| name | local-business-rebuild |
| description | Build a stunning new website for a local business prospect. Adapted from the full website-rebuild skill but optimized for speculative local business pitches. 10-phase process: brand extraction, SEO audit, design audit, rebuild plan, full build with design system, copy optimization, combined QA, pre-deploy checklist, and output to monorepo. Uses scraped content from prospect-scrape as input. No tools/calculator research phase. Single combined QA round. Triggers on: "rebuild prospect", "local business rebuild", "build prospect site", "rebuild their site", "prospect rebuild", or any request to build a new website for a qualified prospect.
|
Local Business Website Rebuild
Build a world-class website for a local business prospect using their scraped content and branding. This is the core value delivery — the rebuilt site must be so dramatically better than their current one that the business owner immediately sees the value.
How This Skill Works
This is an adapted version of the full /website-rebuild skill, streamlined for speculative local business pitches:
- Removed: Phases 11a/11b (Competitive Tools Research & Build), Phase 12 (Tools QA)
- Consolidated: 3 QA rounds → 1 combined QA round
- Kept full depth: Rebuild plan, copy optimization, all design rules, accessibility
- Output location:
~/prospect-pipeline/sites/<slug>/ (monorepo structure)
Input
Read from ~/prospect-pipeline/prospects/<slug>/:
info.json — business details, category, contact infoaudit-report.md — what's wrong with their current siteoriginal-site/content-inventory.json — all scraped contentoriginal-site/assets/ — logo, images, etc.
Tech Stack — Exact. Do Not Deviate.
Framework: Astro 5.x — static site generator, zero JavaScript by default, perfect for SEO.
Styling: Tailwind CSS v4 (via Vite plugin)
Images: Astro <Image> component from astro:assets (built-in optimization, WebP/AVIF)
SEO: @astrojs/sitemap integration + manual JSON-LD
View Transitions: Astro View Transitions (built-in, zero JS page transitions)
Package Manager: npm (not pnpm, not yarn — npm only)
Initialization — Run These Exact Commands
cd ~/prospect-pipeline/sites/
npm create astro@latest <slug> -- --template minimal --no-install
cd <slug>
npm install
npx astro add tailwind --yes
npx astro add sitemap --yes
npm install -D prettier
That's it. The project is ready. Do not add React, do not add any other integrations unless the build specifically requires interactivity (rare for a local business site).
If Something Fails During Build
Fix the code. Do NOT:
- Switch Node versions
- Switch package managers
- Reinstall the framework
- Add React or any other UI framework
- Change the project structure
If npm create astro fails, check that Node.js is available and try again. If it fails twice, report the error — do not try alternative frameworks.
Astro File Structure
src/
layouts/
BaseLayout.astro ← shared HTML shell, <head>, nav, footer
pages/
index.astro ← homepage
about.astro ← about page
services.astro ← services page
contact.astro ← contact page
404.astro ← custom 404
components/
Header.astro ← navigation
Footer.astro ← footer
Hero.astro ← hero section (reusable)
... ← section components as needed
styles/
global.css ← @import "tailwindcss"; + CSS custom properties
public/
images/ ← all downloaded images go here
favicon.svg ← favicon
Astro Basics for This Build
.astro files have a frontmatter script fence (---) at the top and HTML-like template below:
---
import { Image } from 'astro:assets';
import BaseLayout from '../layouts/BaseLayout.astro';
import heroImage from '../assets/images/hero.jpg';
---
<BaseLayout title="Home" description="Meta description here">
<section class="relative h-[80vh]">
<Image src={heroImage} alt="Descriptive alt text" class="object-cover w-full h-full" />
</section>
</BaseLayout>
Key differences from React/Next.js:
- No JSX — it's HTML. Use
class= not className=. Use for= not htmlFor=.
- No
useState, no useEffect, no client-side state. The page is static HTML.
- Images: Import from
src/assets/images/ for optimization, or reference public/images/ for unoptimized static files.
- CSS custom properties go in
src/styles/global.css and are available everywhere.
- View Transitions: Add
<ViewTransitions /> to the <head> in BaseLayout for smooth page transitions — zero JavaScript.
