What Forge And Smith does

Forge and Smith (legal entity: Forge and Smith Interactive Inc.) is a Vancouver-based digital agency founded in 2012 that sells custom web design, low-code WordPress development, SEO, and digital strategy services to mid-market and enterprise clients. Operating with a small team of 1-10 employees from New Westminster/Vancouver, BC, it serves organizations primarily in British Columbia and across the United States across verticals including non-profit, healthcare and wellness, research and education, professional services, travel and tourism, retail, and engineering/construction. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements (custom design and development), ongoing digital strategy retainers (brand, SEO, PPC, blogging), and recurring hosting and maintenance contracts.

The agency's core technical differentiator is Refoundry, a proprietary low-code WordPress site builder plugin engineered internally and deployed on every client engagement since late 2022, with claimed 70% faster development and 33% shorter project timelines relative to traditional custom WordPress work. Sites are built on WordPress with custom Gutenberg blocks, with Figma used for design deliverables. The Refoundry architecture is positioned to enable client self-service content management post-launch, reducing ongoing developer dependency. Go-to-market is direct and consultative, anchored by an extensive categorized case study library, in-house blog, client resources, and organic social on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram; the firm explicitly cites referrals and repeat clients as a core distribution channel. Legal entity is Forge and Smith Interactive Inc., incorporated in British Columbia, with no disclosed external investors, parent company, M&A activity, or funding rounds.

Name

Forge And Smith

Legal name

Forge and Smith Interactive Inc.

Website

https://forgeandsmith.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forge and Smith is a Vancouver-based digital agency that designs, develops, and markets custom WordPress websites for mid-market and enterprise clients across non-profit, healthcare, research/education, tourism, and professional services verticals, supported by its proprietary Refoundry low-code site builder.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New Westminster

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Web Design & Development Services: Project-based professional services for custom website design, UX design, WordPress development, and copywriting. Services range from scaled-down support for smaller budgets to fully custom work at all project stages.
2. Digital Strategy Services: Ongoing digital strategy services including brand strategy, SEO consulting, PPC management, and blogging. Can include post-launch optimization and marketing support.
3. Hosting & Maintenance: Ongoing website hosting and maintenance services providing post-launch support to clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Forge and Smith is a Vancouver-based web design and digital strategy agency that delivers custom WordPress website design and development, UX design, copywriting, brand strategy, SEO consulting, PPC management, blogging, and ongoing hosting/maintenance services. Its delivery methodology is built on a proprietary low-code WordPress site builder plugin called Refoundry, used on every client site since late 2022, enabling faster custom builds that clients can self-manage post-launch without developer dependency.

Product overview

Forge and Smith is a Vancouver-based web design and digital marketing agency offering strategic web design, low-code WordPress development, SEO, and branding services. Their core offering centers on Custom WordPress Development powered by their proprietary Refoundry low-code website builder plugin (used on all client sites since late 2022), complemented by UX design, visual web design, copywriting, hosting and maintenance. They also provide digital strategy services including brand strategy, SEO consulting, PPC management, and blogging. The portfolio is delivered through a structured process from SEO and information architecture through design, development, content, and QA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Refoundry: A low-code website builder plugin engineered by Forge and Smith to make custom work faster and sites more flexible. Built every client site on it since late 2022.

Products and services

• User Experience Design UX design service involving information architecture, sitemap planning, and wireframing to create intuitive website structures for client organizations.
• Web Design Visual and UI design service including style tiles, responsive layouts, and interface design translated from UX wireframes.
• Custom WordPress Development Low-code WordPress development service building custom websites using the Refoundry plugin, Gutenberg blocks, and responsive solutions.
• Copywriting Professional copywriting service for website content, including AI-supported and human-written content options.
• Hosting and Maintenance Website hosting and ongoing maintenance services for WordPress sites.
• Brand Strategy Strategic brand development services including brand guidelines, messaging frameworks, and visual identity documentation.
• SEO Consulting Search engine optimization consulting including keyword research, on-page optimization, rankings analysis, and SEO strategy.
• PPC Management Pay-per-click advertising management services.
• Blogging Blog content creation and strategy services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 339% conversion rate improvement for Tourism Cowichan
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RefoundrycoreTechnology or IntegrationRefoundry is the proprietary low-code website builder plugin engineered internally by Forge and Smith. It is described as the foundation of their development methodology, having been used on every client site since late 2022. The plugin enables 70% faster development and 33% shorter project timelines.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Alley: A custom WordPress and web platform agency serving publishers, non-profits, and cultural organizations. Closely aligned with Forge and Smith's WordPress-led, content-heavy, non-profit/editorial approach and similar scale.
• Appnovation: Vancouver-based digital transformation and custom web development agency with overlapping custom CMS work, similar mid-market enterprise clients, and a comparable global ambition - the most geographically and operationally direct competitor to Forge and Smith.
• Forum One: A digital agency that designs, builds, and hosts websites for associations and non-profits, exactly the segment Forge and Smith leads in. Same custom CMS / Drupal and WordPress stack philosophy and similar mission-driven buyer profile.
• Bluecadet: An interactive agency focused on cultural, educational, and mission-driven institutions - directly overlapping with Forge and Smith's research & education and non-profit verticals and a similar boutique scale with strong case-study-driven sales motion.
• 10up: A premium WordPress design and development agency serving enterprise content publishers. Comparable technology stack, custom block workflows, and consulting-led engagement model to Forge and Smith's Refoundry-powered WordPress builds.
• Big Duck: A branding and website agency exclusively serving non-profits, with an end-to-end strategy-through-launch model similar to Forge and Smith's brand strategy + web design + SEO offering. Highly comparable client type and project economics.
• New Kind: A small branding and web studio focused on mission-driven and purpose-led organizations. Overlaps with Forge and Smith's non-profit and healthcare verticals with a similar consultancy-style delivery.
• Firespring: An integrated marketing, website, and print agency with a heavy non-profit focus. Comparable full-service offering (web design, branding, ongoing support) and a direct competitor in the association and charity segment.

Emerging players

• OuterBox: A digital agency specialized in WordPress design, development, and SEO - mirroring Forge and Smith's combined custom-build-plus-SEO service mix and overlapping mid-market buyer segment.

Broad incumbents

• Huge Inc. A much larger global digital experience agency working across custom web design, brand strategy, and SEO for enterprise and consumer brands - a relevant broader-market incumbent that frames Forge and Smith's competitive set and pricing ceiling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ForgeAndSmith
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forgeandsmith
• Instagraminstagram.com/forgeandsmith
• Xx.com/forgeandsmith

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forge And Smith