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Independent shops & makers
Butchers, bookshops, tailors, bakers - small businesses that care about how things look and how they are made.
Open for new enquiries
AboutA small York studio
A small studio,made for small businesses.
A York-based web studio quietly building bespoke, sensibly-priced websites for independent shops, tradespeople and studios. We handle the website, so you can handle the business.
NoteThe promise
We build the website properly, then stay quietly out of the way - so you can keep doing what you actually came here to do.
Most small businesses do not want to become website managers. They want a site that looks right, works properly, and is looked after by someone careful - so they can get back to the shop, the workshop, the diary, or whatever it is they actually do.
That is the whole job of this studio. We do the website side with calm competence, and keep it that way after launch. You get on with the business. We stay on hand for whatever the site needs next.
I.Who we're for
Built for small, good businesses.
If you run a small, independent business and you need a better website without the fuss of a big agency - you are likely the kind of person we were set up to work with.
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Tradespeople & local services
Electricians, joiners, gardeners, cleaners - people who are rarely at a desk and need the site to work quietly on their behalf.
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Studios & small practices
Designers, therapists, consultants, solicitors - small teams who want a site that matches the care they put into the work itself.
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Cafes, salons, venues
Places customers turn to for opening hours, a booking, a menu or a quick way to get in touch - with none of it buried.
If your business is not on this list, send a note anyway. We are happy to say so honestly if we are not the right fit, and usually point you toward someone who is.
II.Bespoke & affordable
Properly custom. Sensibly priced.
“Bespoke” and “affordable” are often treated as opposites. For a small, careful studio making small, careful sites, they don’t have to be.
BespokeDrawn around you
Designed around the business, not dropped into a template.
Every layout starts on a blank page. The order of things, the emphasis, the quiet spots - shaped from your trade, your words and the rhythm of your week, rather than bent out of someone else’s pre-made pattern.
A butcher and a bookbinder should not end up with the same shop, give or take the colours. A bespoke site is one that could only belong to you.
AffordableScoped, not stripped
Sensible, proportionate, not bargain-basement.
Affordable, for us, means right-sized. We scope the site you actually need - nothing bloated, nothing over-engineered - and tell you the full cost upfront. You pay for what matters, not for what sounds impressive on an invoice.
Because the studio is small and the work is focused, we can keep the price honest without cutting the corners that matter. It is a shape that suits small businesses, and it is the shape we chose on purpose.
A bespoke site, made carefully, at a price that makes sense for a small business. No trick, no trade-off - just the right shape of studio for the work.
III.How we work
A working rhythm that stays out of your way.
We lead the website side. You stay involved, but only where a decision is really yours to make. No standing meetings, no endless status calls - just steady, careful progress in the background.
Send a short noteA clear, thoughtful reply
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Read, then reply
A short note is enough to start. We read it carefully, ask only the useful questions, and come back with a clear sense of the site you actually need - and whether we are the right studio for it.
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Light-touch discovery
A few notes, a few questions, a shared doc if that suits you. We gather what we need in a light-touch way, then get on with shaping the site.
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We draft, you edit
We write the first draft, shape the design, and put something real in front of you early. You mark it up, we refine - until the whole thing sounds like you on a good day.
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Launch, and stay nearby
We go live when you are ready. Then we stay nearby as everything settles in - and after, if you would like us to keep the site quietly in good order.
IV.Why a small studio
Small on purpose.
We are not trying to be a bigger studio, slowly. Smallness is not a starting point here - it is the shape we chose, because it suits the work and the people we work with.
I.
The person you email is the person doing the work.
No account managers, no handoffs. If you have a question about the site, it comes back to the person actually doing the work.
Direct contact
II.
A handful of projects, properly considered.
We take on a small number of builds at a time so each one gets proper attention. Fewer projects, more care - and none of the corner-cutting that comes with a crowded studio.
Fewer, better
III.
Shaped around small businesses.
The studio is built around clear, sensible websites for independent businesses. The work stays close, the process stays straightforward, and the site is shaped around real day-to-day needs.
Right-sized
V.After launch
Launch isn’t the end of our part.
We stay nearby after launch for the bits you only notice once the site is really live. After that, many clients take up a quiet monthly care plan so the site stays in good order without ever needing their attention.
Hosting looked after. Small edits handled. Quiet upkeep in the background. You stay focused on running the business - we keep the website quietly where it should be.
The quiet layer
- A settling-in period after launch, without any fuss.
- Optional monthly care for hosting, upkeep and small edits.
- Direct contact by email, whenever you need us.
VI.Hello, then
Tell us about your business.
A sentence or two about what you do, and what you are hoping a website might do for you, is the best place to start. We'll reply with thoughtful questions — or, if we are not the right fit, an honest recommendation of who is.
Prefer to write?hello@getyorkwebdesign.com