Google Fonts
Load via <link> tags in the BaseLayout <head>, or use @fontsource packages:
npm install @fontsource-variable/playfair-display @fontsource/dm-sans
Then import in your layout's frontmatter:
---
import '@fontsource-variable/playfair-display';
import '@fontsource/dm-sans';
---
Design Philosophy — MAKE IT UNFORGETTABLE
The AI Slop Test: Before you ship, ask yourself: "If someone saw this site and was told 'AI made this,' would they believe it immediately?" If yes, you have failed. Redesign until that answer is no.
Read the design-rules.md for full specification. Below are NON-NEGOTIABLE rules with specific alternatives.
Pre-Code Design Commitment (Phase 4.5 — MANDATORY)
Before writing ANY code, you must describe in plain English:
- Aesthetic direction — Pick ONE: dark/moody editorial, warm/organic handcrafted, clean/luxury minimal, bold/industrial, retro-modern, or something unique to this business. Commit to it.
- For each homepage section — describe: layout structure (NOT "3-column grid"), column ratios, visual devices (overlap? angle? texture? full-bleed?), and how it differs from the section above it.
- The "wow" moment — every great site has one thing that makes you stop scrolling. What is it for this site? (parallax hero? animated counter? overlapping testimonial cards? a diagonal section break?)
Write this into REBUILD_PLAN.md before touching any .astro file.
Typography
- Beautiful, unique fonts from Google Fonts or @fontsource
- BANNED: Inter, Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, system fonts, Space Grotesk, Lato, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro
- INSTEAD: Distinctive display font + refined body font. Fraunces, Playfair Display, Clash Display, Cabinet Grotesk, General Sans, Satoshi, Plus Jakarta Sans.
- Use the FULL typographic range: hero headings should be 56-80px+ (clamp for fluid), extreme weight contrast (300 vs 800, not 400 vs 600)
- Body minimum 16px, line-height 1.5-1.65
text-wrap: balance on headings, font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums on numbers
Color
- CSS custom properties for every color value in
global.css
- 1-2 dominant colors + 1 sharp accent derived from their logo/branding
- BANNED: purple gradients on white, generic blue corporate, rainbow with no hierarchy, pure black (#000), pure white (#fff) as main backgrounds, cyan-on-dark "developer aesthetic", gradient text
- INSTEAD: Tint your neutrals toward the brand hue. Use
oklch() or warm grays. Off-white backgrounds (like #faf9f6), near-black text (like #1a1a2e). Bold saturated accents that pop.
- Every combination must pass WCAG AA contrast (4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for large text)
Motion & Animation
- CSS animations and transitions only — no JavaScript animation libraries
- BANNED: bounce/elastic easing,
transition: all, animating width/height/margins (layout thrashing), identical fadeInUp on every section
- INSTEAD: Exponential easing (
cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1) for ease-out-expo). Staggered reveals with animation-delay. One orchestrated page-load sequence. transform and opacity only (60fps).
- MINIMUM 3 distinct animation types per site — don't just use fadeInUp everywhere. Examples: slide-in-from-left, scale-reveal, clip-path-wipe, counter-count-up, text-split-reveal, parallax-subtle
- Scroll-triggered reveals required on at least 2 sections (use Intersection Observer with a small
<script> tag in Astro)
- Respect
prefers-reduced-motion with @media query
- Astro View Transitions for page-to-page animation
Layout — BREAK THE GRID
-
BANNED: Every section centered with max-w-7xl mx-auto. Identical 3-column card grids. Every section header as text-center max-w-2xl mx-auto mb-14. Uniform padding on every section. Everything wrapped in rounded cards with drop shadows.
-
INSTEAD: Use these specific layout patterns (pick at least 4 different ones for the homepage):
Pattern A — Asymmetric Split: grid-cols-[2fr_1fr] or grid-cols-[1fr_2fr] instead of equal columns. One side is a large image, the other is tight text. Not 50/50.
Pattern B — Full-Bleed Break: At least one section must escape the container — a full-width image, a colored band that runs edge-to-edge, or a diagonal section divider using CSS clip-path.
