What Sundog Media does

Sundog Media, LLC is a privately held, founder-owned web design and hosting agency founded in November 1996 by Joe Law (BFA, University of Idaho) and Cathy Law in Anchorage, Alaska. The firm designs, hosts, and manages custom WordPress websites for Alaska-based nonprofits, tribal organizations, Alaska Native corporations, educational institutions, healthcare providers, construction firms, hospitality and tourism operators, and small to mid-sized businesses. The company also offers managed WordPress hosting, tiered content maintenance plans (LITE/SIMPLE/PRO/CUSTOM), basic e-commerce via Shopify, domain management, and in-house photography and video services, with a 100% client satisfaction guarantee and a 99% uptime guarantee on hosted sites. New custom website projects start at a $7,000-$8,000 minimum and scale to $20,000+ for larger engagements, while ongoing managed services are sold as annual subscription plans bundled with Basecamp-based project management.

The underlying technology is a WordPress-centric stack running on WPEngine-managed infrastructure, augmented by Shopify for e-commerce, Ecwid as a secondary commerce option, Akismet for spam protection, Google Analytics for traffic reporting, and Vimeo/YouTube for video embedding. Sundog applies a 5-minute uptime monitoring cadence, daily backups, SSL encryption, and a staging environment for testing. The company operates as a fully distributed remote team of approximately 8 people (founders plus a director of design & development, operations/sales lead, lead developer/server admin, in-house photographer, and customer care staff), with founders based in Anchorage and one team member located in Canada. There are no disclosed institutional investors, parent entities, or external funding rounds, and ownership remains with the Law family.

Go-to-market is sales-led, driven by direct contact-form and phone inquiries (907-338-1847), an online New Website Estimate request flow, and a referral network reinforced by a 50+ project Alaska-focused portfolio. The firm designs approximately 20 custom websites per year and maintains multi-year service relationships with clients such as Davis Constructors (since 2007), Alaska Pacific University (since 2015), and Stan Stephens Cruises (on its third website redesign). Geographic focus is regional (Alaska), with remote-delivery capability used to serve a small number of clients beyond the state.

Name

Sundog Media

Legal name

Sundog Media, LLC

Website

https://sundogmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sundog Media is an Anchorage, Alaska-based web design agency founded in 1996 that designs, hosts, and manages custom WordPress websites for Alaska nonprofits, tribal organizations, small businesses, and institutions through project-based builds and annual service plans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Anchorage

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Website Design Projects: Custom website design services with minimum project size of $7,000-$8,000, ranging up to $20,000+ for larger projects. One-time project fees based on scope, complexity, and features required.
2. Annual Website Service Plans: Recurring annual subscription plans (LITE, SIMPLE, PRO, CUSTOM) that include managed WordPress hosting, content maintenance and support, security monitoring, and technical assistance. Plans range from 2-3 updates/year (LITE) to 20+ hours annually (CUSTOM).
3. E-Commerce Service Plans: Annual service plans for e-commerce clients built on Shopify, including update requests, maintenance, and technical support with tiered levels (LITE, SIMPLE, PRO).
4. Photography & Video Services: Professional photography and video production services, including on-staff photographer Monica Whitt with discounted pricing for Sundog clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sundog Media is a web design agency that designs, hosts, and manages custom WordPress websites for Alaska-based organizations and small to mid-sized businesses. Core offerings include custom website design projects with minimum budgets of $7,000-$8,000, managed WordPress hosting through WPEngine, tiered content maintenance plans, Shopify-powered e-commerce, domain management, and in-house photography and video services. The company produces roughly 20 custom websites per year backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee and recurring annual service plans.

