michael murphy

What michael murphy does

emerse design co. is a privately held, home-based web design and digital marketing agency founded by Michael Murphy in 2010 and operating from Grand Junction, Colorado. The firm runs as a two-person husband-and-wife team (Michael as designer/developer and Heather as content creator and accounting lead) and has built over 120 WordPress websites cumulatively, with 100+ professional WordPress sites delivered since 2015 and 18 new builds in 2021.

The company provides custom WordPress website design and development, branding and visual identity (logos, business cards, print collateral), local search management and SEO, content writing, eCommerce builds via WooCommerce, ADA compliance through an accessiBe partnership, and website hosting and maintenance retainers. Core technology includes WordPress CMS with custom-coded themes and templates, Beaver Builder as the primary page builder, Yoast SEO, and proprietary tools: emerseChat AI (a ChatGPT-powered chatbot for client websites), StarNurture (an in-house reputation management and review generation platform), and a special lockdown hosting technology that protects hosted sites from unauthorized changes.

emerse design co. operates a sales-led, community-driven go-to-market anchored on local networking (BNI chapter participation), community events such as bridal showcases, and a strong client referral loop. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for custom design and build work plus monthly hosting and maintenance retainers providing recurring income. The customer base is overwhelmingly small-to-medium local businesses across diverse verticals (construction, healthcare, hospitality, cannabis, legal, agriculture, nonprofits), with a primary geographic focus on Grand Junction and Western Colorado and occasional out-of-region clients in California, Nevada, and beyond. Pricing is opaque and quote-based, with no public rate card.

Name

michael murphy

Legal name

emerse design co.

Website

https://emersedesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Short description

emerse design co. is a two-person Grand Junction, Colorado-based web design and digital marketing agency founded by Michael Murphy in 2010, providing custom WordPress websites, branding, SEO, reputation management, and proprietary tools (emerseChat AI, StarNurture) to small businesses across Western Colorado and select out-of-region markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Web Design and Digital Marketing Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Custom web design
• WordPress development
• Reputation management
• Local SEO services
• Branding and identity

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Junction

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Web Design & Development: Project-based custom WordPress website builds for local small-to-medium businesses. One-time fee per project with scope varying by client requirements.
2. Website Hosting & Maintenance: Monthly recurring hosting and maintenance retainer plans. Includes plugin updates, WordPress core updates, daily backups, and security lockdown. Clients can opt for emerse design co. to handle updates on their behalf.
3. Branding & Visual Design: Logo design, business card design, brand identity packages, print collateral (brochures, posters, rack cards). Typically one-time project fees.
4. Content Writing & SEO: SEO-friendly content creation and blog writing services. Can be bundled with website projects or sold as standalone retainer.
5. eCommerce Web Design: Custom eCommerce site builds with WooCommerce integration for product sales, digital products, and event registration.
6. Local Search Management & SEO: SEO kickoff packages and local search optimization to get businesses listed on Google Maps and local directories.
7. Reputation Management: Online reputation management services, including review generation and monitoring via their proprietary StarNurture tool.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

emerse design co. is a husband-and-wife web design and digital marketing agency that builds custom WordPress websites and provides complementary services such as branding, logo design, content writing, SEO, eCommerce (WooCommerce) builds, website hosting/maintenance, reputation management, and ADA compliance for small-to-medium local businesses in the Grand Junction, Colorado region and Western Slope. They also develop proprietary tools including the emerseChat AI chatbot (ChatGPT-powered) and the StarNurture online review generation platform, offered as value-adds to clients.