Pattern C — Overlapping Elements: Use negative margins (-mt-16, -ml-8) or translate to overlap images onto adjacent sections. Break the box model.
Pattern D — Bento/Masonry Grid: Instead of equal cards, vary the sizes — one large featured card with smaller ones around it. grid-row: span 2 on the featured item.
Pattern E — Staggered/Offset: Alternate image-left/text-right and text-left/image-right between sections. Offset vertically so items don't align on a flat grid.
Pattern F — Pull Quote / Callout: A testimonial or stat that breaks out of the text flow — oversized text, a different background, rotated slightly, or overlapping adjacent content.
-
RULE: No two consecutive sections may share the same column structure or visual pattern.
Visual Depth & Atmosphere
- BANNED: Flat solid-color section backgrounds with nothing else. Plain white sections. Sections that are just text floating in space.
- INSTEAD: Add visual depth with AT LEAST 2 of these per site:
- Subtle noise/grain texture overlay (CSS
background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,...") or a tiny PNG)
- Gradient meshes or radial gradients for section backgrounds
- Decorative SVG shapes (blobs, waves, diagonal lines) as section dividers or background elements
box-shadow with colored tints (not just gray)- Subtle background patterns (dots, lines, topographic maps for outdoor businesses)
- Layered z-index compositions where elements overlap intentionally
Component Architecture
- MANDATORY: Each visually distinct homepage section must be its own
.astro component in src/components/. This forces you to design each section independently rather than copy-pasting patterns.
- Minimum components for a homepage:
Hero.astro, About.astro, Services.astro, Testimonials.astro, CTA.astro — plus the global Header/Footer.
- This is not optional. A 250-line monolithic
index.astro is a design failure.
The 10 Phases
Execute in strict order. Each phase matters.
Phase 1: Brand Extraction
Using the scraped content and assets:
- Analyze the logo (already downloaded to
original-site/assets/)
- Extract brand colors, typography personality, visual tone
- Determine light/dark background compatibility
Output: Internal notes (not a separate file — fold into REBUILD_PLAN.md)
Phase 2: SEO Audit
Using the scraped meta data and the audit report:
- Document all SEO issues found
- Identify target keywords for this business + location (e.g., "plumber Coeur d'Alene")
- Plan local SEO strategy (Google Business schema, NAP consistency, local keywords)
- Plan content strategy (what pages need what keywords)
Output: SEO section of REBUILD_PLAN.md
Phase 3: Design & UX Audit
Using the audit report already created by /prospect-audit:
- Summarize what's wrong with their current design
- Identify specific improvements we'll make
- Set the aesthetic direction (what style fits THIS business?)
Output: Design section of REBUILD_PLAN.md
Phase 4: Rebuild Plan
Synthesize everything into a concrete plan:
-
Site Architecture — page list, nav structure, URL structure
-
Design Direction — color palette (with WCAG contrast pre-verified), typography selections, component style, overall personality
-
Image Strategy — KEEP / ENHANCE / REPLACE for each image
-
Copy Strategy — what to rewrite vs. keep, tone of voice, key messages
-
SEO Plan — target keywords per page, schema types, meta strategy
-
Technical Plan — any special integrations, forms, maps
-
Accessibility Targets — zero critical/serious violations
-
IMAGE DOWNLOAD — Follow the Image Selection Protocol below, then download ALL images before writing any component code.
mkdir -p ~/prospect-pipeline/sites/<slug>/public/images
curl -sL -o ~/prospect-pipeline/sites/<slug>/public/images/hero.jpg "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-XXXXX?auto=format&fit=crop&w=2400&q=85"
Verify images exist before proceeding:
ls -la ~/prospect-pipeline/sites/<slug>/public/images/
The directory must contain at minimum: hero image, about section image, at least one services image. If it doesn't, download them now.
Generate DESIGN.md: After defining the design direction above, formalize it as a structured DESIGN.md file using the design-system-generator skill.
- Read
00-design-references/design-md-format.md for the 9-section format.
- Select 1-2 reference DESIGN.md files from
00-design-references/references/by-aesthetic/ matching the aesthetic direction.
