Your business website - get help here

Affordable hands-on help with your website - available now

Ahoy there. My name is Graham Hammond. I'm a web developer with a business background. You can hire me to help you with your website. I'll update and/or maintain your existing site or build (or project manage) a new site. Anything from a simple one-page static site to a full-blown web application.

I'm based on the Norfolk/Suffolk border in the UK. But with today's communications options we can work together wherever you are.

Why me? I actively try to keep costs low; try to keep things as simple as possible; have a workflow process that makes it easy for you (to share and to see what's going on); and have people with the appropriate levels of skills required for each job who can react with the ebb and flow of workloads.

September 2019

Updating your site

Clients often say "we need to be able to update oursite ourselves". Which on the face of it makes sense. But what you often mean is that you want to (a) just change certain things and in some cases (b) avoid ongoing cost. The thing is, there's a number of options that may be cheaper and more efficient. There's no point in paying for features that won't get used.

If it's relatively small changes, we may well be able to get them done within the 30 minutes of free studio time included with our hosting. Or we can provide you with basic self-editing ability at low cost.

If you need to maintain stock for an online shop or you've got information that needs updating regularly you'll need hands-on control and we can give you that either through a web-based text editor, an ecommerce shop perhaps or via a personalised user-friendly web front-end.

What about 'free' or low cost website builder apps - Wix, Weebly and so on? While the adverts make it look easy my experience is that they can be time consuming and just plain difficult to achieve what you want. And when your staff member responsible leaves it can be hard for someone else to pick it up. A lot of web developers use Wordpress because (a) it's convenient for them and (b) clients can - in theory - make their own updates. There's also lot's of 'plugins' available - pieces of pre-written code that developers can use to add functionality quickly and easily. But again, my experience is that it's not quite like that. The plugins can be problematic and the updating harder than it looks.

If you feel that you need to be able to update your site - or particular parts of your site in-house, let's talk about the solution that's correct for you and your staff - not whatever the web developer happens to prefer.

Google

Of course, Google is hugely important for many websites. Particularly if you want your website to appear high in search results. When it does, you may want to ensure that Google displays all that key information such as your opening hours, address, phone number and so on. And you'll need Google Analytics if you want to keep track of traffic on your site.

'SEO' - search engine optimisation - the actions you take and the content you include in your website that demonstrates to Google that your site deserves priority. Some web companies claim their sites are 'Google friendly' or 'search engine optimised'. Hmmm. Beware. Their interpretation of these terms might be different to yours. Others will offer SEO as a seperate service. It's not always easy to see what you're getting for your money.

The way we approach it is different. First, we have the conversation ... do you want your site to get good 'organic' listings? (good rankings without you having to pay Google). Or do you want to pay Google in order to secure guaranteed high listings? Or are you happy to rely on Google getting it right when the search is obvious enough? We can discuss what might be achievable and how, and whether it's likely to be money well spent.

Peace of mind

I may be old fashioned, but I feel that clients should be treated fairly.

For example: doing work for a friend - I would expect to be up-front about any concerns; save them some money if possible; test to make sure the job was done properly; perhaps throw in a little extra; keep them in touch; make sure they got a good job; and get it finished on time. And that's how I like to work with all clients.

What if you wanted to do some stuff yourself - but needed a little guidance. Would I help? The answer's YES!

But what if the worse happened - what if you found someone better! Would I step back, say 'there you go' and give you your website? The answer's YES!

Here's one you won't find just anywhere - what if I quote you and we get the job done quicker than expected - will you still have to pay the quoted price? NO! Any quote will be the maximum you pay (assuming nothing changes). If we get it done quicker you'll pay the lower cost.

Cost

Cash can be tight for many small and medium sized businesses and organisations. So we work with this in mind and will always consider a lower-cost route wherever possible. Even if that results in less work.

Why?

Because I want to retain clients and I want your website to be successful for you. That way, you will recommend us and we have a sustainable business. I don't want you to not make updates to the site because it's too expensive.

