I.
Drawn up, not dropped in.
Every layout starts on a blank page. We sketch first, then build. No off-the-shelf pattern, no dragging blocks about. The shape of your site comes from your business - the order of things, the emphasis, the quiet spots.
Open for new projects
Service No. 01Bespoke websites
Websites drawn upfrom scratch, around you.
No templates, no off-the-shelf shortcuts. Every site we make is drawn up from the ground up, fitted to the particulars of your trade, your customers, and the shape of your week. Small websites, properly made - the way your business probably is.
NoteWhat we mean by bespoke
A bespoke site is one that could only belong to you. Built to fit your words, your customers and the particular rhythm of your trade - not the other way round.
Templates are quick, but they will always betray the seams. A butcher and a bookbinder end up with the same shop, give or take the colours. We think local businesses deserve more than that.
So we draw every page up from a blank sheet. The typography, the spacing, the way a customer lands on the phone number on a Saturday morning - all of it considered, and then considered again.
I.What hand-built means
Four small commitments behind every build.
“Hand-built” is a nice phrase, but it should mean something in practice. On our bench, it means these four things - no matter the size of the site.
II.
Simple to use, easy to trust.
The site should feel clear, quick and dependable from the first click. Pages load briskly, the layout stays tidy, and everything works the way people expect it to, day in and day out.
III.
Words as a first draft.
We gather what we need in a light-touch way - a few notes, a few questions, a shared doc if that suits you - then write the first draft ourselves. You mark it up, ask for changes, and we keep refining until it sounds like you on a good day.
IV.
Comfortable on any screen.
A bespoke site should feel settled wherever it is opened. We make sure it stays easy to read, easy to tap and easy to trust across phones, tablets and laptops before it goes live.
II.Who it's for
Honest about fit from the first call.
We only take on a handful of projects at a time. That means saying yes carefully - and saying “probably not” when we are not the right studio for the job.
A good fitwe say yes
- You run an independent shop, studio, or small practice in or near York
- Your current site is templated, wonky, or quietly embarrassing
- You want a site that sounds like you wrote it - because you basically did
- You care about accessibility, performance, and quietly-reliable things
- You value something considered and properly looked after
- You would like a real person on email when something needs changing
Probably not uswe'll point you on
- You need an enterprise build with a dozen stakeholders in the room
- You want a full rebrand, logo system, or six months of paid advertising
- You need the site live on Monday, with content you have not written yet
- You want a drag-and-drop editor your team can rearrange on a Tuesday
- You have a 400-page e-commerce catalogue and need SAP to talk to it
- Your priority is cheapest possible - template sites exist and that's fine
If we are not the right fit, we’ll say so on the first call - and usually point you to someone who is. No hard feelings either way.
III.Bespoke vs template
Where the difference actually shows.
Templates have their place. But for a small independent business, the details are the whole game - and this is where they end up diverging.
Detail
Hand-built
A bespoke site, by us
Off-the-shelf
A template, from anywhere
Starting point
BespokeA blank page, shaped around your trade, your words and your customers.
TemplateA pre-built theme bought from a marketplace, then gently bent to fit.
Layout & type
BespokeChosen from scratch. Every margin, every tap target considered and revised.
TemplateInherited from the template. Adjustable within the limits of its grid.
Weight & speed
BespokeLight, quick pages that feel settled even on a bad connection.
TemplateOften heavier and less settled once extra layers start piling up.
Accessibility
BespokePlanned in from the start, so the site stays clear, comfortable and easy to use.
TemplateVaries wildly. Often acceptable at first, then shakier once bits get added or changed.
Words
BespokeDrafted from your notes and our questions, then edited together until it sounds like you on a good day.
TemplateFilled in by you into pre-set slots. Whatever fits the theme's placeholders.
Ownership
BespokeYours. Built cleanly enough that someone else can pick it up later if they ever need to.
TemplateLocked into a specific platform or builder. Migrating later can be painful.
After launch
BespokeTwo weeks of free edits, then a small monthly care plan if you'd like one.
TemplateDIY, or a marketplace support ticket. Theme updates can break the site.
None of this means templates are bad. It means they are a different kind of thing - and knowing the difference helps you choose well.
IV.The build, up close
Six weeks, typically, in six small acts.
Each act builds cleanly on the last. We keep things moving, do the heavy lifting ourselves, and leave room for your direction wherever it matters.
Tell us what you needFree - No obligation
- 01Week 0
The first brief
A short note from you is enough to start. We read carefully, ask only the questions that matter, and come back with an honest sense of whether we're the right studio.
- 02Week 0-1
A plan on paper
A fixed quote, a fixed timeline, and a one-page brief small enough to fit in your apron pocket. No open-ended invoices. No surprises.