- Generate
DESIGN.md with all 9 sections. The plain English design commitment becomes Section 1 (Visual Theme) and Section 7 (Do's and Don'ts).
- REBUILD_PLAN.md Design Direction section should say "See DESIGN.md for the complete design system."
Output: DESIGN.md in the project root (alongside REBUILD_PLAN.md)
Output: ~/prospect-pipeline/prospects/<slug>/REBUILD_PLAN.md
Phase 5: Build the Website
Read the project's DESIGN.md before writing any code. Translate Section 2 into CSS custom properties, Section 3 into font imports and typographic scale, Section 4 into component implementations, and Section 6 into shadow tokens. The DESIGN.md is the source of truth for all visual implementation.
Before writing code, confirm images are downloaded: ls ~/prospect-pipeline/sites/<slug>/public/images/. If empty, go back to Phase 4 step 8.
Build in ~/prospect-pipeline/sites/<slug>/:
-
Initialize the Astro project using the exact commands from the Tech Stack section above.
-
Set up the design system:
- Create
src/styles/global.css with CSS custom properties for all brand colors, typography, and spacing
- Add WCAG contrast ratios as comments next to each color pairing
- Import fonts via @fontsource packages or
<link> tags
-
Build the BaseLayout (src/layouts/BaseLayout.astro):
<html>, <head> with meta tags, OG tags, fonts, global CSS<ViewTransitions /> for smooth page transitions- Shared Header/Nav and Footer components
- Skip-to-content link as first focusable element
- JSON-LD structured data slot
-
Build every page per the architecture in REBUILD_PLAN.md:
- Each page is a
.astro file in src/pages/
- Include a polished 404.astro
- Make each page dramatically better than what the business currently has
- Every hero section must use a real photograph, not CSS gradients
- Use Astro
<Image> component for optimized images where possible
CRITICAL — TEXT CONTRAST OVER IMAGES (this fails QA constantly):
When placing text over a hero image or any photograph:
- ALWAYS add a dark overlay behind light text:
bg-black/50 or bg-gradient-to-t from-black/70 to-black/30
- ALWAYS add a light overlay behind dark text:
bg-white/60 or similar
- NEVER put white text directly on a light/bright photograph
- NEVER put dark text directly on a dark photograph
- Test mentally: if the image is mostly sky/clouds (bright), you need a dark overlay. If the image is mostly shadows/dark, you need the overlay even more for white text.
- The overlay must cover the ENTIRE text area, not just a thin strip
- Add
text-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.5) as extra insurance on hero headings
- Example pattern:
<section class="relative h-[80vh]">
<img src="/images/hero.jpg" class="absolute inset-0 w-full h-full object-cover" />
<div class="absolute inset-0 bg-black/50"></div>
<div class="relative z-10 flex items-center h-full">
<h1 class="text-white text-5xl font-bold" style="text-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.5)">
Heading Text Here
</h1>
</div>
</section>
This applies to EVERY section where text sits on top of a photograph — hero, about, testimonials, CTA banners, page headers. No exceptions.
-
Images — every site MUST have at minimum:
- A hero image (full-width, atmospheric, sets the mood)
- An about/story section image (business, workspace, or team)
- Team photos (actual photos from their site)
- At least 1 image per major content section
- Reference by path:
/images/filename.jpg for public/ files, or import from src/assets/ for optimized
- A site with no images or only CSS gradients is UNACCEPTABLE and will not pass QA.
-
Comprehensive SEO:
- Unique
<title> and <meta name="description"> per page
- Open Graph and Twitter Card meta tags
- JSON-LD schema (LocalBusiness type) with NAP data
- Sitemap via @astrojs/sitemap (already installed)
public/robots.txt- Canonical URLs
- Semantic HTML throughout (proper heading hierarchy, landmarks, etc.)
-
Generate favicon — complete set from logo (at minimum: favicon.svg in public/)
-
Accessibility:
- WCAG AA contrast on all text/background combinations
- ESPECIALLY check text-over-image contrast — every hero, banner, and CTA section with a background photo MUST have an overlay (dark overlay for light text, light overlay for dark text). This is the #1 accessibility failure in builds.
