Hi, I'm David Rivers — the person who'll actually build your website
Mojo Mesh is a small, deliberately hands-on studio. No account managers, no handballing your project to someone you've never met. You talk to me, I do the work, and we get a website live that earns its keep.
- Years building websites
- 10+Years building sites
- Websites built
- 100+Websites built
- Books published
- 15Books published
David Rivers
Founder & Designer, Mojo Mesh
Most Valuable Contribution of the Month — Australian Government design-system community
My Story
I didn't come to web design the usual way
No design degree, no agency ladder. I came at it sideways — through books — and honestly, I think that's made me better at it. Publishing taught me that the point was never the cover. It was whether the thing worked for the person reading it.
About 15 years ago
Publishing books for independent authors
I started out in publishing, helping independent authors get their manuscripts into print. Fifteen books later, I'd learned a lot about telling someone's story clearly — and about the difference a bit of polish makes.
Not long after
The first author websites
Authors kept asking the same thing: how do readers find me online? So I started building them websites. That was meant to be a side task. It turned into the main event.
The last decade
Design, UX, SEO and copywriting
Curiosity turned into a proper craft. I got deep into user experience, search, writing copy that actually reads like a human wrote it, and the strategy that ties it all together. Over 100 websites later, I'm still at it.
Along the way
Contributing to the wider design community
I've taken part in the design community around an Australian Government design-system project, joining the discussions about components, patterns and accessibility. That work earned a Most Valuable Contribution of the Month award — recognition for the input, not a formal accreditation.
Today
Five platforms, one approach
WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Squarespace and modern AI-powered custom builds. Different tools, same question every time: what does this business actually need?
The learning never really stops
This is the part I genuinely enjoy. The tools shift constantly — what was best practice three years ago is now the slow, clunky way of doing things. So I keep testing platforms, reading, breaking things in test builds, and working out what's actually worth adopting versus what's just noise.
You get the benefit of that without paying for the experiments. By the time something makes it into your project, I've already worked out where it helps and where it doesn't. That's as true of search and accessibility as it is of the build itself.
What I Believe
A website that only looks good is a very expensive brochure
Good design matters — I care about it a lot. But looking sharp is the entry fee, not the result. Here's what I think a website owes the business paying for it.
Say what you actually do
A visitor should understand what you offer and who it's for within a few seconds. Clever taglines that need decoding cost you enquiries.
Earn trust quickly
Real photos, real reviews, licences, credentials, plain pricing guidance. People are deciding whether to trust you long before they call.
Make the next step obvious
One clear action on every page. No hunting for a phone number, no forms that ask twelve questions before you've decided anything.
Get found in search
Structure, schema, sensible content and technical hygiene built in from the first page — not bolted on six months after launch.
Load fast on a phone
Most of your visitors are on mobile, often on patchy reception. Speed isn't a nice-to-have; it's the difference between a lead and a bounce.
Be easy for you to manage
You should be able to change your hours, add a project or update a price without booking a developer. I set things up so you can.
Still work in three years
Built to grow with you — more services, more locations, an online store later — rather than needing a full rebuild the moment things change.
Which is why every project starts with understanding your business — your customers, your margins, the enquiries you want more of and the ones you'd rather stop getting — long before anyone talks about colours or layouts.
How I Work
Collaborative, personal, and refreshingly free of middlemen
Most projects run over about four weeks. We start with a proper conversation about the business, I write and design around what comes out of it, you review at each stage, and then we launch. You can see the full three-step process on the how it works page.
What you get
- You deal with me directly, from the first call to well after launch
- A brief built around your business, not a template we colour in
- Copy, design and search handled together so they actually agree with each other
- Honest advice when something you've asked for won't help you
- You own everything at the end — domain, hosting, content, the lot
What you won't get
- Being passed to an account manager you've never spoken to
- A theme with your logo dropped into it and a fresh invoice
- Vague progress updates and a launch date that keeps moving
- Being locked into a platform you can't leave or afford to maintain
The Platforms I Recommend
I pick the platform to suit your business, not my convenience
Plenty of studios only know one tool, so every client somehow needs that tool. I work across five, which means the recommendation you get is based on how you'll run the site, what it needs to do and what it'll cost you to maintain.
WordPress
Content-heavy sites, regular blogging, lots of service pages and room to grow. Still the most flexible option when you need it.
Shopify
Selling products properly — stock, shipping, payments and reporting handled without duct tape.
Webflow
Design-led marketing sites that need to look sharp and load fast, with clean, maintainable structure underneath.
Squarespace
Smaller sites where simplicity wins and you'd like to make the odd tweak yourself without breaking anything.
AI-powered custom builds
Calculators, portals, booking logic or anything genuinely bespoke that no template was ever going to cover.
Not sure which suits you? Compare all the platforms — or just ask me and I'll tell you straight.
What Clients Value
The things people mention when they refer me on
- Honesty
- If a cheaper approach would serve you better, I'll say so. If what you're asking for won't work, I'll say that too.
- Craftsmanship
- The details you'd never notice individually — spacing, typography, load order — are the ones that add up to a site feeling right.
- Clear communication
- Plain English, no jargon walls, and you always know what's happening and what I need from you next.
- Long-term relationships
- Most of my work comes from people I've built for before, or someone they've sent my way. That only happens one way.
- Practical outcomes
- Enquiries, bookings, sales, fewer time-wasting phone calls. Awards are lovely; a full calendar is better.
- Ongoing support
- Australian-based help after launch, from small content changes to hosting and updates, without chasing an overseas ticket queue.
In Their Words
What Clients Say About Working With Me
Every review below is a genuine, verified Google review — no stock quotes, no invented businesses.
"Thanks to his expertise, our website now ranks on page one for key search terms, significantly boosting our organic traffic."
Adrian Taricani
Google review · 23 Jan 2025
"He has had a genuine interest in helping us with not just with SEO but also giving advice on social media, website development and marketing systems within the business."
John Schreuder
Google review · 2025
"He took care of everything from Google My Business optimization to a complete Shopify redesign, and the results were incredible. Our site speed improved significantly, organic traffic more than doubled, and conversions skyrocketed."
Rob Brewster
East Coast Supplements
Google review · 8 Mar 2025
About Mojo Mesh
Questions People Ask Before Getting Started
Straight answers about who you're working with, how the work runs and what you're left with at the end.
Let's have a proper conversation about your business
No pitch deck, no pressure. Tell me what you're trying to achieve and I'll tell you honestly whether I can help — and what it would take.
Based in Newcastle, NSW. Working with businesses right across Australia.