The ones that produce pipeline are built differently. Starting with the brief.
Not ready to apply? Submit a question and we will respond within 48 hours.