Who I work with
Websites for trades and local services in the North East
Websites start from £795, with a fixed price in writing before any work starts.
I reply the same working day, in UK hours.
Or call 07935 996850 or book a call
5.0 from 31 Google reviews (checked Nov 2026)
I'm Luke Duff. I do web design for trades and local services across the North East. I'm based in Sunderland and I lead every project, so the person you brief is the one responsible for getting it right. Most websites cost between £1,500 and £5,000, and your web address is registered in your name from day one.
The short version
- What it costs
- From £795, and most cost between £1,500 and £5,000. You get a fixed price in writing. I'm not VAT registered, so that price is the total.
- Who you deal with
- Me, from your first message to long after launch.
- Who owns it
- Your web address is in your name from day one. The site and everything on it is yours once it's paid for.
- How long it takes
- A standard site takes 3 to 6 weeks.
- Ring me
- 07935 996850. If I can't pick up, leave a message or WhatsApp me.
Websites I've built for local businesses
Box and Beam Joinery, Newcastle and Northumberland
A joiner's site with published prices, a quote button, a WhatsApp link and a page for landlords.
A website for a Northumberland joinerVisit the live site: Box and Beam Joinery (opens in a new tab)Back To Basics Dog Training, Sunderland
Classes, prices, FAQs and an enquiry form for a dog training club.
A website for a Sunderland dog training clubVisit the live site: Back To Basics Dog Training (opens in a new tab)- Hire companies
D&G Minibus and Van Hire, Sunderland
A minibus hire site with one short quote form, a page for each kind of trip and a section for each area it covers. I advised D&G on getting Google reviews, and I now help manage its Google listing. It shows 5.0 from 215 reviews (checked Oct 2026).
A website for a Sunderland minibus hire firmVisit the live site: D&G Minibus and Van Hire (opens in a new tab)
From start to finish the communication was clear, I knew what was happening every step of the way and I now have a website that I love.
I reply the same working day, in UK hours.
Why work with me
I lead every project, and I'm the person you deal with. Once your site's live, you still deal with me. WhatsApp or ring, and it's me you hear back from.
I grew up in the North East and I'm based in Sunderland. I reply the same working day, in UK hours, and calls happen on WhatsApp, phone or Google Meet.
…did what he said he'd do and the works flooding in…
Luke is the best web designer I've ever used. He explains everything clearly and guides you to get a better end product than you thought possible.
What a good trade website includes
Build it for someone stood on their driveway with a phone in one hand. They want your number, what you do, where you work and proof you do it well.
Every site I build comes with a tap-to-call button, a WhatsApp button, a simple contact form and a link to your Google reviews. Here's what else I'd put on yours.
- Your number on every page, one tap to ringNobody should have to hunt for it.
- A WhatsApp buttonPeople can send a message and a photo of the job.
- A short quote formName, phone, postcode and a line about the job. Short enough to fill in on a phone.
- A page for each serviceA boiler swap and a leaking tap are different jobs, so give each its own page.
- The towns you coverName the places you really work.
- Your Google reviewsLink to them so people can read them in full.
- Your registrationsShow the ones you hold, like Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT or TrustMark.
- Photos of your own jobsThey show the standard of your work.
- Pages that load fast on a phoneKeep them light enough for a weak signal.
- A call-out page, if you do emergenciesSay when and where you'll come out.
Pick the parts that fit your trade and the jobs you want more of. I'll go through that with you on the call.
Web design by trade
Each trade gets asked different questions, so each site needs different pages.
Web design for plumbers and heating engineers
Give boiler installs, repairs, servicing and landlord gas safety checks a page each. Put your Gas Safe number where people can see it. Add the towns you cover and photos of real installs.
Do plumbers need a website? If you want work beyond word of mouth, yes. It gives people somewhere to check you out before they ring.
Web design for electricians
Rewires, EICRs, fuse board upgrades and EV charger installs are different jobs with different customers. Give each one a page, and say who it's for: homeowners, landlords or businesses. Show your NICEIC or NAPIT registration near the top.
Do electricians need a website? If you want more than word of mouth, yes. A landlord who needs an EICR can find you, check your registration and ask for a price.
Web design for tree surgeons and gardeners
Show the work: before and after photos help a lot here, along with the kit you use. Say whether you take on commercial sites as well as gardens.
DB Tree and Garden, a Sunderland tree and grounds firm, is one of my clients. Its site keeps commercial and domestic work apart, so businesses and homeowners each see the services meant for them.
Web design for joiners, builders and roofers
On bigger jobs, show your finished work and give people a feel for the price before they ring. Give each type of job its own page, from extensions and roofs to kitchens and doors.
Box and Beam Joinery, a joiner covering Newcastle and Northumberland, is one of my clients. Its site shows its own day rate and prices for common jobs, like hanging a door.
Web design for local services
Plenty of local businesses aren't trades. Dog trainers, cleaners and tutors need the same basics: what you offer, what it costs, where you are and how to book.
Back To Basics Dog Training in Sunderland is one of my clients, with its classes and prices on its site. If you run a minibus or van hire firm, I have a separate page on websites for hire companies.
What a trade website costs
Most websites I build cost between £1,500 and £5,000, and smaller sites start at £795. Before I start, you get a fixed price in writing. You pay half to start and half before the site goes live. I'm not VAT registered, so the price you see is the total.
If your business is in the Sunderland City Council area, a local grant may pay part of the cost. My guide explains how the Sunderland grant works.
