Web studio — New Zealand
Websites that work as hard as you do.
We build small business websites that are fast, considered, and designed to make the right impression — without the agency overhead.
Start a conversation
Services
What we build
01
Brochure sites
A clean, fast website that explains what you do and earns the enquiry. No bloat, no unnecessary complexity.
02
Web apps & tools
Booking systems, customer portals, internal tools — real software behind the login, not just a brochure page. Built faster and more affordably than it used to be.
03
Landing pages
Single-purpose pages built to convert. Clear hierarchy, deliberate copy, nothing to distract from the ask.
04
Refresh & rebuild
Your current site isn't doing you justice. We redesign from the ground up — or fix what's broken.
05
SEO & content
A blog your customers actually find, and content that earns its place in search results. We set up the structure, help with strategy, and write if you need us to.
Free tool
Get a free SEO health check for your site.
We crawl your website, check the issues that affect rankings, and email you a plain-English report.
Try the free SEO checkSite Care Plan
Tired of WordPress updates and hosting renewals?
We move your site onto hosting we manage, then look after it for one simple yearly price.
See the Site Care PlanAbout
Two people.
One studio.
Chris Toynbee and Neva Poletti — developer and UX designer.
Between us we've clocked something close to forty years in digital. Chris has been building on the web since 2000; Neva spent fifteen years in UX before we decided to do something smaller, and better.
We started Virgola because great local businesses deserve websites that actually reflect them — not something cobbled together on a Sunday afternoon, and not an agency job where you never meet the people doing the work.
You'll deal with us directly, start to finish. We'll tell you what you need (and what you don't), and we'll still be here when you need something changed six months later.
Our sites ship fast. They're built to last. And they don't look like templates.
Work
Selected projects
Web App
MyLastTune
What song would play at your funeral? A web app for choosing yours, and seeing what others have chosen.
View case study →
Web App
GardenBureau
A planting calendar built around New Zealand's climate zones.
View case study →
Web App
Echosight
A social media analytics hub for Twitter/X — public analytics pages and community comparison.
View case study →FAQ
Common questions
What does the process look like, from first call to launch?
We start with a call to understand your business and what the site needs to do. You get a fixed quote before any work starts. Then it's a short back-and-forth on design and content, a build phase, and a review before we launch — most projects run 3-6 weeks, mostly gated by how quickly content and feedback come back from your side.
Do you only build brochure sites, or web apps too?
Both. Most small businesses need a brochure site — fast, clear, built to convert enquiries. Some need more: booking systems, customer portals, or other real software behind a login. We build both, and we'll tell you honestly which one your business actually needs.
What happens after the site launches — do you just disappear?
No. You own your domain and your site outright, with no lock-in. If you'd rather not deal with hosting, updates, and security yourself, our Site Care Plan covers all of that for one yearly price — but it's optional, not a condition of working with us.
Do you work with businesses outside Golden Bay?
We're based in Golden Bay and work with clients across Nelson, Tasman, and Marlborough regularly, but most of the process happens over call and email — we also take on projects further afield. Location isn't a barrier.
Will a new website actually help me rank on Google?
Every site we build gets the technical basics right as standard — crawlable, fast, structured so Google can index it properly. That covers the groundwork, but it's not the same as ranking well for the searches that matter to you, especially on a brand new domain with no history yet. That's a separate, ongoing job — content, structure, and time — and worth getting a quote for if it matters to your business. Our free SEO check is a good place to see where you currently stand.
Contact
Let's talk about your site.
Tell us a bit about what you're after — what you do, who you're trying to reach, and when you'd like to launch. We respond within one business day.
022 049 1006