A Web Design Company (with a difference) in Huddersfield
If you’re looking for a web design company in Huddersfield you are either spoilt for choice or face an overwhelming number of different options, depending on your disposition. From agencies large and small to freelancers, print shops reskinning generic templates, IT companies who understand tech but have no design skills, and of course the ubiquitous “powered by AI” drag-and-drop builders offered by Wix, GoDaddy and the like.
I am an award-winning freelance web designer, copywriter, and conceptual creative. I’ve designed and built websites for franchised car dealers, construction management consultancies, bike shops, online retailers, a flight experience, water cooler providers, sewage recycling equipment providers, process control engineers, self-storage warehouses, solicitors, physiotherapists, forklift truck manufacturers and dealerships, automotive bodyshops, structural engineers, alloy wheel refurbishers, caravan storage providers, flooring contractors… you get the idea. I’ve got a lot of experience and have worked with businesses of all sizes – from large multinationals to family-owned independents.
Businesses choose to work with me, as a freelancer, rather than a larger web design company for a few reasons. Of course, there’s the cost saving. All those account executives and account managers and account directors have to be paid for and its you, the client, that’s paying. My clients deal directly with me. No Chinese whispers, just direct collaborative working with the person designing and building your website. You’ll understand why I propose a certain solution and I get to understand how your business works, the challenges it faces, and your business goals. It’s a win-win. If you’d like to find out more, feel free to get in touch to discuss your website project.
Can I build a website with AI?
Companies like Wix, Squarespace and GoDaddy are all trumpeting their website builders as being “powered by AI”. What does this mean? It means they’ll suggest a website based on your answers to a few questions. It’ll offer no more advantage over browsing a gallery of templates and picking the one that you feel best reflects your business. The demo sites that people like Wix and GoDaddy show you use professional photography that most small businesses do not have and don’t have the budget to commission. These demo sites also usually have minimal wording. This is problematic for two reasons. Firstly, you are paying for a website so obviously are looking to tell potential customers all the things that are going to bring them to your door. Secondly, you want to tell Google (and other search engines) the same things only in a specific format that will help you climb the search engine results page so people find you more easily. AI generated copy isn’t going to get you a decent ranking on Google or any other search engine.
What type of website do I need?
Website can be divided into static sites, where you have to change the code to change the content, and content management systems (CMS) where you login to a back office and can make changes yourself. The most popular content management system is WordPress. It powers over 800 million websites and is supported by a network of developers across the world. If you are planning to sell directly from your website you will need some form of e-commerce platform. WordPress uses WooCommerce, a system that accepts all major credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay. WooCommerce charges a small percentage of each transaction but doesn’t charge a monthly subscription fee.
Shopify is an out-and-out e-Commerce platform aimed at selling, rather than offering websites that simply tell you about a business. It charges a monthly fee plus transaction charges. Having built web stores with both WooCommerce and Shopify I have found business owners tend to prefer Shopify over WooCommerce. Neither is a bad system and if you’d like to discuss which may be best for your business please get in touch.
What is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and do I need it?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) means constructing your website in a way that makes it as easy as possible for search engines to find relevant information. Put simply, if someone is searching for “hand made clothing” then key parts of your website needs to contain information relevant to “hand made clothing”. This is not a case of adding the phrase multiple times to every page. (That will actually harm your search engine ranking.) With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) search engines are becoming very sophisticated at determining what is relevant content and what is filler. Conversely, AI summaries that appear at the top of search results pages often contain factually incorrect answers or read like it was written by a hihg schooler who didn’t read the homework and is trying to bluff their way out of detention. Ranking highly, and having the AI summary extract the key phrases you want people to find, is more important than ever.
Many companies will charge you extra for ‘optimising’ your website. I believe SEO is as key a part of your website as the content and visual look. To find out more get in touch today.
What else do I need to get my business online?
You’ll need a domain name and you’ll need web hosting (somewhere for your website’s files to live). It isn’t critical where you buy your domain name but there are some things to consider when choosing a hosting provider. For me the key consideration is what level of support you will receive if something goes wrong. For example, GoDaddy only offer telephone support. If you aren’t technically minded you’ll have no idea what they’re telling you. Another important consideration is whether your site will be sharing a server (the computer that serves the website to visitors), have its own server, or have its own dedicated quota of server resources. Beware cheap hosting packages that will have your website sharing a server with numerous others, resulting in a slow and unreliable site.
Check out the reviews of any potential hosting companies. I use SiteGround or recommend a colleague who offers high quality, reliable WordPress hosting at a great price. To find out more get in touch today.
Why use a freelancer instead of an agency?
The short answer is you’ll get the same standard of work for a lot less money. Some people like being taken to lunch and visiting swanky offices but at the end of the day you – the client – are paying for those offices. Big companies like to use big agencies. If you’re the person responsible for balancing the books at the end of each month, then let’s talk.
What types of small businesses do you build websites for?
As mentioned at the top of the page, I have built websites for a multitude of businesses including online retailers, independent garages, franchised motor dealerships, a flight experience operator, multiple forklift truck dealers, solicitors, physiotherapists, recruitment agencies, kiln dried log suppliers, a parish council, flooring contractors, restaurants, an eye clinic, a plastering school, a water cooler supplier, and an industrial process control business. I’ve created transactional websites and websites in mulitple languages, and also turned existing websites into something that looks and performs a whole lot better. To find out more please get in touch today.