For business owners let down by their builder
Stuck with a website builder that isn't working for you?
You were promised an easy website. What you got was a template, a monthly bill, and a chatbot when it goes wrong.
If you built your business website with the free builder bundled with your hosting, whether that's GoDaddy, IONOS, 123 Reg, Fasthosts, Hostinger or one of the others, and it isn't bringing you customers, you're not doing anything wrong. The tool was never really built for you. It was built to keep you paying. I build proper websites for small businesses who are fed up with the builder: the templates, the compromises, the corners you're forced to cut. With me there are none of those. A site you actually own, that shows up on Google, with a real person behind it. Me.
Sound familiar?
You're not alone. Most of the business owners who come to me have already tried the builder that came with their hosting. Here's what they usually say.
“I spent a whole weekend on it and it still looks like a template.”
“I can't get it to show up on Google no matter what I do.”
“When something breaks, all I get is a chatbot.”
“I'm paying every month and I'm not sure I even own it.”
If you're nodding along, this page is for you.
Three reasons the bundled builder lets you down.
You don't really own it
The site lives inside your host's platform. Stop paying, or move hosts, and it's gone. You can't take it with you. You're not building an asset for your business; you're renting one, and the rent goes up.
It doesn't actually get you found
Bundled builders churn out thin, templated pages that Google struggles to rank. They're slow, they look like thousands of other sites, and the “SEO” toggle in the dashboard doesn't move the needle. A website nobody finds isn't working. It's just an expensive online business card.
Nobody's really got your back
This is the one that stings most. Something breaks the week before a big job and all you get is an AI chatbot looping the same canned answers, a help article that doesn't match your problem, or a ticket queue reading from a script. You didn't sign up to become your own IT department.
The difference that matters most
When something goes wrong, who actually helps you?
A plumber, a barber, a café owner: you don't want a platform, you want someone to call. With a bundled builder you get a chatbot. With me, you get me.
| When something goes wrong | Bundled website builder | With me |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | An AI chatbot or help articles | Me, the person who built it |
| Do they know your business | No, you're a ticket number | Yes, I know you and your site |
| How you reach them | A live chat queue or call centre | A direct line: call, text or email |
| Do you own the site | No, it's locked to the platform | Yes, it's yours to keep |
| Will it rank on Google | Rarely | Built to be found |
| Typical outcome | “Have you tried clearing your cache?” | It gets fixed |
I'm not a platform. I'm one person, local to Wiltshire, who builds your site properly and stays on the end of the phone afterwards. You're not renting a template and shouting into a chatbot. You're working with someone who picks up.
A real website, really yours.
When you work with me instead of a bundled builder, here's what you get.
A site built around your business, not squeezed into a template anyone else can use.
Built to be found on Google, fast, clean, and structured the way search engines like.
Yours to keep. You own it, and you're never locked in to one host.
One person to call, direct, personal support from the man who built it.
A fair, clear price. No forever-creeping monthly platform fees.
No walled garden
Your website, your domain, your control.
Plenty of web designers and agencies are as guilty as the builders. They put your site on their server, register your domain in their name, and run your billing and renewals through their account. It looks convenient, until you want to leave and suddenly you can't, because someone else holds the keys to your own website. That's not how I work.
Your domain stays yours
Registered in your name and under your control, renewals and all. I never hold your domain hostage.
Host wherever you like
With me, or with whoever you already use. I'll happily set your site up on your existing hosting. You're never forced into my ecosystem to keep your own website running.
Your billing, your accounts
No middle-man mark-up on domains and hosting, and no being held to ransom at renewal time. It all stays in your name.
One honest exception: large or complex sites, such as custom booking systems, e-commerce or web applications, sometimes need a specialist hosting environment to run properly. In those cases, hosting with me can be the simpler option, purely to take a layer of technical complexity off your plate. It's a practical choice, never a trap. You still own everything.
See what “a real site” looks like.
Have a look at a few example sites I've built for small businesses like yours.
How it works.
We have a chat
Tell me about your business and what's frustrating you about your current site. No jargon, no pressure.
I build it
A proper website designed around your business, your customers, and how people actually find you.
You own it, and I'm still here
Once it's live, it's yours. And when you need something changing, you call me, not a chatbot.
And when you grow
As your business grows, I'm still the person who builds it.
A website builder has a ceiling: the day you need something clever, you're stuck, and a template designer hands you off to someone else. I don't, and I won't. I'm a full-stack developer, so the straightforward site I build you today can grow into whatever your business needs tomorrow: a proper booking system, an online shop, a customer portal, or a full web application. And it's still me building it, the same person who already knows you and your business. No starting over, no being passed around an agency.
Common questions.
Will I get to speak to a real person?
Yes, always. You deal with me directly. No chatbots, no call centres, no ticket numbers. If something needs sorting, you call, text or email me and I sort it.
Can you move my site off my current builder?
Yes. I'll build you a fresh, proper website and handle the move so there's no gap for your customers. You won't be stuck on your host's builder any longer, and your domain and email stay live throughout.
Do I have to host my website with you?
No. Host with me or keep your existing hosting, it's your choice, and I'll set the site up wherever suits you. The only exception is large, complex sites that need a specialist hosting environment; those can be simpler to host with me, purely to take the technical complexity off your plate.
Will you control my domain name, billing or renewals?
No. Unlike some agencies, I don't lock you into my ecosystem. Your domain stays registered in your name and under your control, including renewals, and your hosting and billing stay in your accounts. Nothing is held hostage.
Can I leave and take my website with me?
Yes, any time. You own the code, the design and the content, and your domain is yours. No walled garden, no lock-in, no awkward conversations if you ever decide to move on.
Will I own my new website?
Completely. Unlike a bundled builder, your site is yours to keep. You're never locked in and you're not renting it back month after month.
Why won't my current builder site rank on Google?
Bundled builders tend to produce slow, templated pages that Google struggles to take seriously. I build sites that are fast, properly structured and designed to be found.
Do I have to be local to work with you?
It helps, but no. I'm based in Devizes and love working with local Wiltshire businesses, but I work with people further afield too.
Had enough of the builder?
Start with a free, no-obligation chat about a website you'll actually own.