Product overview

Sundog Media offers a unified web design and management service centered on custom WordPress websites. The core offering consists of Website Design (custom-built sites), the Annual Website Service Plan (which bundles managed hosting, content maintenance, and support), and Content Maintenance & Support Plans (LITE, SIMPLE, PRO, CUSTOM tiers). Additional modules include E-Commerce (powered by Shopify integration), Domain Management (Domain Gold program), and Photography & Video services. Pre-sales services include New Website Estimate consultations and Site Migration assistance. All services are backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee and delivered by a distributed Alaska-based team operating since 1996.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Website Design Custom WordPress website design service producing approximately 20 custom websites per year, with tailored user-interface design, mobile-friendly responsive layouts, SEO best practices, and accessibility considerations. Designed for Alaska-based organizations and small to mid-sized businesses needing a professional web presence.
• Annual Website Service Plan Annual service package combining managed WordPress hosting, content maintenance and support, uptime monitoring, SSL certificate management, Google Analytics setup, and local Alaska support access. Subscription-based annual plan for clients needing ongoing website operations support.
• Managed WordPress Hosting WordPress hosting service powered by WP Engine infrastructure, including update management, security measures, 99% uptime guarantee, daily backups, staging environment, SSL encryption, and spam protection via Akismet. Built for clients seeking reliable managed WordPress hosting.
• E-Commerce Solutions Basic e-commerce solution for selling products, accepting payments, and receiving donations through Shopify integration, with tiered service plans (LITE, SIMPLE, PRO) for store management and updates. Targeted at small online stores and donation-driven organizations.
• Domain Management (Domain Gold) Domain registrar activity management and annual renewal services ensuring proper ownership maintenance and DNS updates. Designed for clients who want Sundog to manage domain renewals and configuration.
• Photography & Video Services Professional photography services including branding, commercial, and Alaska-specific imagery by staff photographer Monica Whitt, alongside video services such as video hero backgrounds, clip editing, and coordination with professional video production crews. Targeted at clients needing integrated visual content for their websites.
• Site Migration Service Website migration service transferring clients to Sundog hosting, including a free audit, security checks, SEO review, mobile optimization, plugin/theme updates, image compression, and accessibility review. Designed for prospective clients moving from another hosting provider.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% satisfaction guarantee - stay with design until client is satisfied or refund available before approval
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WPEnginecoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial hosting partnership with WPEngine for managed WordPress hosting services. WPEngine provides the server infrastructure while Sundog Media adds hands-on management, maintenance, and local support.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial e-commerce partnership where Sundog builds Shopify stores for clients requiring basic e-commerce functionality. Shopify provides the e-commerce platform while Sundog handles design integration and ongoing store management.
• Hybrid ColorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Anchorage video production company for custom video content creation. Recommended to clients seeking professional video for website hero sections and promotional content.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Shopify: E-commerce platform on which Sundog Media builds client stores. Indirectly comparable as the underlying commerce technology layer; could compete if it expanded deeper into design and SMB services.
• WP Engine: Managed WordPress hosting platform and Sundog Media's core infrastructure partner. Indirectly comparable as a WordPress-centric web infrastructure provider; a potential competitor if it expanded into done-for-you design services.

Broad incumbents

• Blue Compass: Mid-sized digital agency providing web design, development, and digital marketing services to SMB and enterprise clients. Comparable service mix but broader geographic footprint than Sundog Media.
• WebFX: Large-scale digital marketing and web design agency serving SMB and mid-market clients. Overlaps significantly with Sundog Media's service categories but at much greater scale and geographic reach.
• Thrive Internet Marketing Agency: Larger digital marketing and web design agency with broader service portfolio including SEO, PPC, and social media. Comparable core offering but at significantly greater scale than Sundog Media.

Direct peers

• Coalition Technologies: Full-service web design, development, and SEO agency with project-based plus retained support offerings. Comparable service portfolio and SMB-to-mid-market focus.
• Big Drop Inc: Custom web design and development agency of comparable size focused on SMB and mid-market clients. Closely comparable to Sundog Media in service mix (custom design, hosting-adjacent support) and target customer profile.
• Lounge Lizard: Web design and digital marketing agency serving SMB and enterprise clients with custom website builds and ongoing support. Highly comparable business model and customer segment to Sundog Media.
• SmartSites: Web design and digital marketing agency targeting SMB clients with bundled design, hosting, and SEO services. Directly comparable in pricing tiers and recurring-service model.
• SPINX Digital: Boutique web design and development agency with a similar mix of custom builds, hosting/maintenance, and recurring support services aimed at SMB clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sundogmedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Sundog Media