Regarding cost, we try to be affordable to all. How? Because if your budget is low on this occasion we can probably tailor a solution somehow*.

However, there are two key processes we apply that keeps your costs down. One: we try to be as efficient as possible when communicating with you. A huge amount of time can be wasted going backwards and forwards between client and developer. So we have systems that cut this time. You'll share our systems so you'll also know exactly what's going on. Two: we don't have any overheads! - No premises, no staff! Well, actually that's not entirely true but it's not far off. My office is a converted outbuilding. And I don't have staff - I have partners. Each partner has specific skills and is available as and when required. Even better, you pay a lower rate for basic tasks. For example, you don't want to pay a master builder rate to fit a simple shelf.

We are happy to maintain your existing site on an as required basis, or on a retainer if that works better.

*'Try it' websites are a good example. Let's say you have an idea for a product or service or an in-house web app or similar - but don't want to risk a lot of cash. We can almost certainly create a really low cost version that you can use to trial or test your idea.

FAQs

“Do you offer discounts for charities and non-profits?”
Yes.

“Do you provide hosting and domain services?”
Yes.

“How quickly can you turn round site updates?”
Depends what needs doing but we can usually turn round straightforward updates quickly.

“Can you adapt our existing site to work properly on a mobile device?”
Yes.

“Can you adapt our existing site so we can make updates ourselves?”
Yes.

“Do you build apps?”
Yes and no. Right now we don't take on iPhone/Android type apps. We do, however, build website applications that work perfectly well on any device. Before you spend a lot of money on an app, talk to me about a web app that may do what you want without the additional cost of an android/iPhone specific version.

“Do you do SEO work?”
Yes and no. Yes if I think we can get you some results for your money. Yes if you are prepared to do some of the work yourself (I'll explain what you need to do and why). No if we don't think we it's realistic.

“What about social media?”
We won't manage your social media - but we can integrate it into your site.

“We're based outside the UK - can we work with you?”
Yes. If you are based in the east of England (or even a bit further) I can jump in a car and be beside you in an hour or two. But services such as Skype for Business, Zoom, Google Hangouts, Slack video conferencing etc mean that it doesn't really matter where you are based.

“How long have you been established?”
I've been doing web 'stuff' on and off since 1999. I'm also a Microsoft 365 Administrator and offer 365 training for businesses. (And a certified Microsoft Partner too).

Got a question? Email it to help@riomarketing.co.uk

Microsoft 365

In addition to web development, I also offer assistance and training for Microsoft 365. 365 is a cloud based suite of applications and processes that can help you and your staff communicate more effectively, boost productivity, and improve security.

365 is stuffed with goodies but it can be intimidating for new and even regular users and, argueably, few organisations get the most from their licence fees.

And it changes constantly.

I can introduce your staff to the key elements they need to comunicate better, and get their work done more efficiently and more effectively. I offer Level I and II training, and I'm happy to tailor-make sessions for you or your staff on or off your premises.

If you don't currently use 365 and would like to know a little more, I'll be happy to chat with no obligation.

Contact

The easiest way to contact me is via email - it's graham@riomarketing.co.uk

My mobile is 07899 890615

My office address is:
Rio Marketing Ltd, St. Nicholas, Harleston, Norfolk, IP20 0PS

I'm happy to meet at your place, but also use Skype for Business, Zoom etc and can often do early morning appointments.

Presentation

It occured to me that you might want to see a brief presentation - one that you could show your colleagues perhaps to save them wading through the site. So I'm putting together a simple, brief 'show' for you and anyone else who's interested. It should be available shortly. In the meantime, I'm available in the flesh if you need to talk.

Blog

I'm also about to launch a blog for small and medium sized businesses, organisations and non-profits. The intention is to provide information, comments, links etc that can help. You'll be able to link to it from here but also from the direct address which is will be added here shortly

Any feedback would be appreciated.