Web design for Kingston businesses

A website should behave like a good furnace. You shouldn't have to think about it. It should be quiet, it should work in February, and when something does go wrong you should be able to call the person who installed it and have them actually pick up.

That's the whole idea here. I build websites for small businesses in and around Kingston. Shops on Princess Street, trades running out of a truck, clinics, studios, consultants, restaurants, anybody who needs a place online that tells people who you are, what you do, and how to reach you, without a monthly bill for features you never asked for.

What you actually get

A site that loads fast on a phone, because that's where most of your customers will see it first. Pages that say what you do in plain language, so a stranger understands you in ten seconds. A working way for people to call, email, or book you. Google Maps and search set up so that when somebody types your kind of business plus Kingston, you're in the running.

Three sizes, not one

You wouldn't put a furnace built for a mansion into a two-bedroom bungalow, and you shouldn't buy the mansion-sized website "just in case" either. Pick the size that actually fits your business today. Most Kingston businesses only need Starter. You can move up a size later, and nothing you paid for the first time gets thrown away.

Every size is yours, full stop. The domain, the hosting account, and every file are registered in your name from day one, not mine. If you ever want to leave, you take the whole thing with you.

Every size above is a one-time fee, not a monthly bill. Financing is available too, if spreading the cost works better for your business. Say so when we talk and we'll set up a plan that fits.

Photos that make people trust you

Three good photos do more for trust than another paragraph of copy. Most small business sites either skip photos entirely or run the same stock shot every other Kingston business already has, and a stranger reads both exactly the same way: nobody's actually here.

I'm not going to show up with a camera bag, and I'd rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise. What I will do is tell you what to shoot before you pick up your phone: the angle that keeps a small room from looking smaller, why four in the afternoon beats noon, when to step in close instead of standing back. You take the shots, I finish them here, correcting colour and exposure so a photo taken under fluorescent light looks as good as one taken in daylight. Every size above includes it.

Meet Christopher Ross

Me. My name is Christopher Ross, and I've been building things on the web since 1996, and these days the focus is helping small businesses market themselves online. I also run a consulting practice at thisismyurl.com that serves larger clients: universities, media companies, government teams, priced for that scale. A Kingston business's website matters just as much to that business, so Kingston Web Design is its own practice, built specifically for local businesses. Same hands, same standards. If your bigger problem is being found on Google rather than the site itself, I also run Kingston SEO, a sister site that handles local search.

I'm not headquartered in Kingston, and I'd rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise. What I do have is real time on this water: I sail Lake Ontario every summer, up through the Thousand Islands, Kingston included. That's on top of thirty years of doing this work in Ontario and the willingness to learn your street before I build your page.

Common questions

Do I have to sign a contract?

No. Each size is one price, paid once. If you want more later, that's a separate decision, not an automatic renewal.

What if I'm not sure which size fits?

Call or email and describe the business. I'll tell you honestly which size fits, and if Starter turns out to be enough, you don't pay for more than that.

Do you work with businesses outside Kingston itself?

Yes, Amherstview, Gananoque, and Napanee are all covered too, each with its own build. See the full list of areas I cover. If the listing side of things matters more than the site, Kingston SEO is my sister site for that.

What happens if something breaks after launch?

Call me. Small fixes are usually quick, and I'd rather hear about a problem early than have you sitting on a broken contact form for a month.

Start with a phone call

Tell me what your business does and what you want the site to do for it. If I'm not the right fit, I'll say so and point you somewhere better.

Call 613.480.1345, or email hello@kingstonwebdesigner.com if that's easier.