Website Design Services for Small Businesses

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Let us build the visitor-friendly, search-engine-friendly website your small business needs. Make the right impression and win the right actions from your visitors with an exceptional website from Solas Web Design. We build beautiful, functional, SEO-based websites for great American businesses! To see what we can do for you, take a look at these five mini-case studies of website design projects we've completed for some very happy, very successful clients:

Website Design Mini-Case Studies

Learning Guitar Now

What We Did: We provided the design and development of the now highly-popular website of master guitar player, John W. Tuggle. This website features e-commerce functionality, digital downloads, video, online lessons and a host of other exciting interactive features. Within a few months of the launch of this website, John W. Tuggle was picked up by Gibson Guitars as a featured instructor.   What The Client Said: "Not just designers, but innovators, I believe. When you're working with people who have a passion for what they do, and also have a great work ethic, it shows in their work. That's what Solas Web Design to me is all about: passion and work ethic. What more could you ask for? If you're looking for a quality, well-built site that is optimized for both Google and the reader, then look no further than Solas Web Design. You'll be glad you did." - John W. Tuggle, Owner, Learning Guitar Now

 

Dreaming Earth Botanicals

What We Did: We provided a complete website redesign and blog development for this well-established aromatherapy products purveyor. Major work included a total restructuring of the navigation system, professional copywriting and a whole new visual presentation of this business. Positive consumer feedback on the new site design was immediate and enthusiastic and now Dreaming Earth Botanicals has a web presence that matches the high quality of their products.   What The Client Said: "Working with Solas Web Design was such a pleasure, and such a breath of fresh air compared to other experiences we've had in the thorny world of web design and SEO. They were clear, direct, fast and obviously knew exactly what they were doing. We couldn't recommend them more highly--they are just as knowledgeable and professional as they appear. They looked at our business as a whole (not just at our website) which helped them create a site that both search engines and customers like better." - Joanne Comito, Dreaming Earth Botanicals

 

Cape Cod Treasure Chest

What We Did: This family-owned business purveys beautiful indoor and outdoor home decor and our initial redesign of their website resulted in a 125% increase in sales. Like many of our clients, Cape Cod Treasure Chest has now been with us for years, keeping us on board for website design, SEO, copywriting and general webmaster work. The success our clients experience from working with us is what keeps them coming back to us for new needs as time goes by.   What The Client Said: "OMG!!!! Love, Love, Love it!!!! I can't believe you've taken my simple request and turned it into something so great, even better than I had ever dreamed of...you are the most fantastic designer. Numbers do not lie! In one year since the Solas web team redesigned our site, our online sales have shot up over 125%!!!!! Very impressive. Can't be more pleased with their work!!!" - Dawn Perry, Owner, Cape Cod Treasure Chest

 

Fishers Laser Carvers

What We Did: Master woodworker, George Beck, called on us to develop the website that was to showcase the business he had long planned to launch after retiring from his career in the corporate world. We provided the design and development of this small e-commerce website, copy editing, blog development and Local Search Marketing. Despite the fact that this beautiful, functional site is still so new, George Beck is already so busy, he thinks he'll have to hire elves to come help him in the workshop in the holiday season.   What The Client Said: "My work and my business is better for having had the opportunity to work with these wonderful people. I never had the feeling throughout this long experience that I was working with a design firm, I felt I was working with friends and family. This level of intuitive customer service combined with state of the art work is rare and precious. I feel fortunate to have found them." - George Beck, Owner, Fishers Laser Carvers

 

Robert Grove Jr., Endodontics

What We Did: A perfect chance to use our Local Search Engine Optimization skills in a website redesign project. We provided a complete website redesign, copywriting and Local Search Marketing. Everyone in this endodontics office was thrilled with the new website and Dr. Grove is now ranking at the top of Google's organic and Local results for his key terms.   What The Client Said: "Our office enjoyed working with Solas Web Design. The project went smooth and was timely with excellent communication. We are very satisfied with the end product we received. It was a pleasure to work with you." - Robert L. Grove, Jr. DDS

What's It Like Having Your Website Designed By Solas Web Design?

The most common remark new clients make after the launch of their new website is this:

"You really took the time to understand my whole business and my goals."

We feel this describes, in a nutshell, what sets us apart from so many other design firms that content themselves with making pretty pictures for their clients. We have no doubt that the success we've enjoyed over the past decade is owing to the fact that we develop a real, one-on-one relationship with each of our clients and see our primary task as learning everything we need to know about your business so that we can determine the most effective, powerful and appealing way to present that information on the web. Our job is to help you tell your company's story in a way that calls your visitors to the actions you want them to make, whether that's picking up a phone, filling out a form, making a donation or a purchase. Our winning combination of a strong working relationship with you, beautiful design, excellent human usability and built-in search engine optimization will result in a website that is an exceptional asset for your business.

