Frequently Asked Questions

Most small businesses do. Around 80% of people Google a business before they contact it — even when they've had a personal recommendation. Word of mouth still travels, but in 2026 it travels through Google first. A website catches those recommendations before they leak away. It also makes you visible to AI tools like ChatGPT when someone asks who's a good tradesman near Luton.

Full breakdown: Do I really need a website?

Yes, if it's built to convert — not just to exist. A website that clearly says what you do and where, shows photos of real completed work, and has a visible phone number will generate enquiries. A slow, vague, or mobile-unfriendly site won't. The difference isn't having a website; it's having one that works.

No — and it shouldn't try. They do different jobs. Social media builds awareness and keeps you visible to people who already know you. A website converts strangers who are actively searching for what you offer. The winning setup is a professional website as your permanent base, with social media feeding traffic into it. You own your website; a platform can suspend your Facebook page overnight with no appeal.

For most small businesses, a professionally built site from a local freelancer costs £500–£2,000 as a one-off. A one-page site with everything you need typically lands under £1,000. Agencies charge £3,000–£10,000+ for the same job. DIY builders like Wix look like £10/month but cost £540–£1,000 over three years — plus your own time.

Full breakdown: Website cost in Luton 2026

Yes. A well-built single-page site — your headline, services, photos, reviews, and contact details — costs under £500 and outperforms most multi-page sites built on page-builders. For many sole traders that's genuinely all that's needed. Get in touch and describe your situation; if a simpler approach fits, that's what I'll recommend.

Rarely. £40 per month is £1,440 over three years, and you usually don't own the site at the end — cancel and you lose everything. A one-off build you own outright almost always costs less over three years, and you're not tied to anyone's pricing or platform forever.

The main ones with WordPress: hosting (£10–£30/month), plugin licences (£50–£200/year), and monthly care plans for updates and security patches (£30–£100/month). These add £500–£1,500 per year on top of the build cost. Static sites avoid all of it — no plugins, no database, no monthly maintenance fees. I quote everything itemised upfront so there are no surprises after launch.

For most small business sites — one page or a few pages — typically two to four weeks from receiving your content. The most common delay isn't the build; it's waiting for photos and copy from the client. Come to the kickoff with your best job photos and a clear list of your services, and things move much faster.

Ten things: a clear headline saying what you do and where, a visible phone number, your services in plain English, photos of your real work, customer reviews, an about section with your face, a simple contact form, mobile-friendly design, fast loading speed, and basic local SEO.

Full checklist: What should a business website include?

Yes — over 60% of local business searches happen on a phone. Someone standing in their garden with a problem, searching for help right now. If they have to pinch and zoom, most will leave before they've read anything. Every site I build is designed mobile-first, then scaled up for desktop — not the other way around.

They want to answer three questions within five seconds: what do you do, can I trust you, and how do I contact you. That means a clear headline, photos of real completed work (not stock images), customer reviews with names and locations, and a visible phone number. Anything that doesn't answer one of those three questions is decoration.

Look for: a portfolio of real live sites (not just mockups), transparent itemised pricing, evidence they understand your type of business, and clear answers about who owns the domain and files after the project. Ask whether you can take your site to another developer if you part ways. Be cautious of anyone who registers your domain on your behalf, or can't show you live working examples.

With QCSIT, you own everything — your domain, your files, your content. If I were unavailable tomorrow, you'd have everything needed to hand the site to another developer the same day. The HTML, CSS, and image files are yours outright, with no proprietary platform lock-in. This is the right question to ask any designer before you sign anything.

Yes. Text, photos, services, prices — I can make changes quickly, usually same day or next day. For clients who want full independence, I can also train you to edit the source files yourself. There's no locked CMS or proprietary system standing between you and your content.

Core content — services, contact details, about — can stay stable for months. What benefits from regular updates: project photos (add a new batch every few months) and customer reviews (add new ones as you receive them). Crucially, a static site needs no software updates, plugin patches, or security maintenance — that's one of the main reasons I build them.

Static sites are inherently the most secure type of website. There's no database to breach, no admin login to attack, and no server-side code for hackers to exploit. WordPress sites are compromised regularly through outdated plugins; a static site has none of those vulnerabilities. Every site I build also includes HTTPS, strict security headers (HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options), and content policy rules configured at the server level.

Yes, but it depends on how it's built. Key factors: fast loading speed, mobile-friendly design, your town and service areas mentioned naturally in the text, proper page titles and meta descriptions, and LocalBusiness schema markup that tells Google exactly who you are and where you work. All of these are built in as standard — not extras you pay more for.

Four things working together: a Google Business Profile (free — set this up first if you haven't), your website mentioning your town and service areas naturally in the text, consistent business name, address, and phone number across your site and all directories, and LocalBusiness schema markup. Google wants to know you exist, where you work, and that you're legitimate — a properly built site gives it all of that.

If you'll actually write it — yes. A blog updated regularly brings genuine Google traffic from people searching for answers, and it builds authority in your trade over time. A blog with two posts from 2024 does the opposite; it signals that nobody's home. Be honest with yourself. If writing isn't realistic, invest that budget in better photos and more customer reviews instead.

Confusing having a website with having one that works. The most common version: a site that looks fine on desktop but breaks on mobile, takes five seconds to load, uses stock photos, has vague copy about "quality craftsmanship," and buries the phone number on a contact page. Visitors give you about five seconds. If those five seconds don't answer what you do, where you work, and how to call you — they leave. I build to answer those three questions first, every time.