San Diego, California
Michael Mooney, full-stack web developer.
I’m Michael Mooney, a full-stack web developer in San Diego and co-founder of LunarSites. I build fast, custom websites in Next.js and React, handle the SEO that gets them found, and run the hosting they live on.
The short version
A little about me
I started building websites for small businesses in 2021 and haven’t stopped. Since then I’ve shipped and maintained more than 80 production sites for bakeries, contractors, medical and wellness practices, creators and service businesses, from the first call through launch and the years of edits after.
I work end to end. That means the design and the code, but also the parts most people never see: Square payments, booking and CRM integrations, AWS and Cloudflare, SSL, DNS and the deploy scripts that tie it together. I also run the email and SMS campaigns that send people to the sites I build, so I care about what happens after someone lands on a page.
I build with an AI-assisted workflow every day, and I’m upfront about it. AI helps me write and review code faster. The structure, the decisions, the testing and the result are mine.
Before web development I ran operations for a family-owned gutter company in Los Angeles, coordinated live auction events and worked in sports marketing for UC Santa Barbara men’s basketball. That background is why I’m comfortable working directly with owners and why I build sites around how a business actually runs. I have a B.A. in Communication from UC Santa Barbara.
Toolbox
What I work with every week.
Front end
- Next.js
- React
- TypeScript
- JavaScript
- HTML & CSS
- Tailwind CSS
- CSS Modules
Back end & integrations
- Node.js
- Express
- REST APIs
- Square payments
- Booking & CRM integrations
- Form handling
Infrastructure
- AWS S3 & CloudFront
- Cloudflare DNS
- nginx
- SSL
- Git & GitHub
- Shell deploy scripts
SEO & marketing
- Technical & local SEO
- Structured data
- Core Web Vitals
- Search Console & Analytics
- Email & SMS campaigns
Quality
- Accessibility (WCAG, axe-core)
- Lighthouse
- Cross-device testing
Timeline
How I got here
- 2021
First client sites
Started designing and building websites for small businesses as a freelancer.
- 2022
B.A. Communication, UC Santa Barbara
Graduated, after studying at Santa Barbara City College and a media program in Madrid.
- 2022–25
Operations, Los Angeles
Ran daily operations, marketing and the website for a family-owned gutter company.
- 2025
Launched lunarsites.com
The San Diego web studio I co-founded, building simple, fast sites for small businesses.
- Today
80+ sites shipped
Full-stack web development, SEO and AI-search work for clients across the US.
Four steps. No surprises.
Every project follows the same path. AI tools speed up the build. The decisions, the checks and the accountability stay with me.
- 01
Scope
A short call to understand the business, the customers and what the site has to do. You get a clear plan and price.
- 02
Design
Structure and look built around your content and brand, never a theme with your logo swapped in.
- 03
Build
Custom Next.js code, written fast with AI-assisted tooling and checked by hand for speed, accessibility and accuracy.
- 04
Launch & grow
DNS, SSL, redirects and Search Console handled. Then edits, new pages and SEO as the business grows.
Last reviewed October 6, 2026
Have a project in mind?
Tell me what you’re building and where you want it to go. I read and reply to every message.
[email protected]