Custom web development for websites, portals and integrations
Nirvana Canada builds custom websites, online stores, customer portals and web applications for businesses in Vancouver, the Lower Mainland and across Canada. We have been developing websites since 2007, and the same in-house team designs, builds, launches and maintains each project.
The work suits businesses that have outgrown a template: a store that needs wholesale pricing and live stock, a clinic that needs online booking, a supplier that needs a dealer portal, or an established site that needs a rebuild without losing its search rankings.
Vortex Restaurant Equipment: an outdated store rebuilt for orders across Canada
Vortex Restaurant Equipment supplies restaurant and commercial kitchen equipment from a retail store in Vancouver, BC. When the company came to us it was running a simple, outdated ecommerce platform that did not match the size of its catalogue or the way it wanted to sell.
We rebuilt the store on Shopify with a custom theme, a new interface, responsive layouts, ecommerce integration and on-page SEO, and set it up for national shipping so the company could take orders from across Canada. Nirvana has managed the site since the rebuild, for more than five years, covering updates, support and paid search.
The Vortex write-up does not publish a sales figure, so we do not quote one. What changed is the business the site can handle: a national catalogue, online ordering and ongoing support instead of a store that had to be replaced. See the Vortex project.
Recent projects
A selection of websites, stores and portals the team has built. Each link opens the project write-up with screenshots and the services provided.
Which web development service fits your project
Most projects fall into one of five kinds of work. Each has its own service page, and each is shown with one project we have delivered of that kind.
Ecommerce web development
For a large catalogue, customer-specific pricing, stock levels or B2B ordering. Read about ecommerce web development. Project: W Tires, an online store for more than 10,000 tires with live stock and volume pricing for shops ordering in bulk.
Shopify web development
For retailers who want a fast store with simple back-end management and built-in checkout. Read about Shopify web development. Project: Espresso Planet, a Shopify store for a Canadian coffee and espresso machine retailer.
WordPress development
For content-rich business, education and clinic websites your own team updates. Read about WordPress development. Project: Ashton College, a complete rebuild of a college website with many programs and an easy back end.
Portals and custom applications
Dealer and customer portals, dashboards and web apps built around your own processes. Read about portal and marketplace development and custom app development. Project: Sky Titan Glass, a product catalogue with a B2B customer portal for member pricing and orders, integrated with QuickBooks and other APIs.
Website support and maintenance
Updates, security, fixes and small improvements for a site that is already live. Read about website support and maintenance. Project: Swiss Water, ongoing maintenance for a Delta, BC coffee company: upgrades, security updates, a Zapier integration and a custom Heroku app.
What a web development project includes
The scope changes with the project, but these are the parts of the work you will see in a proposal and receive at the end.
Discovery and technical plan
A written summary of the goals, pages and features, the platform we recommend and why, the integrations involved and the schedule.
UI/UX design
Wireframes and page designs for desktop and mobile before any code is written, so you approve the layout and content structure first.
Front-end and back-end development
Responsive templates, forms, search, accounts, checkout or booking, and the admin screens your team will use, on WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, Drupal, Magento, Laravel or Next.js with a headless CMS.
Integrations
Connections to the systems you already run: payment gateways, booking tools, accounting software such as QuickBooks, inventory, CRM and marketing platforms, or custom APIs.
Content migration and SEO set-up
Existing pages, products and media moved across, redirects mapped so rankings carry over, and titles, headings, metadata and a sitemap in place at launch.
Testing, launch and handover
Cross-browser and device testing, performance and security checks, hosting and DNS set-up, and training for the people who will run the site.
How a project runs and who does what
Every project is handled by the same in-house team of project managers, website strategists, UI/UX designers, developers and content writers, so you have one point of contact from the first call to launch. After 19 years of building websites, this is the sequence we follow.
01 Discovery
You tell us what the site has to do and who uses it. The project manager and strategist review your current site, analytics and competitors and write the technical plan and quote.
02 Design
The UI/UX designer produces wireframes, then full page designs, reviewed in rounds until the structure and the look are agreed.
03 Development
Developers build the front end, back end and integrations on a staging site you can see throughout. The content writer prepares or migrates copy alongside the build.
04 Testing and review
The team tests every page on desktop and mobile, checks forms, checkout and integrations end to end, and fixes what the review turns up. You sign off before launch.
05 Launch
We handle the DNS switch, redirects, sitemap submission and the first days of monitoring, and train your team on the admin side.
06 Support
Keep the same developers on a maintenance plan for updates, security, fixes and new features, or take the site in-house with documentation.
What you can expect at launch and after
At launch you get a site that loads quickly, works on current browsers and devices, keeps the URLs and rankings you already had, and gives your team an admin they can use without a developer for everyday changes. Integrations run on their own: orders reach your accounting system, bookings land in your calendar, and leads arrive in your inbox or CRM.
After launch, the measure is whether the site keeps doing its job as the business changes. Vortex has run on its rebuilt store for more than five years with Nirvana managing it; Swiss Water keeps its site, Zapier integration and custom app current through a support arrangement. We are also clear about what a build can and cannot promise: it makes the site faster, more secure and easier to run, while traffic and sales depend on the market and the marketing behind it.
Web development questions, answered
Short answers to the questions we hear most from Vancouver businesses planning a build.
Which platforms do you build on?
WordPress and WooCommerce for content-led sites and mid-sized stores, Shopify for retail stores, Drupal and Magento where an organisation already runs them, and Laravel or Next.js with a headless CMS for portals and custom applications. We recommend a platform during discovery based on what the site has to do and who will maintain it.
Can you connect the website to the systems we already use?
Yes. Recent projects include online booking for Rene Health Clinic, a QuickBooks and API integration behind the Sky Titan Glass customer portal, and a Zapier integration and custom Heroku app maintained for Swiss Water. Payment gateways, inventory, CRM and marketing tools are handled the same way.
How long does a custom web development project take?
It depends on the scope. A business website with standard pages is the quickest; a store with a large catalogue or a portal with accounts and integrations takes longer because of the build and testing involved. The technical plan you receive after discovery includes the design, development, testing and launch dates.
Will we lose our Google rankings when the new site launches?
Not if the migration is planned. We inventory the existing URLs, map redirects for every page that changes address, keep the titles and content that already rank, and resubmit the sitemap at launch. Protecting the rankings a site already has is part of every rebuild we quote.
Who looks after the site after launch?
Either your team or ours. Every build includes training and an admin your staff can use for everyday changes. If you want the same developers on hand, our support and maintenance plans cover updates, security, backups, performance checks, fixes and new features; Vortex Restaurant Equipment and Swiss Water are both run this way.
Do you work with businesses outside Vancouver?
Yes. Most clients are in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, from Surrey and Richmond to Burnaby, Coquitlam and Langley, but the team also builds for businesses across BC and the rest of Canada, such as Espresso Planet, a retailer selling nationwide. Reviews and training can be done remotely.
Tell us about your project
Send a short note about what the site needs to do, the platform you are on now (if any) and your timeline. A project manager will reply with questions, a recommended approach and a quote. You can also call 604.595.2495 during business hours.
Plan the investment first.
Our buyer guides set out what this kind of work costs in Canada, which questions to ask and how to compare proposals — read them before you brief an agency.