Affordable web design in York
Why My Website Design Services Are Truly Affordable
When I first started out in web design, I made a decision that still shapes my work today. That was to offer small businesses an affordable, honest path to getting online. This eliminates the stress of high fees or unnecessary ongoing costs.
How Do I Keep Costs Low?
A big part of this is simple—I don’t charge monthly fees. Many web design companies bundle in ongoing costs for things you may not actually need. With me, you pay once for your website, and it’s yours to run and build on.
The websites I build are designed to be low-maintenance. As long as you keep up with your domain name and hosting (through a provider of your choice), your website should keep running smoothly. I have sites that haven’t needed a single update in years and are still working perfectly.
Of course, if something changes drastically with browsers or hosting platforms, updates might be needed—but that’s rare. Compare that with a WordPress site, which typically needs weekly updates to plugins and themes just to stay secure and functional. That’s one of the reasons many designers charge an ongoing maintenance fee.
What About SEO?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is another service that often comes with ongoing costs. Whilst SEO can be valuable, not every business needs a full SEO package.
Many SEO companies focus on "link building". This involves securing backlinks from high-authority websites, which can help boost your ranking. A link from a trusted site like a university or government page can be incredibly powerful.
But low-quality links from spammy or irrelevant websites can actually harm your ranking. And since Google’s algorithms change regularly, there are no guarantees.
Here’s the thing: not all websites need a big link-building strategy. One of my clients has had a thriving site since 2012 with very few links, simply because the content speaks clearly and directly to her customers. Her website is jargon-free, focused on what her clients need, and easy to understand—and that’s what keeps her busy with more work than she can handle.
If you're in a highly competitive industry, we might need to look at more SEO tactics—including social media. But again, there’s a lot you can do yourself. For example, another client of mine reached the first page of Google within a month by regularly posting her work on Instagram.
So before you sign up for any ongoing SEO package, let’s talk. I’ll help you understand what it really involves and whether it’s something you can manage yourself. Often, just writing strong, customer-focused content is enough.
Collaboration from the Start
Before I begin building anything, we’ll have a detailed conversation. I want you to understand the plan and know what I’ll need from you. The more effort that is put into your website’s text, the cheaper and more effective your website will be in the long run. The text needs to be written with the customers' perspective in mind. It needs to answer their basic questions. If we can crack that one, the less likely it is you’ll need to pay for ongoing SEO help later.
When your website truly speaks to your audience, they’ll find you. Google rewards sites that are helpful, relevant, and customer-focused.
If it works for you and your customers now, it’s likely to keep working long into the future.
It's also important to say that we don't need to create text for every page from day one. I'm quite happy to launch with a few pages and build further pages as the creative writing juices begin to flow! In fact I think that that is a very positive way to proceed.
Need a Logo?
While I’m not a graphic designer, I do have access to a smart tool that can generate simple, professional logos based on your business name. It’s a great starting point, and I’m happy to help you use it—free of charge.
If you'd like, we can meet (in person or over Zoom), and I can walk you through how it works and show you some options to consider.