Product overview

emerse design co. is a web design and digital marketing agency offering custom WordPress websites along with complementary services including emerseChat AI (ChatGPT-powered chatbot), Business Branding, Reputation Management, Local Search Management, Content Writing, ADA Compliance, and Website Maintenance & Hosting. The company operates as a husband-and-wife team serving small businesses since 2010, creating over 100 WordPress websites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Star Nurture: A brand-new tool created by emerse design co. to help clients drive leads with little to no work on their end. Provides better online reviews and reputation management.
• emerseChat

Products and services

• Custom Web Design Custom WordPress website design and development for small-to-medium local businesses, using custom-coded themes, templates, and CSS/PHP/HTML styling (often via Beaver Builder). Each site is built specifically for the client with no template reuse across businesses.
• Website Maintenance & Hosting Monthly recurring hosting and maintenance service that runs client websites on dedicated private servers, performing daily backups, plugin/theme/WordPress core updates, and applying special lockdown technology that prevents unauthorized file changes. Clients can opt for emerse design co. to perform updates on their behalf.
• Business Branding Logo design, visual identity development, and print collateral design (business cards, brochures, posters, rack cards) for small businesses, sold as one-time projects or as part of broader brand packages.
• Content Writing SEO-optimized content creation for websites, including blog posts and page content, written with keyword optimization in mind. Can be bundled with website projects or sold as a standalone retainer.
• Reputation Management Online reputation management and review generation service that helps local businesses drive more online reviews and monitor their reputation, leveraging emerse design co.'s proprietary StarNurture tool.
• Local Search Management Local SEO kickoff packages and ongoing local search optimization to get businesses listed on Google Maps and local directories, helping them appear in local search results.
• eCommerce Web Design Custom eCommerce website builds using WooCommerce integration for small businesses selling physical products, digital products, or using event registration functionality.
• ADA Compliance Website accessibility and ADA compliance service delivered through emerse design co.'s partnership with accessiBe, providing an AI-powered accessibility solution for client websites.
• emerseChat AI AI-powered chat tool for websites built by emerse design co., powered by ChatGPT technology, offered to clients as a customizable conversational chatbot for their sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 120 websites built cumulatively; 100+ professional WordPress sites since 2015; 18 new websites built in 2021 alone.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers39 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• accessiBeminorStrategic or Co-development Partneremerse design co. has partnered with accessiBe to offer a one-stop solution for ADA compliance, extending web accessibility to clients whose websites must support users with disabilities. accessiBe's AI-powered accessibility solution is integrated into emerse design's service offerings as an add-on for clients seeking ADA compliance.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Huemor: Boutique web design and development agency serving SMB and mid-market clients with custom website builds, branding, and conversion-focused design. Closely comparable service mix and client tier.
• Big Drop Inc: Boutique digital agency offering custom web design, branding, and digital marketing. Comparable positioning as a creative-led agency serving SMBs and growth-stage clients with similar service bundling.
• Square 2 Marketing: Integrated marketing agency offering web design, branding, and digital marketing services to SMB clients. Closely comparable positioning as a full-service boutique agency for growth-stage businesses.
• OuterBox Solutions: Digital agency focused on custom web design, SEO, and eCommerce for SMB clients. Comparable horizontal mix with stronger eCommerce specialization.

Broad incumbents

• Lounge Lizard (Lounge Lizard Worldwide): Digital agency providing web design, branding, and marketing services. Same horizontal service mix including custom web design and brand identity work for SMBs.
• WebFX: Large digital marketing agency providing custom web design, SEO, and content services to SMBs nationally. Similar core services but vastly larger delivery infrastructure and productized pricing.
• Blue Fountain Media: Digital agency offering web design, branding, and content marketing services. Similar SMB-leaning custom web design positioning with broader geographic reach.
• Thrive Internet Marketing Agency: Full-service digital marketing and web design agency serving SMB and mid-market clients. Comparable offering across web design, SEO, and content, but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach than emerse design co.
• Disruptive Advertising: Digital agency offering web design, SEO, paid media, and content services to SMB and mid-market clients. Overlapping service mix and SMB focus, with deeper paid-media specialization.
• Coalition Technologies: Full-service digital agency offering web design, SEO, and branding to SMB and eCommerce clients. Directly comparable service stack including WooCommerce-style eCommerce work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@murfemersed
• Facebookfacebook.com/EmerseDesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emerse-design-co
• Instagraminstagram.com/emersedesign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 michael murphy