- 03Week 1
Notes, questions, first draft
We gather the shape of the site in the least fussy way possible - email, notes, a shared doc, short back-and-forths over a few days. Then we write the first draft and put something tangible in front of you early.
- 04Week 2-3
Design in motion
We draw up a strong first direction and put it in front of you early. If you have a clear preference, we fold it in; if not, we lead. Colours, type, rhythm - refined until the whole thing feels settled.
- 05Week 3-5
The build
We build the site properly, page by page, and keep you close enough to steer whenever a decision is yours to make.
- 06Launch week
A quiet launch
We go live when you say so - usually first thing Tuesday, never on a Friday. Then we stay on hand for two weeks, free of charge, to adjust anything that needs adjusting.
V.Under the hood
Built with boring, dependable tools - so the site doesn’t wobble three years in.
We care about numbers because our clients’ customers do. A slow site on a Yorkshire village’s 4G is a closed shop on a Saturday.
2-6wks
Typical build time
Depending on scope
Day1
Search foundations
Built in from the start
2wks
Free edits after launch
To settle the final details
Care
After launch
If you want us to stay involved
Search foundations built inEasy to use on any screenClear, dependable pagesQuiet analyticsProper launch setupBuilt to lastCare available after launchOptional growth later on
VI.What's included
Everything a small website actually needs.
The exact shape depends on your business, but most bespoke builds end up with something close to the list below - grouped the way we think about it.
A.Design
Drawn up for your business, not lifted off a shelf.
- A bespoke designDrawn from scratch around your words, customers and trade.
- Typography & colour systemChosen for your brand and tested against real-world surfaces.
- Help shaping the wordsWe draft, you edit - or write them yourself if you'd rather.
- Mobile-first layoutsThumb-friendly, tested on old phones, not an afterthought.
B.Build
Built carefully with dependable tools behind the scenes.
- A bespoke buildNo off-the-shelf compromise - just a site built around your business from the start.
- Easy to use from the startClear, comfortable and dependable for the people actually trying to use it.
- A simple way to edit laterEither a small editing setup for the parts that change often, or we do the edits for you. You decide.
- Lightweight, dependable pagesFast to load now, and straightforward to look after later.
C.Launch
A calm, well-prepared switch-on - never on a Friday.
- Reliable hosting, arranged for youUK-based, fast, and one less thing on your mind.
- Domain & email pointed properlyDNS, records, forwarding - sorted before we press go.
- Search foundations built inSchema, metadata, sitemap and the important setup quietly handled before launch.
- A proper handoverWritten notes, a walkthrough, and answers to the obvious questions.
D.Care
Two weeks free after launch, then a plan if you'd like one.
- Two weeks of free tweaksFor the bits you only notice once the site's really live.
- Analytics, but the quiet kindA simple, private sense of how your site is doing.
- A real human on emailNo support tickets, no chat widgets, no forms to fill in.
- Optional ongoing careSmall monthly fee for hosting, edits, and the monthly once-over.
- Optional content and search workLanding pages, articles and steady improvements later on, if you want us to keep building.
VII.The York angle
“Built the way the Minster was - carefully, by people who walk past it.”
We know the streets your
customers walk.
We’re based in York, not managed from London. That means we understand the rhythms of a city that empties in January and floods in December, the difference between a shop on Fossgate and one on Stonegate, and why your sunrise photo of the walls belongs above the fold - not buried three clicks in.
What that means in practice
- 01Copy that mentions your street, your postcode, your neighbours
- 02Search foundations aimed at York searchers, not everyone in Europe
- 03Photo direction that looks like your shop, not a stock bakery
- 04A local studio nearby, if you'd ever like to talk things through
York city centreBishopthorpeCliftonHeslingtonFulfordDringhousesHaxbyAcomb
VIII.Questions
About bespoke builds, in particular.
If yours isn’t here, send it over - hello@getyorkwebdesign.com. We reply within a working day, usually less.
In the places your customers actually feel. A bespoke site is shaped around your business from the start, rather than bent out of a pre-made pattern. It gives you more control, a more distinctive result, and a site that feels more like your business than somebody else's template.
IX.The arc of a project
One bespoke site, with care around it.
Not three sister services. One flagship build, with foundations baked in, a small post-launch layer for after, and a couple of optional extensions should you ever want them.
Stage 01
You are here · The flagship
The bespoke build
The thing this whole page is about - a hand-coded website drawn up from scratch around your business. Everything below is built around it.
Stage 02
Built in · At no extra charge
Foundations, included by default.
Search foundations, clear usability, launch setup and quiet analytics are part of every bespoke project - not bolt-on extras.
- Easy to use
- Quick to load
- Local search foundations
- Search setup
- Quiet analytics
- Mobile-first
Stage 03
After launch · The support layer
Ongoing care
Hosting, small edits, the monthly once-over. A quiet post-launch layer to keep the site in good order. Taken up by most clients, never required.
X.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