Does My Guildford Business Need a Website? A Two-Minute Test

Try this first

Take out your phone. Search for the main thing you do, then the name of a place you want work from that is not where you are based. "Dog groomer Merrow". "Bookkeeper Shalford". "Emergency electrician Burpham".

Look at what comes up under the map. If your business is there, your Google listing and your reviews are doing the job. If it is not, look at who is. They will mostly be websites with a page about that service in that place.

That is the whole argument for a website, and you have just tested it on your own trade.

When the answer is no

You do not need a website if you are as busy as you want to be. You do not need one if nearly all your work comes from a few regular customers, or from one contractor. You do not need one this month if you are about to change what the business does.

We sell websites, so we would like the answer to be yes. For plenty of businesses in Guildford it is no, or not yet.

What you already have for nothing

A Google Business Profile puts you on the map with your hours, your number and your reviews. It is free. For a search with "near me" on the end it is the first thing to get right, so fill in every field and ask happy customers for a review.

A Facebook page keeps you in front of people who already know you. It is good for showing recent work and taking messages.

What those two cannot do

They cannot give you a page for each service you offer in each place you cover. One listing has one address. A customer in Onslow Village searching for a particular job is shown pages about that job, there.

You do not control them either. The layout, the rules and who gets shown can change without anyone asking you.

And they give AI assistants less to read. Tools such as ChatGPT put local answers together from pages that say plainly what a business does and where, alongside its reviews. Nobody can promise that an assistant will name you. A clear website gives it more to go on than a social page.

When the answer is yes

• You want more work than recommendations bring in.
• You are known in one part of town and want work from the rest of it.
• You offer several services and people only ring about one.
• You pay for leads and want to pay for fewer.
• Customers ask where they can see your work.

Do these before you spend anything

1. Claim and complete your Google Business Profile.
2. Find your business in the Guildford.co directory and check the details are right. If it is missing, add it. A basic listing is free and does not depend on buying anything.
3. Ask your last ten customers for a Google review.

If you decide you want one

Dean Keating, the publisher of this guide, builds websites for £500 one-off: you own the site, there is no contract or monthly fee, it has 200+ pages built around your services and the areas you cover, 12 months of SEO is included, and you see a preview before it goes live. He is based in Horndean, Hampshire, not in Guildford, and works remotely. Look at the £500 build.

Compare it with others first. Start with who builds websites for small businesses in Guildford and how much a website costs. If you run a trade, read website design for tradesmen in Guildford.

Contact

Call or WhatsApp Dean Keating on 07418 627304, or email dean@deankeating.com. See the Dean Keating profile on Guildford.co. Websites: ai-agent.deankeating.com and deankeating.com.

About this guide

Guildford.co is published by Dean Keating, who also runs the service described here. He is based in Horndean, Hampshire, not in Guildford, and works with Guildford businesses remotely. This guide recommends our own service, so compare it with other providers before you decide.