About The X Concept
Founder-led since 2001.
Still hands-on today.
The X Concept is a San Diego WordPress and digital marketing agency founded by Charles Oreve in July 2001. Twenty-five years later, the person who answers your call is still the person who builds your website.
- Founded July 2001
- Nothing outsourced
- Hourly billing, no packages
- from 83 Google reviews
- 5.0★
- years in business
- 25+
- case studies
- 77
- clients
- 77
Founder
Meet Charles Oreve
Charles was born and raised in Paris. After six months at a Paris marketing agency, he moved to San Diego in 2001 and opened The X Concept as a one-person studio, hand-coding websites in HTML and Flash before moving on to PHP and MySQL.
Twenty-five years later he is still the one doing the work. Strategy, design, development, SEO, copywriting and marketing automation all happen in-house: no account managers, no offshore team, no subcontractors. When you call, text or email, you get Charles.
He works in English, French and Spanish, and when he is not in the office, you will probably find him on the golf course at Torrey Pines.
Why clients trust us
The numbers behind the handshake
No inflated stats: just how we have worked for twenty-five years.
5.0
★★★★★
Google rating
From 83 Google reviews
25 years
In business since July 2001
From hand-coded HTML and Flash to WordPress and AI powered custom builds. We have rebuilt the web with our clients several times over.
0
Subcontractors
Every project is planned, built and supported in-house by the founder. Your logins, your data and your website never pass through a third party.
20
Years on WordPress
WordPress specialists since 2006.
3
Languages
English, French and Spanish.
Transparency
Hourly billing. No packages.
A written estimate before work starts and an invoice that lists exactly what was done. You pay for the hours worked, nothing else.
10–15 hrs
For a typical simple website
Lean builds, no page-builder bloat, no padded timelines.
Start with a free 30-minute call
We look at your current site and tell you honestly what is worth fixing, and what is not.
Book a call
Our story
Twenty-five years, two coasts of the Pacific, one founder
- 01
2001: San Diego
Charles opens The X Concept in July 2001 as a one-person studio, hand-coding sites in HTML and Flash, then PHP and MySQL.
- 02
2002: Maui
In December 2002 the studio moves to Maui and spends about twelve years building websites and marketing for action sports brands.
- 03
2006: WordPress
The agency standardizes on WordPress, which is still the foundation of every site we build.
- 04
2014: Back in San Diego
Back on the mainland, the services grow: SEO, email marketing, social media and IT support for law firms, healthcare practices and real estate teams.
- 05
Today: AI Powered Websites
AI speeds up how Charles builds, and every site is ready for AI search: fast, structured and easy for Google and ChatGPT to recommend. Still founder-led, for clients nationwide.
How we work
Four steps, no surprises
1. Understand your goals
We start with what the website has to do for your business: calls, consultations, orders or applications.
2. Strategy and estimate
A plain-language plan and a written hourly estimate, before any work begins.
3. Build the ecosystem
Website, SEO, analytics and email, built to work together and owned by you.
4. Measure and improve
We track what matters, report it clearly and adjust where the numbers say to.
Google reviews
What clients say about working with Charles
★★★★★
The efficient solutions to help on marketing campaign has shown great results. I am very satisfied with the professional approach.
Wesley Chen
Google review
★★★★★
Charles (the X Concept) and I were a combination that almost never would happen. But Charles’ love for golf and interaction made this possible. We spoke about Charles’ long standing history of building great websites from small to mid-big business. He had my ear at the Torrey pines golf course as him and I were both singles on the course. I committed to his business and ideas after speaking to him for about a month. He threw in ideas for my urgent care websites (Newmed Immediate Care and Cermak Immediate Care) that I had never been pitched to before. Prior to joining Charles, I was using a run of the mill website dev company that handled accounts like mine by the 100s. There is a difference with Charles. He is the company and he is a tireless worker who believes in his craft and passion. I am happy I accidentally bumped into him and I can tell you that my business is way better with his help in SEO, aesthetic appeal and being there when I need him. Thank you Charles and the X concept.
Ruchir Thakkar
Google review
★★★★★
I highly recommend Charles! He is incredibly responsive, even when he was out of the country, and always made sure to get back to me quickly. He works efficiently without sacrificing quality, and the finished work was exactly what I needed. It’s hard to find someone who is both quick and dependable while still producing great work, but he definitely is.he also takes the time to educate his clients.
Susan Banks
Ingress, via Google
Recent work
Projects we are proud of
Devaney Pate Morris & Cameron
2 Practice divisions organized
Blue Flame Studio
1 Instagram-fed portfolio grid
Mission One Builders
3 Business lines on one site
NewMed Immediate Care: SEO and an ACF-Powered, Location-Aware Website for a Three-Clinic Urgent Care
3 Clinics, one location-aware site
SDLRLA Scholarship Fund: A Donor-Ready Website for the Next Generation of Latino Lawyers
$650K+ Awarded since 2007
About The X Concept: quick answers
Who founded The X Concept?
Charles Oreve founded The X Concept in San Diego in July 2001. Born and raised in Paris, he still leads and works on every project himself.
Is The X Concept a large agency?
No. It is a founder-led agency: strategy, design, development, SEO, copywriting and marketing automation are all handled in-house by Charles, with no outsourcing or subcontracting.
How does The X Concept bill for its work?
By the hour. You receive a written estimate before work starts and an invoice that lists exactly what was done. There are no packages and no charges for work that did not happen.
How long does a website take to build?
A simple website typically takes 10 to 15 hours of work. Larger sites with custom features, migrations or many pages are estimated individually before the project starts.
Where is The X Concept located, and do you work with clients outside San Diego?
The office is at 8525 Gibbs Drive, Suite 304, San Diego, CA 92037. Clients are nationwide; most projects run entirely by phone, video call and email.
Which industries do you work with?
Mainly law firms and legal organizations, healthcare practices and real estate teams, along with restaurants, hospitality, nonprofits and professional services. We are open to any industry.
What languages do you work in?
English, French and Spanish.
Work with Charles
Tell us what your website should be doing for you
A free 30-minute intro call. No pitch deck, no package to upsell, just an honest look at your site.