How it works
How a small business website gets built, step by step
You should know exactly what happens, what it costs, and what you have to do, before you agree to anything. Here is the whole process, with nothing hidden in the middle.
The six steps to getting a small business website built
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We talk, at no charge
A conversation about your business: what you sell, who buys it, how people find you now, and what you want the website to do. No jargon, no pressure, no cost.
You will get a straight answer on whether a website is even the right next step for you.
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We write the plan down
You get it in writing: which pages there will be, what each page says, what you need to supply, and what it costs, itemized. Nothing starts until you have read it and agreed to it.
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We build a real page early
Not a picture of a website in a slide deck. A working page on a private link, on your own phone, with your words and your photographs in it, so you can react to something real.
This is the stage where you do most of your talking, and that is exactly right.
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We finish it together
Your corrections, your photographs, your details, one round at a time until you are happy with it. We would rather do three small rounds than one big guess.
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We check everything before anyone sees it
Load speed on a phone, page weight, links, the phone link tapping correctly, the spelling, the page titles and descriptions, and how it looks on a small screen. We measure these rather than assuming them, and we tell you what the numbers were.
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It goes live, and you own it
The site goes onto your domain, in your name. You get the logins. If you want us to look after it afterwards, we do; if you do not, it still works, and it is still yours.
On timing: we have deliberately left exact durations out of this page. A page that promises "two weeks" without knowing your project is how people end up disappointed. You will get real dates in writing before work starts.
What you have to do
Very little, but the little matters. Projects slow down when these four things are missing, so here they are up front.
- One conversation about your business, your customers and what you want the site to achieve.
- Your details — services, hours, service area, and the phone number and email you want customers to use.
- Whatever photographs you already have, on a phone is fine. If you have none, say so early and we will plan around it.
- A quick read of what we write, and a yes or a correction. You are the only person who knows whether the words sound like you.
You do not need to write anything, learn any software, or understand any of the technical side. That is our job.
Questions owners ask us
- What does a website cost?
- It depends on what the site has to do, and we quote you before any work starts rather than after. Every project is itemized, so you can see what each part is for. If a smaller option would serve you just as well, we will say so.
- How long does it take?
- We do not publish a fixed number of weeks, because a two-page site and a site with online booking are not the same job. Before work starts you get the stages and the dates in writing, and you see a working page early in the project.
- Do I own my website and my domain?
- Yes. Your domain is registered in your name, your content belongs to you, and your website is yours. If you ever want to move it, or move on, you take all of it with you. We would rather keep you by doing good work than by making leaving difficult.
- Will my business show up first on Google?
- Nobody can promise that, and anyone who does is selling something. What we can do is make your site fast, correct and clearly about your business and your service area, set up your Google Business Profile properly, and then tell you what we can measure.
- What do you need from me?
- About an hour for the first conversation, your logo if you have one, photographs of your work if you have them, and your service list with your real hours. If you do not have photographs, we will work with what you have and say so plainly rather than filling your site with stock pictures of strangers.
- What happens when I want to change something later?
- You ask, and we change it. Small changes are part of ongoing care. Bigger changes, like a new section or a new booking feature, get quoted before we start, so there is never a surprise on an invoice.
Still unsure about something? Ask us directly — a question costs nothing, and an honest "you do not need this" is a perfectly good answer.
Tell us about your business
One conversation is enough to know whether we are a fit. Bring your questions, your budget and your doubts. If we are not right for you, we will say so and point you somewhere better.