Skills / 04

Web Projects

Every project here started with a real problem and ended with something live. No mockups left in a drawer. No sites built for a portfolio that never went anywhere.

Brief to live. Owned, built and maintained by one person.

The Projects

Eight live sites.
All built from scratch.

Some are commercial operations with real revenue. Some are personal projects built to solve a genuine problem. Some are client work. All of them went live and all of them are maintained.

Range matters. Motorcycles, wholesale parts, QR labelling tools, author platforms, novel microsites. Different audiences, different problems, same approach.

01

Auckland Harley-Davidson

aucklandharleydavidson.co.nz

Full digital operation: website, e-commerce, email, social and event systems

The entire digital presence for a major Harley-Davidson franchise. Website built and maintained across 17 years, connected to a custom parts search engine, VIN decoder, TradeMe listing system, email platform and event RSVP infrastructure. Everything built in-house. Revenue tied directly to the digital operation: $1.25M annual increase, six years running.

PHP MySQL Mailchimp Google Ads TradeMe E-Commerce Event Systems
02

Performance Cycle Wholesale

pcw.co.nz

B2B dealer platform built from nothing

Custom wholesale ordering platform serving 150 dealer accounts across New Zealand. Dealer logins, product catalogue, cart, checkout and pick-and-pack workflow. Built to $750K annual revenue. Retail Shopify storefront running alongside.

PHP MySQL Shopify B2B
03

Auckland Triumph

aucklandtriumph.co.nz

New franchise, zero digital presence

Built the entire Auckland Triumph digital footprint from nothing. Website, social channels, email list and Mailchimp campaigns. A premium motorcycle brand launched into a competitive market with a full digital presence from day one.

Web Development Mailchimp Brand Launch Social Media
04

HarleyVIN.com

harleyvin.com

Customers could not find parts for their specific bike

A VIN decoder that identifies the exact Harley-Davidson model, year and specification from a 17-character VIN. Feeds directly into parts search and fitment lookup. Built as an email capture gateway, turning a free lookup tool into a marketing asset for the dealership.

PHP VIN Decoding Parts Integration Email Capture Domain Strategy
05

RelicTag.com

relictag.com

Metal detectorists had no simple way to label and identify their finds

A free QR code label maker built specifically for the metal detecting community. All find data is encoded client-side using base64url URL fragments, which solved a critical iOS QR code scanning restriction that database-driven approaches could not overcome. No server-side storage. No login. No cost to the user. The decode endpoint lives at qr-decode.org as a neutral, permanent URL. A companion Collectors Edition serves the broader hobbyist community. Built and promoted into the detecting community from a standing start.

JavaScript QR Codes Base64url No Database iOS Compatible Community Launch What3Words
06

qr-decode.org

qr-decode.org

RelicTag needed a permanent, neutral decode endpoint

A standalone QR decode site that renders RelicTag find data without requiring the RelicTag app. A free /r/ decoder for standard tags, with a planned /c/ paid subscriber system via Stripe. Ensures find labels remain scannable permanently, regardless of what happens to relictag.com.

JavaScript PHP Stripe (planned) QR Systems
07

BPhilippe Author

bphilippeauthor.com

Author needed a professional web presence for their debut novel

Author platform and web presence for B. Philippe. Clean, editorial design built to support the launch of the Diamond Spice novel. Companion microsite at diamondspice.com for the novel itself.

Web Development Author Platform Design Client Work
08

Diamond Spice

diamondspice.com

Novel needed its own dedicated microsite

Dedicated microsite for the Diamond Spice novel. Separate from the author platform to allow the book its own identity. Built to drive awareness and direct readers to purchase channels.

Web Development Microsite Design Client Work
09 In Development

Digital Wall Planner

digitalwallplanner.com

A lightweight planner with no heavy install required

A browser-based wall planner designed to replicate the clarity of a physical office planner without requiring a full project management platform. Built for small teams and individuals who just need to see the year at a glance.

In Build JavaScript PHP SaaS

How I Work

The build philosophy.

I do not start with a framework or a favourite tool. I start with the problem. What does this site actually need to do? Who is using it and in what context? Where will it fail if I get it wrong?

Most of the sites above were built without a budget for agencies, designers or developers. They were built because something needed to exist and I built it. That constraint produces better decisions than an open budget does.

🎯

Problem First

Every project starts with understanding what the site actually needs to solve. Not what looks good in a mockup. What makes the user's life easier or generates a result for the business.

🔧

Build It Properly

Clean code, sensible file structure, no unnecessary dependencies. Sites I build are maintainable because I am usually the one maintaining them. That changes the decisions you make at the start.

📱

Mobile Is Not an Afterthought

Every project is built responsive from the start, not bolted on at the end. Most of the users on these sites are on phones. That is the primary design constraint, not a secondary consideration.

🔍

SEO from the Ground Up

Semantic HTML, meta structure, canonical URLs, Open Graph tags, page speed and structured content. Not keyword stuffing. The technical foundations that search engines actually reward.

📊

Connected to Outcomes

A website that does not produce a measurable result is decoration. Every project is built with a clear purpose: capture an email, generate an enquiry, sell a product, drive a booking.

🔄

Maintained, Not Abandoned

Every site listed here is live and maintained. I do not build and disappear. The ongoing relationship with a site, fixing what breaks and improving what works, is where most of the real learning happens.

Technologies Used Across Projects

PHP MySQL JavaScript HTML5 CSS3 Shopify Mailchimp cPanel Linux QR Code Generation Base64url Encoding What3Words API Google Analytics DNS Management SMTP Email Stripe (integration planning)

Got a site that needs building? Let's talk about it.

✉ chris.gavinegan@gmail.com 📱 07925 175 203 🔗 LinkedIn Email Me