Choosing a web designer is usually about what happens next. What will the new website look like? How much will it cost? How quickly can it be launched? Will it perform well on Google? These are all important questions, but there is another that businesses perhaps don’t ask often enough: will the company that builds your website still be there when you need them in five years’ time?
A business website is rarely a one-off project. Once it goes live, it needs maintaining, updating and developing. Software changes, security threats evolve, search engines move on and the business itself rarely stands still. New services are introduced, staff change, markets develop and customers expect more. The relationship with your web designer can therefore continue for many years after the original website has been completed.
That makes reliability every bit as important as creativity.
More Than 25 Years of Website Design
Andrew Burdett Design was established in 1999 and has been designing, developing and supporting websites ever since. In more than 25 years, the web has changed almost beyond recognition. Early websites designed primarily for desktop computers have given way to responsive sites, content management systems, ecommerce, online booking, sophisticated search optimisation and websites that form an integral part of a company’s day-to-day marketing.
Technology has changed enormously, but one thing hasn’t: clients need someone they can rely on.
Longevity doesn’t simply demonstrate experience. It shows that a business has been able to adapt, develop and continue supporting its clients as technology and expectations have changed. For customers, that continuity can be particularly valuable when their website has become an important part of how their own business operates.
What Happens After Your Website Goes Live?
Launching a new website should be the beginning of the relationship rather than the end of it. Websites need software updates, backups, security monitoring and technical maintenance, while the content itself should evolve alongside the organisation it represents.
Andrew Burdett Design provides ongoing website hosting, maintenance and support, giving clients a familiar point of contact when something needs changing or a problem needs solving. There is no need to start again with somebody unfamiliar with the website every time a new requirement arises.
That ongoing knowledge can make a considerable difference. Understanding a client’s business, branding, website and previous projects means new work can be approached with context rather than starting from scratch each time.
Your Business Won’t Stand Still
A website created today may need to do something very different in five years. A small local company may expand into new areas, an organisation may introduce entirely new services or a business that once relied primarily on referrals may decide to invest seriously in search engine optimisation and digital marketing.
A good website should be capable of developing alongside those changes.
For some Andrew Burdett Design clients, that means regular updates and ongoing SEO. For others it may involve adding new functionality, creating landing pages, integrating external services or eventually redesigning a website as the organisation and its brand evolve.
The objective isn’t simply to keep a website online. It is to ensure it continues to work for the business behind it.
Experience Matters When Things Go Wrong
Most of the time, websites simply work. It is when something unexpected happens that reliable support becomes particularly important.
A software update causes a problem. A domain needs changing. An email service is moved. A third-party system needs integrating. A website suddenly behaves differently after an external service has been updated. These are the moments when having an experienced designer who understands both the website and the wider technical environment becomes invaluable.
More than two decades of working with websites inevitably brings experience of solving a huge variety of problems. It also provides perspective: knowing what needs immediate attention, what can be improved and what is better left alone.
Long-Term Relationships, Not Just Websites
Some of the most successful relationships at Andrew Burdett Design have continued for many years. As clients have grown and changed, the work has developed with them, extending beyond the original website into branding, graphic design, marketing materials, SEO and ongoing digital support.
This long-term approach also means Andrew Burdett Design works with an unusually broad range of organisations, from small independent businesses in Derbyshire to national organisations and international brands. Whatever the scale of the client, the principle is the same: provide professional design backed by dependable support.
A website may be the first project, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be the last.
Choosing for the Long Term
Price, design and technical capability will always be important when choosing a web designer, but reliability deserves a place on that list too. If your website becomes an important source of enquiries, bookings, sales or information, knowing who is responsible for looking after it — and knowing they will be there when you need them — provides valuable reassurance.
No business can promise what the world will look like in another 25 years. What Andrew Burdett Design can offer is a track record stretching back to 1999, more than a quarter of a century of adapting to change and continuing to support businesses as their requirements evolve.
If you’re looking for a new website and a design company you can build a long-term relationship with, Andrew Burdett Design offers professional website design, hosting, maintenance, SEO and ongoing support — before, during and long after your website goes live.
