Case Study · 2025

Website Builder

An AI-powered multi-site CMS platform for service contractors — real-time editing, WebGL animations, and a client portal with revision requests built in.

Type

SaaS platform · Internal tool

Year

2025

Stack

React 18ViteFirebase FirestoreOpenRouterKonva canvasVanta.js (WebGL)Framer MotionCloudinary

The problem

Small service businesses (concrete, landscaping, cleaning) need professional websites but can't afford ongoing agency fees and can't manage technical CMS tools like WordPress. Once built, they have no way to update content themselves without calling a developer.

The goal: a platform where one developer manages multiple client sites from a single admin, clients can submit revision requests without accessing the code, and the whole thing runs on a single initial fee plus a low recurring cost.

What was built

One admin, many clients.

Multi-site dashboard

One admin manages unlimited client sites from a single interface. Create, duplicate, rename, or delete sites. Each site has independent Firestore documents for desktop, tablet, and mobile layouts.

AI content editor

An integrated AI chat panel (OpenRouter) lets the admin describe changes in plain language. The AI streams a JSON action plan — update hero, swap Vanta background, change stats, add animations — and applies it in one shot. Full undo support.

Real-time preview

Every draft change reflects instantly in a live preview panel. Changes persist to Firestore on save and propagate to any open tab via onSnapshot. The client sees updates in real time without a page refresh.

Client CMS

Each client gets a PIN-gated URL (/client?site=id). They can review their live site and submit revision requests through a 3-step modal: write message → attach screenshot (html2canvas + Cloudinary) → send.

Animation engines

Four animation layers in one product: Vanta.js WebGL hero backgrounds, Lottie vector animations, Spline 3D embeds, and sandboxed GSAP timelines. All controlled through the AI chat or a dedicated Animations Studio panel.

Published/draft system

Edits stay in draft until explicitly published. Published content lives in parallel Firestore docs. The public site reads from published — visitors never see work in progress. The client site shows a refresh banner when new changes go live.

Business model

Clients pay a one-time build fee starting at $500, then $85/month for hosting and maintenance. The developer retains admin access to all sites — updates, edits, and revisions are handled through the platform without touching the codebase.

The recurring revenue model means the platform pays for itself after a handful of clients — and the AI editing layer means one developer can manage many sites simultaneously without significant time overhead.

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