- Full keyboard navigation with visible focus indicators
- ARIA labels only where native HTML semantics are insufficient
prefers-reduced-motion media query wrapping all animations- Skip-to-main-content link
-
Performance — Astro handles most of this automatically:
- Static HTML output (zero JS by default)
- Optimized images via
<Image> component
- Optimized fonts via @fontsource (self-hosted, no external requests)
- Target: Lighthouse 95+ (Astro sites achieve this easily)
Image Selection Protocol
Why this matters: Grabbing the first stock photo that matches a keyword produces embarrassing results. A salon site showed a man's beard trim when the business only serves women. An about page had a bright white interior for a brand with a dark industrial aesthetic. Think carefully about every image.
This protocol applies to ALL business types. It is not industry-specific.
Step 1: Understand the business deeply before picking any images
Read the scraped content, services, team info, Google reviews, and audit. Build a mental model:
- What does this business actually DO day-to-day?
- Who are their customers? (homeowners, other businesses, families, professionals, etc.)
- What's the vibe? (premium/luxury, blue-collar/hardworking, family-friendly, clinical/professional, creative/artistic)
- What does their physical space look like?
- What would the business owner be PROUD to show on their website?
A plumber's site needs clean professional work, neat uniforms, a friendly technician at a door. NOT a wrench on a white background.
An accountant's site needs trust and expertise. NOT a "handshake in front of a skyline" stock photo.
A construction company needs real job sites, finished projects, crews at work. NOT clip art of hard hats.
Step 2: Read the copy, then choose the image
For every image slot, read the surrounding copy FIRST. The image must reinforce what the text communicates.
- "Family-owned for 20 years" → warm, personal, team or workspace with character
- "Precision and attention to detail" → close-up work that demonstrates craft
- Customer service section → people interacting, not just equipment
- Testimonial → evoke the feeling the testimonial describes
DO NOT just search Unsplash for the business category and grab the first result.
Step 3: Use their actual photos first, stock as last resort
Priority order:
- Their actual team photos (from
original-site/assets/team/). ALWAYS use for team/about sections. Never use stock people for named real humans.
- Their actual work/project photos (from scrape). Office, shop, finished projects — use these.
- Their Google Maps/Business photos (downloadable via Apify). Interior, exterior shots.
- Carefully chosen stock photos for supporting/decorative slots ONLY.
Step 4: Visual verification for every stock image
Before using a stock image, verify:
- Does the color temperature match the design system?
- Does it feel like the same geographic/cultural context? (Manhattan skyline behind a rural Idaho plumber is absurd)
- Could the business owner say "yeah, that looks like us"?
- Right demographic for the actual customer base?
- Does it match the section's copy, not just vaguely "related to the industry"?
If you can't answer yes to all, pick a different image. A well-chosen abstract/texture is better than a wrong specific photo.
Step 5: Create an image plan before building
IMAGE PLAN for [Business Name]:
- Hero: [description, source, why it fits]
- About section: [description, source, why it fits]
- Team - [Name]: [their actual photo from assets/team/]
- Services section: [description, source, why it fits]
- Contact section: [description, source, why it fits]
Step 6: Cross-check during QA
During QA, visually inspect every page using preview_screenshot:
- Do team photos show the ACTUAL team members?
- Do images match the brand's color palette and mood?
- Would the business owner feel represented?
- Is there any image that feels "off" or generic? Replace it.
- Run the broken image check (see QA section).
Visual quality bar: This must look like a $20,000+ agency build. Stunning. Not good — stunning.
Phase 6: Copy Audit & Optimization
Read through every word on the rebuilt site:
- Value prop clear within 5 seconds of landing?
- Every page has a benefit-driven CTA visible without scrolling?
- Lead with benefits, address objections, use specific numbers
- 8th-grade reading level, short sentences for impact
- Testimonials placed near CTAs and decision points
- Hook → Problem → Solution → Proof → Action flow
Wordsmith every paragraph. This is a sales tool.
