Common Questions
Straight answers on how our services work, what's included, and what to expect. No boilerplate.
Services & Scope
6 questionsKernel Host is the hosting layer — SSL, weekly backups, and an optimized server stack. It's the infrastructure your site runs on, managed and monitored by us.
Kernel Care is the maintenance layer — scheduled WordPress core and plugin updates, health checks, rollback-ready backup process, and incident triage. Think of it as the ongoing operational care that keeps your site healthy after it's live.
Kernel Care requires Kernel Host, because it only covers sites we already host. They're designed to work together, but Host can be taken standalone.
No. Kernel Care is only available for sites hosted on Kernel Host. This isn't an arbitrary restriction — maintenance and hosting need to be on the same stack so we have full visibility into what's running, what's changed, and what needs to be rolled back if something goes wrong.
If you want Care, you'll need Host first. Both are billed monthly or annually.
It means the technical SEO foundation is built directly into the theme code — not added via a plugin after the fact. This includes semantic HTML structure (correct heading hierarchy, landmark elements), JSON-LD schema markup in the <head>, and a performance baseline that affects crawlability.
What it doesn't mean: keyword strategy, content optimization, backlink building, or guaranteed rankings. We build the structural foundation. What you do with it content-wise is separate.
Both. For new builds, Kernel Build covers the full design-to-theme pipeline. For existing sites, Kernel Deploy handles migrations and server setup, and Kernel Care covers ongoing maintenance for WordPress sites already in production.
If you have an existing site you want moved to our infrastructure, we'd scope that as a Kernel Deploy engagement. If the site also needs a rebuild, Kernel Build would run alongside or after.
Outage response means we're reachable any time your site goes fully down — not for feature requests, plugin questions, or design changes. If the site is inaccessible or a critical service has failed, that qualifies.
Routine maintenance tasks, update requests, content changes, and non-critical issues are handled during business hours on a best-effort basis. The distinction is real and intentional — it lets us be genuinely available for emergencies without burning out on non-urgent requests at 2am.
WordPress is our primary platform for content sites and marketing sites. Laravel is available for applications that need custom backend logic — integrations, automations, data pipelines, or anything beyond what WordPress handles well.
Laravel engagements are scoped case-by-case with a clear deliverable spec. We don't take on vague or open-ended custom software projects. If you have a specific, well-defined backend requirement, get in touch and we'll tell you quickly whether it's a fit.
Process & Timeline
6 questionsFor qualifying Kernel Build projects, we design one homepage concept at no cost using AI-assisted design. The purpose is to show you a real direction before either of us commits to anything.
It includes: a layout concept for the homepage, a proposed visual direction (typography, color treatment, component style). It doesn't include: inner page designs, full design system, code, or delivery.
Timeline depends on page count and scope complexity, but as a rough guide: a 5–8 page site typically runs 4–6 weeks from deposit to staging handover. Larger scopes (12–20 pages) run 7–10 weeks.
These timelines assume reasonably responsive feedback from the client. Delays in content delivery, approval rounds, or scope changes extend the timeline proportionally. We'll give you a specific timeline estimate in the scope document before production begins.
After the deposit is received and scope is locked, production begins. Here's the sequence:
1. Design system refinement — full design system built from the approved concept direction.
2. Inner page designs — all remaining pages designed per the agreed scope.
3. Theme development — custom WordPress theme coded to spec, no page builders.
4. Staging review — complete site deployed to a staging environment for your review and feedback.
5. Revisions — agreed revision rounds completed.
6. Final payment + launch — remaining 50% invoiced, then site goes live with handover notes.
The number of revision rounds is specified in the scope document — typically two rounds for design and two for development. What constitutes a "revision round" is also defined in the scope: consolidated feedback on a deliverable, not individual back-and-forth changes.
Revisions beyond the agreed rounds are billed separately at an hourly rate. We define this clearly upfront because revision scope creep is one of the most common reasons projects go off-budget.
If you need to pause, we can hold the project for up to 30 days without penalty. Beyond that, a restart fee may apply depending on how much context needs to be reloaded.
If you cancel after production has started, the deposit is forfeited — this covers the work already completed and the project slot that was held for you. We'll provide all assets completed up to the cancellation point. See our Billing & Cancellation page for full details.
Post-launch, ongoing support is handled through Kernel Care (for sites on Kernel Host). That covers updates, health checks, and incident triage on a subscription basis.
Ad hoc support for things outside Care's scope — new pages, feature additions, design changes — is available as separate project work, scoped and priced per engagement. We don't offer open-ended retainer support without a defined scope.
Technical & Hosting
6 questionsKernel Host is built on LiteSpeed Web Server with CloudLinux for resource isolation, Imunify360 for server-level security, and JetBackup for backup management. SSL is handled via Let's Encrypt or equivalent.
Performance-tuned setups (Kernel Boost) add LiteSpeed Cache configuration and Redis object caching on top of this baseline.
Kernel Host includes weekly automated backups managed via JetBackup. Backups cover files and the database. Retention period is defined per plan.
Daily backups and extended retention are available as an add-on. If you're on Kernel Care, the rollback process is also tested and documented — not just stored. We know there's a meaningful difference between having a backup and knowing you can actually restore from it.
Stack Setup is a one-time production server configuration engagement. It covers: LiteSpeed or LTS web server install and base configuration, JetBackup setup with backup policy, CloudLinux Manager installation, Imunify360 setup, and mail service configuration (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) or Google Workspace baseline.
What it doesn't cover: server hardware/VPS provisioning (that's your account), ongoing operations, or multi-server topologies. Those are scoped separately.
Yes. Kernel Deploy covers exactly this — migration planning, service configuration, SSL/HTTPS baseline, sanity checks, and handover notes. Starting price is $395 and scales with the complexity of your current setup and data volume.
We'll assess your current stack before scoping. Some migrations are straightforward; others aren't. We'll tell you clearly what's involved before you commit.
Kernel Boost targets server-side performance: LiteSpeed Cache configuration, Redis object cache setup and integration, and image format optimization via plugin. The output is lower TTFB (time to first byte) and more stable behavior under traffic spikes.
It requires a LiteSpeed stack — we can install LiteSpeed via cPanel or Plesk if you're not already on it. CDN and front-end optimizations (JS/CSS minification, lazy loading) are available as additional options.
We deliver a tuning checklist at the end so you can verify the changes yourself.
Kernel Uptime is powered by AnchorUptime. It runs availability checks at regular intervals and sends instant email alerts when a site goes down. Each site gets its own monitoring instance, incident history log, and onboarding setup.
Pricing follows AnchorUptime's current plans and billing terms. The focus is accessibility monitoring, not deep performance metrics. Advanced APM is a separate scope.
Still have a question?
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