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Astro StarlightMDX + OpenAPIVersioned Docs

Your Docs Site Lost You 40% of Trial Signups Last Quarter

If you're a founder watching developers bounce at setup, your documentation stack is costing you revenue, not saving it.

We build fast, searchable documentation sites for SaaS products, APIs, and open-source projects. Astro Starlight, MDX, versioning, OpenAPI specs -- shipped in weeks.

98+
Lighthouse Score
Starlight default
<50ms
Search Latency
Pagefind / Algolia
2-4wk
Delivery Window
Full docs site
$0
Monthly Hosting
Static on Vercel/CF
What a Real Documentation Site Does -- And What Notion Can't

A developer lands on your docs homepage. They scan the sidebar, run Cmd+K to search, click a code example, and copy-paste into their terminal -- all in under 40 seconds. That workflow breaks when your documentation lives in Notion wikis with no versioning, README files with no navigation, or bloated React sites that take 6 seconds to become interactive. Documentation website development gives your product a structured reference site: MDX content authoring, sidebar auto-generation from file structure, version branches per release, Algolia full-text search, syntax-highlighted code blocks, OpenAPI spec rendering, and dark mode -- built on Astro Starlight with zero client-side JavaScript and 98+ Lighthouse scores. Your docs become the SEO entry point for product discovery, the close tool for enterprise sales, and the retention layer that keeps developers from opening support tickets.

What is holding your current website back?

Common gaps we find in nearly every audit.

Docs live in a wiki or Notion -- no versioning, no SEO, no discoverability
Risk: Developers can't find answers, support tickets spike, adoption stalls.
README files are the only documentation you ship
Risk: Enterprise buyers see an immature product and walk away.
Your current docs site is slow and bloated with client-side JavaScript
Risk: Poor Core Web Vitals kill Google rankings for your most important pages.
API reference is manually maintained and constantly out of sync with your spec
Risk: Developers integrate incorrectly, file bugs, and blame your documentation.
No search, or search that returns irrelevant results
Risk: Developers leave your site and find answers on Stack Overflow instead.
The content team can't update docs without engineering deploying changes
Risk: Docs fall behind product releases and create a permanent knowledge gap.

How We Build This Right

Every safeguard, built in from Day 1.

MDX Content Authoring

Write docs in Markdown with embedded React, Vue, or Svelte components. Non-engineers update content via Git or a headless CMS without touching build config.

Doc Versioning

Ship versioned documentation tied to product releases. Users switch between versions instantly, and old docs stay indexed and accessible.

Integrated Search

Pagefind for zero-cost static search, or Algolia DocSearch for enterprise-grade full-text results. Sub-50ms response times on every query.

OpenAPI Reference

Auto-generate interactive API reference pages from your OpenAPI/Swagger spec. Stays in sync with your codebase via CI pipeline.

Syntax Highlighting + Code Blocks

Shiki-powered syntax highlighting for 100+ languages. Tabbed code examples, copy buttons, and line annotations built in.

Dark Mode + Accessibility

System-aware dark mode ships by default. WCAG 2.1 AA compliant typography, contrast ratios, and keyboard navigation throughout.

What We Build

Purpose-built features for your industry.

Host docs in Notion with no version control or SEO metadata

Astro Starlight framework with zero client JS, 98+ Lighthouse scores, and full MDX authoring for your content team

Ship only a README file for a multi-endpoint API product

Auto-generated sidebars from your file structure with manual override for custom ordering and nested groups

Serve docs on a bloated React site that scores 42 on Lighthouse

Built-in i18n with per-locale content directories and a language switcher for global developer audiences

Maintain API reference manually and watch it drift from your OpenAPI spec

GitHub Actions pipeline that validates MDX, builds the site, and deploys to Vercel on every push -- no engineering gate

Offer no search, or search that returns irrelevant marketing pages

Page-level feedback widgets, search analytics, and Plausible integration to identify content gaps before developers churn

Block content updates behind engineering deploys and slow release cycles

Custom component library with callout boxes, API playgrounds, changelog timelines, and live code sandboxes embedded in MDX

Built on a Modern, Secure Stack

Astro StarlightMDXPagefindAlgoliaOpenAPIVercelGitHub ActionsTailwind CSS

Our Development Process

From discovery to launch. Quality at every step.

01

Content & Architecture Audit

Week 1

We map your existing documentation, API specs, and content sources. You get an information architecture with a defined versioning strategy and navigation taxonomy.

02

Starlight Setup + Design System

Week 1-2

We stand up Astro Starlight, configure your brand theme, dark mode, sidebar structure, and deploy pipeline. You see a working site by end of week.

03

Content Migration + OpenAPI Integration

Week 2-3

We migrate existing docs to MDX, auto-generate API reference from your spec, and wire up search indexing with Pagefind or Algolia.

04

QA, Performance + SEO

Week 3-4

Lighthouse audit, broken link checks, structured data markup, sitemap generation, and cross-browser testing including mobile.

05

Launch + Team Onboarding

Week 4

We deploy to production, onboard your DevRel and engineering teams on the content workflow, and hand over runbooks for versioning and updates.

Social Animal

Ready to discuss your your docs site lost you 40% of trial signups last quarter project?

Get a free quote

Documentation Sites from $6,000

Fixed-fee. 30-day post-launch support included. See all packages →

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Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Starlight ships zero client-side JavaScript by default — faster page loads, higher Lighthouse scores. It supports MDX, React, Vue, Svelte, and Solid components within the same project. Docusaurus is React-only and ships a heavier JS bundle. For documentation sites where performance and SEO matter, Starlight consistently wins.
Yes. We export your content from GitBook, ReadMe, Confluence, or any Markdown-based platform, restructure it into MDX, and migrate it to Starlight with proper redirects. Existing URLs get 301 redirects so you don't lose search rankings. Most migrations wrap up within one to two weeks depending on page count.
We set up a versioning workflow tied to your release cycle. Each version gets its own content directory. Users pick their product version from a dropdown, and the entire sidebar and content update accordingly. Old versions stay indexed by search engines and accessible via direct URL.
Pagefind is a static search index that runs entirely in the browser — no external dependencies, no cost. Algolia DocSearch is a hosted service with typo tolerance, analytics, and faceted search. We recommend Pagefind for most docs sites and Algolia when you need search analytics or you're dealing with 1,000+ pages.
Absolutely. We set up a Git-based workflow where your team edits MDX files directly in GitHub and changes deploy automatically via CI/CD. For non-technical contributors, we can wire in a headless CMS like Keystatic or Tina that gives them a visual editor with live preview.
We auto-generate interactive API reference pages directly from your OpenAPI spec file. The build pipeline pulls the latest spec from your repo, generates endpoint pages with request/response examples, and deploys them alongside your guides. When your API changes, the docs update on the next build.
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Need enterprise scale?

200+ employee company? Complex multi-tenant, auction, or multi-location requirement? We have a dedicated enterprise capability track.

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Get Your Docs Site Assessment

We'll review your current documentation and deliver a quote within 24 hours.

Or book a 30-minute call
Get in touch

Let's build
something together.

Whether it's a migration, a new build, or an SEO challenge — the Social Animal team would love to hear from you.

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