Menu of ServicesHow We Work

Professional website design for both informational and e-commerce projects   Website Redesign for outdated or failing sites   In-built search engine optimization (SEO) on all design projects   Every site built from scratch for your specific needs - no pre-designed templates   All sites are custom handcoded - no WYSIWYG programs   No outsourcing - you work directly with us, one-on-one   In addition to web design, we offer professional copywriting and Local Search Marketing   We accept project-by-project contracts and quote flat fees for these. Initial consultation is always free of charge to the client.   We accept salaried positions from companies wishing to retain our services for a set or protracted period of time. Salary will be agreed upon by both parties.   We accept contracts for companies who require frequent updating of web site content (i.e. inventory, real estate, insurance policies, etc.) Such work will be contracted at our hourly rate of $100/per hour.   We require a written contract between both parties and a deposit at the commencement of work which will be relative to the overall project cost.   We are a family-friendly business and accept family-friendly projects only.

If what you've seen, above, has convinced you that it would be worth it to get a quote from us on your design project, we invite you to contact us or give us a jingle at (707) 981-7651 right now. However, if a little more information from us would be helpful to you in your decision-making process, we're ready to start teaching you even before that first hello! Our commitment to small business owner education is deeply felt. It's why we write articles, author an educational blog, contribute to acclaimed industry blogs and forums, and why we really love talking to our clients. Let's turn our attention to the subject that should be nearest and dearest to your heart right now, as you're on the hunt for a web design firm you can trust with something as important as your company's Internet presence.

Definition Of A Worthy Web Designer

In your search for a website design company worthy of your trust, here are the requirements smart small business owners should be looking for:

• Exceptional listening skills and a manner of communicating that feels comfortable and right to you. You should be working one-on-one with a designer who knows who you are, what your business does, who your customers are, what they need and how to convey all of this in a style and voice that is truly representative of your company's personality and culture. Don't make the mistake of entrusting your Internet presence to a giant design firm that will treat you like a number while churning out thousands of templated websites a year without ever forming genuine relationships with their unlucky clients. As a small business owner, working with a small, skilled firm is your best bet for long-term success.
• Professional knowledge of basic search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. Any worthy website designer will be fully conversant with Google's webmaster guidelines and will insist on structuring your website around the keyword phrases that are important to you and your visitors. Every page of your website represents a chance to rank well in the search engines for unique sets of keywords and a qualified website designer will have the search engine optimization skills to build a natural, yet fully-optimized, website for your business. Even the nicest-looking site in the world is next-to-useless without SEO, and any worthy web designer will make sure that your website is making sense to both your human visitors and the search engines.
• Strong understanding of Human Usability. A qualified website design company will not only skillfully comprehend and present your information and utilize SEO best practices, but they will also structure all information in such a way that it offers maximum ease-of-use for your human visitors. You are the owner of your business' website, but you are building it for your users. Ensuring that critical elements such as menus, forms, links, content and calls to action are as clear and simple to use as possible is what a worthy designer will accomplish for you.
• A beautiful, sensitive sense of visual design. Whether you already have a totally clear picture of what you want your website to look like or you haven't the least idea, a skilled web designer will help you to develop a color palette, logo, graphics and overall layout that are totally appropriate to your subject, industry and audience. Everything from font size to the color of your links must be treated with exceptional thought and care by your designer if the end product is to be a success.
• A portfolio of successful, happy clients. If you're serious about your business, don't make the mistake of trusting your Internet presence to any web design company that can't show you past work or can't offer to let you speak to their other clients. Looking at a design firm's portfolio is the very best way to understand the kind of work they can do for your business.
• A responsive, respectful attitude. We've lost count of the clients who have come to us after disappointments with flaky, absentee designers. For you sanity and your website's success, choose a designer who replies promptly to your needs and who truly understands the responsibilities they are taking on by becoming a critical part of your business while they are working with you. This is a position of honor and importance and the designer must be ready to be in consistent contact with you throughout the design process and to deliver their work on schedule. Your business deserves no less.

Definition Of A Successful Website

• It achieves your company's goals. These goals might include showcasing your professionalism, winning leads, phone calls, signups, donations or e-commerce sales. A successful website calls your users to the actions you want them to make. Without this, your website just isn't working for you.
• It conveys the benefits of doing business with you. Nearly all visitors to your site will be arriving with the question, "What's in it for me?" A successful website lays out with utter clarity the benefits visitors can expect from choosing to do business with you, whether they are buying a product or hiring you for a professional consultation. A thoughtfully-designed website answers your users' questions and meets their needs.
• It earns trust. In the first few seconds, your website must convey a totally trustworthy impression to the user. And then, it must continue to covey trustworthiness pixel by pixel, page by page. A successful website persuades users that they will be safe doing business with you.
• It is as simple as possible for people to use. Using the site must be absolutely intuitive for your users. A successful website enables your visitors to do everything they want to without confusion or hassle.
• It is search engine friendly. In order to shoot for high search engine rankings, your website must be fully crawlable by search engine bots. This means avoiding the pitfalls of overuse of Flash, text couched in images or forms of coding that make it hard for Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines to understand the contents of your pages. Don't be sold on flashy design techniques - insist on a website that is utterly crawlable and functional.
• It makes you look good. Your website's visual look and content must be up-to-date to convey the lively, vibrant nature of your business. A successful website presents your business as smart, competitive and current.

Small business website design is our passion and our pride. From our home base in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, we work with amazing small businesses across the U.S. If you've reached a decision that it's time to put the web to work for you, you are standing at one of the most important crossroads you will ever encounter in your professional life.