Towpath Studio Get a quote

Websites for small businesses, planned properly before they’re built.

I’m David, and I work from Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey. I design, build and host websites for pubs, cafés, tradespeople, shops, salons and other small businesses anywhere in the UK.

Starter
£99, one page, live in about a week
Business
£449, up to five pages, live in two to three weeks
Hosting
£200 a year, on UK servers I run myself

Fig. 0A cyanotype, developing in water. Blueprints were made this way.

Some of what I’ve built

All five are live sites with real visitors. The Work page lists what runs behind each one.

Home page of The White Hart

The White Hart

Fig. 2client site

thewhitehartnewhaw.co.uk (opens the live site)

A canalside pub at New Haw Lock. The site has pages for the food and drink menus, events, weekly offers and the garden.

  1. 1Tap to call the pub
  2. 2TripAdvisor reviews, Facebook and Instagram
Home page of Anna’s Thai Fusion

Anna’s Thai Fusion

Fig. 3client site

annasthaifusion.com (opens the live site)

A Thai takeaway in Farnborough with its own ordering system, a kitchen tablet and a driver page. Ordering opens once card payments are connected.

Home page of BoomFM

BoomFM

Fig. 4live site

boomfm.co.uk (opens the live site)

An internet radio station. DJs, shows, jingles and news all run from one admin page.

Home page of Red Robins

Red Robins

Fig. 5live site

redrobins.co.uk (opens the live site)

A Charlton fan site with accounts, live matchday chat and results that update by themselves.

Home page of Deckchair FM

Deckchair FM

Fig. 6live site

deckchairfm.com (opens the live site)

Easy listening radio from Tenerife. The music keeps playing as you move between pages.

See all my work

You deal with me for all of it.

I design the site, build it, host it and look after it once it’s live.

Design and build

I design each site around what your business does and build it to work properly on a phone. Menus, galleries, enquiry forms and bookings go in where you need them.

Every site

  • Mobile friendly
  • A contact form
  • Your domain set up

Business and up

  • Enquiry forms
  • A gallery
  • Copywriting help

Hosting on UK servers I run myself

I set up and look after the servers, so when you email for help you get the person who built your site.

Security
HTTPS
Backups
Daily
Uptime
99.9%, monitored
Support
By email

Getting found on Google

Every site is built to be found, with clear page titles, proper headings and a sitemap Google can read. On Business and Bespoke I also set up your Google Business Profile, so you can appear on Google Maps when people nearby search for what you do.

Care once it’s live

Hosting + Care adds monthly content edits, priority support and a yearly health check. It suits a business whose menu or opening hours change often.

When the site needs to do more

Ordering, member accounts, card payments and staff screens are all things I’ve already built, on sites that are live now.

What it doesWhere to see it
Online ordering with a kitchen tablet and a driver page, opening soonAnna’s Thai Fusion, takeaway (opens the live site)
Member accounts, profiles and private messagesRed Robins, fan site (opens the live site)
Fixtures, results and a league table that update by themselvesRed Robins, fan site (opens the live site)
A radio player that keeps playing between pagesDeckchair FM, radio station (opens the live site)
One admin page for shows, DJs, jingles and newsBoomFM, radio station (opens the live site)
Card payments and customer accountsOn a live marketplace I built and run

How each service works

Four steps from first message to live site

Most sites are live within three weeks of the go-ahead.

  1. A chat

    We talk through what you need the site to do, by phone or email, whichever suits you.

  2. The plan and the price

    Before I start, you get in writing what I’ll build and the fixed price. A 50% deposit books the work in.

  3. Build and preview

    I share a preview as the site takes shape, and you ask for changes before anything goes public. I only need an hour or two of your time.

  4. Go live

    You pay the balance when the site goes live, and your yearly hosting starts from that day.

Typical time from go-ahead to going live. Bespoke timings are set in the quote.

What it costs

One-off prices for the design and build, then a yearly fee for hosting. Your domain name is charged at cost.

Design packages
PackageWhat’s includedTurnaroundPrice
StarterA single-page site, mobile friendly, with a contact form and search-ready basics.Live in about a week£99one-offGet a quote for Starter
BusinessUp to five pages, gallery and enquiry forms, copywriting help and Google Business Profile set-up.Live in two to three weeks£449one-offGet a quote for Business
BespokeShops, bookings, custom features and unlimited pages.Timing set in the quotefrom £699one-offGet a quote for Bespoke
Hosting plans
PlanWhat’s includedPrice
HostingUK hosting, HTTPS, daily backups, 99.9% uptime monitored and email support.£200a yearAsk about Hosting
Hosting + CareEverything in Hosting, plus monthly content edits, priority support and a yearly health check.£350a yearAsk about Hosting + Care

What you pay, and when

ItemWhenAmount
Business package, 50% depositWhen you book£224.50
Business package, balanceWhen the site goes live£224.50
Hosting, first yearWhen the site goes live£200.00
First year£649.00
Fig. 8A worked example: a Business site with Hosting, first year.

After the first year, hosting is £200 a year, and there’s no VAT to add. A Starter site with Hosting comes to £299 in its first year.

Notes

  1. Hosting with me is recommended, not required. I can build a site for you to host elsewhere.
  2. On Business and Bespoke, you don’t have to write the words. Tell me about your business and I’ll draft them, and you get the final say before anything goes live.
  3. On Hosting + Care, small changes such as new opening hours or a new photo are included. On Hosting, small one-off changes are a modest fixed fee.
  4. Every site is built to be found on Google, but nobody can promise where it will rank.
  5. You own the site, and the domain is registered in your name. If you ever move to another host, I’ll hand over the files and help you move.

Every price, and common questions

Tell me about your business and I’ll send you a fixed quote.

I’m in Staines-upon-Thames and work with businesses anywhere in the UK, all by phone and email. I usually come back with a quote within a day or two.