Can people use my website?

What every small business homepage needs

I want to talk about something I get asked about more than almost anything else. And that is: why is my website not getting me any enquiries? It is a fair question. You have got a website. It exists. People can find it, presumably. So why is nobody picking up the phone or filling in the contact form? A lot of the time, when I actually look at the site, the answer is pretty obvious. And it usually starts on the homepage. So today I want to walk through what a small business homepage actually needs to do. Not what it should look like. Not colours or fonts or any of that. What it needs to do. Because those are different things. This is not a very long episode. I am going to keep it practical. Hi, I’m Andrew Backhouse. My site is https://andrewbackhouse.design [https://andrewbackhouse.design] and in this episode of “A web designer in Harrogate did what?!”, I'm talking about the essentials every small business website needs on their homepage. Follow Andrew: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewadesigner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewadesigner

Your website is not your brochure

Today we are talking about something I say to almost every client. Your website is not your brochure. Hi, I’m Andrew Backhouse. My site is https://andrewbackhouse.design [https://andrewbackhouse.design] and in this episode of “A web designer in Harrogate did what?!”, I'm talking about why lots of small business websites work exactly like brochures - they look nice, they list the services, they have a phone number at the bottom. And, then the owner wonders why nobody is getting in touch. Follow Andrew: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewadesigner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewadesigner

Accessible design is for everyone

Welcome to the eighth episode of "A web designer in Harrogate did what?!" Today I want to talk about something that affects every single person who uses a website, an app, or a phone. And yet, most people have never heard the term for it. It is called accessible design. And no - it is not just for disabled people Before I go any further, I want to be clear about something, Making things accessible for disabled people is the right thing to do, full stop. But today I am focusing on something slightly different; I want to show you how design choices made for accessibility end up helping all of us every day, without us even noticing. Hi, I’m Andrew Backhouse. My site is ⁠https://andrewbackhouse.design⁠ [https://andrewbackhouse.design] and in this episode of “A web designer in Harrogate did what?!”, I am exploring value based pricing; but, this approach isn't without difficulty. It takes confidence to quote a higher number and hold your ground. Some clients, especially smaller local businesses, are used to comparing hourly rates - and a fixed fee without a visible hourly breakdown can feel opaque to them. Follow Andrew: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewadesigner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewadesigner

Stop charging by the hour - try value-based pricing. What I charge for web design.

Most of us start the same way - pick an hourly rate, estimate how long something will take, multiply the two, and send a quote. That method has a name - it's called time-and-rate estimating. On the surface it feels fair and logical. The problem is it ties your income directly to your hours. The better you get, the faster you work - and the less you earn for the same result. That's a system that penalises you for improving. Hi, I’m Andrew Backhouse. My site is https://andrewbackhouse.design [https://andrewbackhouse.design] and in this episode of “A web designer in Harrogate did what?!”, I am exploring value based pricing; but, this approach isn't without difficulty. It takes confidence to quote a higher number and hold your ground. Some clients, especially smaller local businesses, are used to comparing hourly rates - and a fixed fee without a visible hourly breakdown can feel opaque to them. Follow Andrew: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewadesigner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewadesigner

Why accessible design is good for business

Today I want to talk about accessibility Before you assume this is going to be a technical deep-dive into WCAG guidelines and ARIA labels, let me be clear: this episode is about money It's about why making your website accessible is one of the smartest commercial decisions a business can make Hi, I’m Andrew Backhouse. My site is https://andrewbackhouse.design [https://andrewbackhouse.design] and in this episode of “A web designer in Harrogate did what?!”, I am exploring why when I bring up accessibility in a client conversation, the response is usually polite but vague People nod, they agree it's important, and then they ask whether it's going to add time and cost to the project So today I want to flip that question around The real question is: what is inaccessibility costing you right now? Follow Andrew: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewadesigner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewadesigner