Web design for Middleton businesses, from a local web designer in Heywood

I’m not based in Middleton. I’m based in Heywood, and I work with businesses in Middleton, Heywood, Rochdale and Bury. Middleton and Heywood both sit in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, so we share a council even though we’re different towns.

Middleton lies about 5 miles from Rochdale and about 5 miles from Manchester, with Blackley to the south and Moston to the south-east. Its land is joined up with other urban areas on its southern and eastern sides, so there is no clear line where Middleton stops. The M62 passes to the north (junction 19 is close), the M60 passes to the south (you reach it at junction 19 in Rhodes), and Mills Hill railway station is a mile east of the town centre with direct trains to Rochdale and Manchester Victoria.

So a Middleton business often has customers who don’t think in council boundaries at all. That affects your site:

• Say which neighbourhoods you cover, honestly. Middleton has areas people actually use: Alkrington, Boarshaw, Langley, Rhodes, Hopwood, Tonge, Thornham and more. If you cover them, name them. If you also work in Blackley, Moston or further into Manchester, say that too. If you don’t, leave it off.
• Don’t copy and paste a page for every area. A page per suburb that says the same thing over and over is no use to a customer. One clear page that says where you work does the job.
• Make the next step obvious. A tap-to-call number and a short enquiry form, on every page.
• Tell people what makes you different. Many Middleton businesses are owner-run and well known on their patch. Your site should sound like the person who answers the phone.
• Work on a phone. Most people will see your site on a small screen first, so I design for that from the start.

Nearby? See web design in Rochdale and web design in Bury. Working in the trades? My free quote template may help too.

A lot of Middleton trades and services go out to customers rather than wait for them to come in. Google splits businesses into three: a shop front, a service-area business that visits customers and doesn’t serve them at its own address, and a hybrid that does both. For a service-area business, Google says you can list the cities, postcodes or areas you serve, up to 20, and that if you don’t serve customers at your business address you should remove the address from your profile.

That matters for your website too. If you work from home, you don’t have to put your home address on show to customers. You should still describe where you cover in plain words, and give people a phone number and form to reach you. If you run a limited company, there is one thing the law requires: GOV.UK says a limited company’s website must show its registered number, its registered office address, where it is registered, and that it is a limited company. I’ll help you get that right. Read more in how to set up a Google Business Profile for a trade business.

Depending on what you need, we can work together on:

• The page plan. Which pages you need, and what each one should answer.
• A responsive design built around your own words, photos and services, designed to work on phones and desktops.
• Clear service information and contact routes, so a customer ready to enquire can do it in a moment.
• The practical details to publish the site, including your domain.
• Business email to match. A new site is a good time to move from a Gmail or Hotmail address to one with your business name, set up with Google Workspace.

The exact deliverables are agreed before the build starts, and a project only begins once scope, price, timings and payment terms are agreed in writing.

The ICO says that when you collect personal details, you must tell people who you are and how to contact you, why you use their details, your lawful basis, how long you keep the details, and what rights they have. A short note by the form and a privacy page cover it. I’m a web designer, not a solicitor, so for anything specific to your business, check the ICO or your own adviser.

• 1. A free 30 minute call. Tell me about your business and what you want people to do on your site.
• 2. A written scope and price. You know what you’re getting and what it costs before any work starts.
• 3. Design and build. I plan the pages, shape the service copy around your input, and build the site.
• 4. Review and publish. You check it on your phone and your computer, then it goes live.

What to have ready. You don’t need everything figured out. A logo and any brand colours, the services or products you want to feature, existing text and photos, and your domain details if you have them are enough to start.

I’ve built three live sites: this one, The Dog Geezer and JG Fitness. They are my own businesses, not client results, so you can look at the design and judge it yourself. Browse them on the projects page.

The price depends on how many pages you need, and it’s agreed in writing before any work starts. See the current starting prices on the web design page, or ask me on a call.

Are you based in Middleton? No. I’m based in Heywood, in the same borough, and I work with businesses in Middleton, Heywood, Rochdale and Bury.

I’m on the edge of Middleton and Manchester. Is that a problem? No. Say where you work and who you serve, and the site is built around that. Tell me on the call which areas you cover.

Do I have to meet in person? No. Most of it can be done by phone and email.

How much does a website cost? It depends on the size of the site. The price is agreed before any work starts, and you can see the starting prices on the web design page.

Will it work on mobile phones? Yes. Phone screens are part of the design from the start.

Can you set up business email too? Yes. I can set up email with your business name using Google Workspace, connect your domain and get it working on your phone and computer.

Can I see websites you’ve built? Yes. Three live sites are on my projects page. They are my own businesses.

Stuck on something techy first? Send me one techy thing that’s bugging you and I’ll sort it free. Tell me what it is.