After launch, any monthly plan is optional. You can have a site built without one.
I reply the same working day, in UK hours.
Most websites
£1,500 to £5,000
From £795
- A fixed price in writing
- Half to start, half before launch
- No VAT to add
Who owns your website and accounts
Your web address is registered in your name from day one.
Once the site is paid for, it's yours, along with everything on it: the files, the words and the photos.
Your Google Business Profile stays yours. I'm added as a manager, and you stay the owner.
If you ever move on, you get everything within 10 working days.
Is your web address still in an old designer's name? I can help you get it moved into yours. I've written more about who owns your website.
From a free call to launch: 3 to 6 weeks for a standard site
Call.
You tell me about your trade, the areas you cover and the jobs you want more of. The call is free and takes 15 minutes.
Price.
I send you a fixed price in writing. You pay half to start.
Build.
I build it. You see the site on a private preview link before it goes live and send changes by WhatsApp or email. Two rounds of changes are included. Nothing gets added that you didn't ask for.
Launch.
You pay the other half, the site goes live, and it's yours.
A standard site takes 3 to 6 weeks. I pick the right way to build it for each job. Whichever I pick, you can change your own words and photos. If you want the detail, here's how websites are built.
Your website and your Google listing, working together
Your website and your Google Business Profile should match. Use the same business name, the same services, the same towns and the same phone number on both. Your Bing and Apple Maps listings should say the same too.
Nobody can promise where you'll show up. Google's own guide (opens in a new tab) says, "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google." What I can do is set things up properly: a page for each service, the towns you cover, and a site that backs up your Google listing.
In a Google check on 4 October 2026, my own listing came first in the map results for "web design sunderland". If you want the detail, I've written about local SEO for trades.
Your own website, a Facebook page or a listing site?
A Facebook page and a listing site like Checkatrade can both send you work. Your website is the one you control.
| Question | Your own website | Facebook page | Listing site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who owns it | You | Facebook, under its rules | The listing site, under its rules |
| Can other firms appear next to you? | No | It can show ads | Yes, customers compare you with other trades |
| Do you choose the jobs and towns it targets? | Yes | Partly | Within the site's own categories |
| Pages for each of your services and towns | Yes | No | No |
| Who controls the reviews | Your Google reviews, linked in full | The listing site |
If word of mouth keeps you busy, a small site may be all you need. If people look you up after hearing your name, that's where they land. I've also written about whether a Google profile is enough on its own.
After launch: looking after it, and two tools on the way
Once your site is live, I can look after it if you want me to: Care+ website maintenance at £49 a month, or a plan shaped to your site, priced after a call.
Separately, two tools for trades are coming soon: Quote Desk for trades, for following up the quotes you send, and Get paid, for invoice reminders through Xero or QuickBooks.
If you want to sell products too, I can build a shop so you can sell online.
After launch, if you want it
Optional, never required with a build.
Questions from trades
How much does website design for tradesmen cost in the UK?
My websites start from £795, and most cost between £1,500 and £5,000. You get a fixed price in writing before any work starts. I'm not VAT registered, so that price is the total.
How long does it take to build my website?
A standard site takes 3 to 6 weeks. If yours needs more pages or features than a standard site, I'll tell you on the call.
Who owns the website once it's built?
You do, once it's paid for, along with the files, words and photos. Your web address is in your name from day one. Your Google Business Profile stays yours, with me as a manager.
My last web designer still has my domain. Can you help?
Yes. If your web address is still in an old designer's name, I can help you get it moved into yours. With me, your web address is registered in your name from day one.
Do I need to provide any content or photos?
Yes, ideally. Your own words and photos of your own jobs work best, because you know your work. I'll edit your words and set them up so they help people find you on Google. If you'd rather I wrote them from scratch, I'll quote for that. Short of photos? I can use licensed stock images where they fit, at no extra cost.
What if I already have a website?
I can fix it or rebuild it, depending on what's wrong. There's more on rebuilding the site you've got. If you're not sure which you need, I'll check your current site for free and get back to you within 2 working days.
Will my website actually show up on Google?
I set it up properly so Google can show it, though nobody can promise a position. That means a page for each service, the towns you cover, and a site that matches your Google listing.
Do you only work with tradesmen?
No. This page is about trades and local services. I also build sites for professional firms, salons and clinics, photographers, hire companies and charities, as well as online shops and web apps.
What areas do you cover?
I'm based in Sunderland and work across the North East, including Washington, Houghton-le-Spring and Seaham. I work with businesses anywhere in the UK too. Calls happen on WhatsApp, phone or Google Meet.
Is there a monthly fee?
Only if you want one: Care+ is £49 a month, and you can have a site built without it. If you cancel, you give 30 days' notice. Your web address stays yours, and so does the site once it's paid for.
Can I make changes to my website myself?
Yes. You can change your own words and photos without paying me, however I build it. If you're on Care+, small content changes are included. For anything bigger, send me a message.
Who do I contact if something goes wrong after launch?
Me. WhatsApp me, ring or email, and I'll reply the same working day, in UK hours.
More questions about your website
Not answered here?
Send me your question on WhatsApp and I'll answer it myself.
I reply the same working day, in UK hours.
Tell me about your trade and the jobs you want
I reply the same working day, in UK hours.
Or ring 07935 996850. If I can't pick up, leave a message or WhatsApp me.
Rather write it down? Send me a message. Already have a site? Get a free website check.
5.0 from 31 Google reviews (checked Nov 2026)