Output: ~/prospect-pipeline/prospects/<slug>/COPY_CHANGES.md
Phase 7: Combined QA
Single comprehensive pass covering functional, copy, and visual:
- Run the site locally with
preview_start
- Open every page and take screenshots with
preview_screenshot
- Images check (do this first):
- Count images on homepage:
document.querySelectorAll('img').length
- If fewer than 3 images, go back to Phase 5 and add images before continuing.
- Verify: hero has a real photograph, about section has a real photograph, services has images.
- If any are missing, download appropriate images and add them.
- Functional: Check every link, image, form, interactive element at mobile + desktop
- Copy: Read as a first-time customer. Understand in 5 seconds? Trust? Know what to do?
- Visual: Animations smooth? Typography beautiful? Whitespace balanced? Colors cohesive? Photos beautiful and relevant?
- Accessibility: Verify contrast ratios on all color pairings. Keyboard nav works. Focus indicators visible.
- Design system consistency: Verify that every CSS custom property in
global.css maps to a token defined in DESIGN.md. No orphan tokens, no missing tokens.
- Compare to best in industry — it should be BETTER.
Broken Image Check
Before deploying, verify ALL images load:
- Start dev server with
preview_start
- Visit every page (/, /about, /services, /contact)
- On each page, run via
preview_eval:
Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('img')).filter(img => !img.complete || img.naturalWidth === 0).map(img => img.src)
- If ANY broken images:
- External URL → download locally to
public/images/ and update src
- Wrong path → fix the path
- Corrupted → re-download
- NEVER hotlink images from the prospect's original website. Always use local files.
- NEVER leave external Unsplash URLs in production. Download all stock images locally.
- Re-run check after fixes. Do not deploy until all images load.
Output: ~/prospect-pipeline/prospects/<slug>/QA_REPORT.md
Phase 8: Pre-Deploy Checklist
Verify every item:
- SEO: unique meta tags, OG tags, structured data, heading hierarchy, alt text, sitemap, robots.txt
- Performance: images optimized, fonts self-hosted, all pages static. Lighthouse 95+.
- Accessibility: all colors WCAG AA. Keyboard nav works. Focus indicators visible.
- Functionality: every link, form, element works. Mobile nav works. 404 page works.
- Content: no placeholders, no typos, all business info accurate.
- Visual: design consistent, polished at every viewport. No banned fonts.
Phase 9: Prepare for Deployment
The site is built in ~/prospect-pipeline/sites/<slug>/. Prepare it:
- Verify
.gitignore is appropriate (Astro generates one during init)
- Create a
README.md with project overview and how to run locally
- Mark the prospect
status as "built" in info.json
- Add
built_date to info.json
- Update
pipeline.json: increment total_built
Note: Actual deployment to GitHub/Vercel is handled by the /prospect-deploy skill.
Phase 10: Summary
Output what was built:
LOCAL BUSINESS REBUILD COMPLETE
================================
Business: Bob's Plumbing
Location: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Category: Plumber
Site Path: ~/prospect-pipeline/sites/bobs-plumbing/
Framework: Astro 5.x + Tailwind CSS v4
Pages Built: 7 (Home, About, Services, Gallery, Contact, FAQ, 404)
Design: [brief description of aesthetic]
Key Features: [list notable features]
SEO: LocalBusiness schema, 8 target keywords, sitemap
Accessibility: WCAG AA, all contrast verified
Performance: Static HTML, zero JS, Lighthouse 95+
Ready for: /prospect-deploy
Reference Files
This skill inherits the design philosophy from the main website-rebuild skill:
Key Differences from Full Website Rebuild
| Aspect | Full Rebuild | Local Business Rebuild |
|---|
| Phases | 14 | 10 |
| Tools research | Deep competitive research | None |
| Tools build | 2-5 interactive tools | None |
| QA rounds | 3 separate rounds | 1 combined round |
| Copy audit | Full | Full (kept per user request) |
| Rebuild plan | Full documentation | Full (kept per user request) |
| Deploy | Individual GitHub repo + Vercel | Monorepo path only (deploy is separate skill) |
| Input | URL provided by user | Scraped content from prospect-scrape |
| Output | Live deployed site | Built site in monorepo, ready for deploy |
