Is your website bringing in enquiries? If not, start here.
As a web designer I not only need to make my own business and website inclusive and accessible to the people who may want to hire me, but I also need to make sure that the websites I build are inclusive and accessible to my clients’ potential clients too.
I’ve been in spaces where I’ve not felt welcome because of parts of who I am. Tech is a predominantly white, male-dominated industry and during my 8 years being employed in this industry I always felt I needed to be someone I wasn’t just to fit in.
This feeling of exclusion in the workplace is one of the reasons I decided to start my business. But even then, as I tried to make connections and build relationships with other small business owners in the online space there were some places that felt cliquey and like I was a fly on the wall listening to the ‘cool kids’ talk.
These experiences made me realise that I want to create a space where people feel seen and heard.
Because it’s tough running an online business.
It can feel very lonely and isolating at times and we all have days where we could do with some extra encouragement, even if it is from an internet stranger.
Most of my clients struggle with the technical parts of their business, whether it’s web design, email marketing tech or just general fiddly techy jobs that they don’t know how to do.
So they need me to be someone they feel safe around and can trust to ask questions without fear of being patronised or feeling judged and that’s especially true for marginalised people who experience systemic inequality in the online business world.
I want my clients to be able to drop into my DMs and emails with questions.
There are no stupid questions for me (apart from maybe the ones you don’t ask).
I’m here to give them peace of mind.
That’s why I’ll always respect and use your pronouns, routinely ask about accessibility needs, make sure that my digital products are available in a range of formats, and make sure my language is inclusive and avoids jargon.
It’s why I’m also committed to continuously learn, so I can dismantle my own biases and provide inclusive support.
As a neurodivergent business owner, I recognise how difficult task initiation can be for neurodiverse people, especially when the task feels very big and / or important.
Therefore, the option of body doubling / co-working / having me ask you questions for me to fill in the form to help new clients provide me with the information I need to get started on their project is now available.
This is a standard option available to anyone, no questions asked.
For some people and small businesses, web design can be cost prohibitive so extended payment plans are now available for all services costing more than £150.
You’ll never pay more just because you choose a payment plan. All promos, bonuses, and juicy extras? They’re for everyone, whether you pay in full or split it up.
I don’t believe in rewarding people just because they’ve got the privilege to pay everything upfront. That’s not how I work.
My own website could be more accessible. As I’ve learned more about accessibility, I’ve implemented techniques on newer parts of my site but I haven’t gone back and updated older parts.
I am currently in the process of doing a full ‘accessibility audit’ of my website, which I intend to complete by Aug 2025. Based on this, I will then create a plan to tackle any accessibility issues I find, and I’ll come back and update this statement too.
I totally underestimated the time needed to complete this audit.
New Plan:
Phase 1: Main website pages
(Menu links, sales pages, opt-ins, about 20 pages.)
Deadline for Phase 1:
31st October 2025.
Then I’ll come up with a plan for tackling the results and the rest of the site.
Going into the end of 2025 I will spend time researching lower cost (less than £50), done-with-you and do-it-yourself offers that I could add into my offer suite.
Armed with this research I will then go into 2026 with the aim of launching at least one of these offers.
If we’re working together either through hiring my services or we’re collaborating, that also means we’re sharing a commitment to inclusion, respect, and basic human decency. Bullying, harassment, or discrimination? Not on my watch.
I take this stuff seriously. So if it becomes clear we’re not on the same page, I’ll respectfully step away from the project. No hard feelings, just keeping things in integrity.