For owner-run businesses around the Great Lakes
Your new website: more customers, zero headaches
You run the business. We build a fast, professional site that brings more customers, reaches people who haven't found you yet, and makes them trust your business.
- of consumers say a website is essential for a local business to be credible.
- 69%
A neglected website quietly sends your customers to the business down the road.
Before people call, they look you up: your website and your Google Maps listing. If what they find is slow, confusing or out of date, they pick the next one on the list. Get it right and you win more and better customers.
- It doesn't work on phones
Most of your visitors are on a phone. If they have to pinch and zoom to find your number, or a giant pop-up fills their screen, they call the next place, and you never hear about it.
- It's out of date
Old hours, an old menu, a promotion from two summers ago, on your site or your Google Maps listing. Customers notice, and wonder if you're still open and worth going to.
- Nobody is looking after it
The nephew moved away, whoever built it moved on, or you did it yourself and never want to again. A site nobody updates slips down Google's results, until the hosting card expires and it goes down.
Three steps. About two weeks. Nothing for you to install.
We look at what you have
Send us your current website or Google listing, or just tell us about your business. We review what is there and tell you honestly what is costing you customers.
We build the new site
A clean, fast site that works on phones, tablets and computers alike, and shows people what you do, where you are and how to reach you. You review it before anything goes live.
We keep it running
Hosting, security, backups and fixes are on us. You never log into anything. When something needs changing, just let us know.
- of consumers check a business's website after reading positive reviews. That's where they decide.
- 54%
Everything a local business needs, nothing it doesn't.
We don't sell you a giant site you will never update. We build the pages that bring customers through the door, and we keep them accurate.
- Fast and mobile-first
- Mobile-first, responsive, modern HTML5, tuned to load in about a second. Everything we build works on phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
- What customers look for, up front
- Your services, hours, location and contact details front and centre on every page.
- Found in local searches
- Set up so Google and AI search tools can read and understand your business, helping you show up when people nearby search for what you do.
- Found on Google Maps
- We set up your Google Maps listing and keep your hours and details current. We can also keep improving it and look after your reviews.
- Buttons that work everywhere
- Click-to-call, directions and clear call-to-action buttons that work the same on phones, tablets and desktops, and get people reaching out.
- Contact forms that just work
- A simple, reliable form so customers can reach you straight from your site. Messages arrive in your email inbox.
- Your own domain
- We connect the domain name you have, or help you get one.
- Secure hosting
- HTTPS, backups and monitoring included. We fix problems, usually before you notice.
Simple pricing.
One flat fee. No hidden bills, no hourly invoices for fixes.
Essential
Your site built and looked after
$79/month
- A professional site built for you
- Fast, secure hosting with HTTPS
- Backups, monitoring and fixes
- Your domain connected
- Contact form to your inbox
- Search-friendly setup
- Email support
Managed
Most popularFor owners who want it kept current
$99/month
- Everything in Essential
- Monthly changes, just ask: promotions, banners, products, hours and staff
- Ongoing SEO and AI search updates
- Google Maps listing set up and kept up to date
- Monthly visitor analytics report
- Optional add-ons
Complete
Everything done for you
$399/month
- Everything in Managed
- All add-ons included
Save $399Pay yearly and we build your site for free. Monthly plans have a one-time $399 setup fee.
Prices in USD. Cancel any time.
Optional add-ons
- More content help
More frequent and more involved content updates than the monthly changes in Managed.
- Google Maps optimization and reviews
We keep improving your Google Maps listing and look after your reviews.
- Business email
An address at your own domain, like hello@yourbusiness.com, set up for you.
- Messages to your phone
Get contact-form messages as a text on your mobile as well as by email, so you can answer while you're on the job.
- Your site in two languages
A second language version of your site, so you reach more of the people around you.
- Review monitoring
We keep an eye on what people say about you on review sites and let you know when a new review comes in.
- Copywriting
We write or rework the words on your site so more visitors turn into customers.
- Graphics, design and photos
Graphics, design help and sourcing the right photos for your site.
- Online booking system
Let customers book appointments, tables, rooms or anything else with availability, straight from your site.
You could build it yourself, or hire a freelancer. But is it worth it?
You may weigh building it yourself on a website builder, asking a family member or hiring a freelancer for a one-off custom site. Or you can save headaches, time and money by using a full service like ours that builds your site and keeps looking after it as if it were our own.
DIY builder
- Your time
- Weak point: Lots of evenings and weekends
- Upfront cost
- Strong point: Free to start
- Monthly cost
- Mixed: About $20 to $140 a month
- Changes
- Weak point: You make them
- Who fixes it when it breaks
- Weak point: You
- Speed on phones
- Weak point: Often slow
- Who updates it
- Weak point: You
- Copywriting
- Weak point: Up to you
- Design and images
- Weak point: Up to you
One-time freelancer
- Your time
- Mixed: Meetings and feedback rounds, then chasing changes
- Upfront cost
- Weak point: Often $2,000 to $5,000
- Monthly cost
- Mixed: Hosting not included
- Changes
- Weak point: Billed by the hour, or free until it breaks
- Who fixes it when it breaks
- Mixed: Maybe them, if they haven't moved on to other work
- Speed on phones
- Mixed: Depends. Plenty of "professional" sites are heavy and struggle on phones
- Who updates it
- Weak point: You, or you pay extra to bring the freelancer back
- Copywriting
- Mixed: You write it, or it costs extra
- Design and images
- Mixed: Up to you, or it costs extra
Great Lakes Websites
- Your time
- Strong point: A short chat, then a quick message when something changes
- Upfront cost
- Strong point: $399 setup, or none when you pay yearly
- Monthly cost
- Strong point: $79, $99 or $399, all included
- Changes
- Strong point: Monthly updates on us
- Who fixes it when it breaks
- Strong point: Us, usually before you notice
- Speed on phones
- Strong point: Super fast, and across tablets, laptops and desktops too
- Who updates it
- Strong point: Us, just send us a quick message
- Copywriting
- Strong point: We help you at setup and can help later
- Design and images
- Strong point: We design and help with graphics and photos at setup, and can help later
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to know anything technical?
No. You tell us about your business and approve the design. We handle the rest, including the domain setup.
Is there a setup fee?
On monthly plans, a one-time $399. Pay for a year up front and there is no setup fee. We confirm everything in writing before any work starts, and there are no surprises after that.
Can I cancel?
Yes. Monthly plans are month to month, so you can stop whenever you like. Your domain is always yours and we hand it over, with the photos and text you gave us. After 12 months with us you also get a copy of the site to take anywhere; before that, you can buy the site from us if you want to keep it.
Can I pay yearly?
Yes, and it saves you the $399 setup fee (most of our clients prefer this). Yearly plans are paid in one go rather than in instalments. We'll notify you before renewal so you don't get a surprise bill next year.
What counts as a content update?
Changing a message on the homepage, adding a promotion or seasonal banner, swapping featured products or updating hours and staff. New pages or a redesign are quoted separately.
What if I already have a website?
Great, that is the usual starting point. We keep what works, fix what does not, and make sure your old web addresses still lead somewhere.
Do you offer visitor analytics?
Yes, Managed and Complete plans come with a monthly visitor analytics report.
Do you offer an online booking system?
Yes, on Complete or as an add-on to your existing bill.
Get a free review of your current website.
You get a plain-English review of your site and a short screen-recorded video of our founder walking through it and pointing out what we would change. No pitch deck, no pressure.
Show us your site. We'll show you how to modernize it and get more customers.
Send us your current web address, if you have one. You get a plain-English review and a short video of our founder walking through your site, showing how we can improve it and get you more customers. We reply within one business day.