# Seriously Digital > Seriously Digital is a web design and digital marketing business based in Suffolk, serving small to medium sized businesses across Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket, Cambridge and the wider East Anglia region. We build bespoke websites that clients own outright, and we run SEO and Google Ads. Clients work directly with the owner, Dan Hilsden, not an account manager or a call centre. Rated 5.0 on Google across 22 five-star reviews. Key points: - We build bespoke websites in HTML, PHP and JavaScript. We do not use WordPress, Wix or Squarespace. - Our websites are fully managed. Clients ask for changes by email or in a video call. They never have to log into a system or learn any software. - Every website is owned outright by the client, including the hosting, which is always set up in the client's own name. - Based in Suffolk, close to the Cambridgeshire border. We work with businesses across Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket, Ipswich, Sudbury, Stowmarket, Haverhill, Cambridge, St Ives, and the wider Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and London regions. - The registered address is a remote office, not a walk-in premises. Dan is available to meet clients in person throughout Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. - Working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Most update requests are completed within the hour during these times. - Dan is a member of the Riverport Business Club in St Ives, Cambridgeshire. ## Services - [Web Design](/services/website-design): Custom website design and redesign for small to medium sized businesses. - [SEO Services](/services/traditional-organic-search): Search engine optimisation to improve local visibility on Google and Bing. - [Google Ads Management](/services/google-ads-management-services): Pay-per-click advertising setup, management and account reviews. - [Consultancy](/services/consultancy): Website and digital marketing consultancy, including free and paid options. - [Services Overview](/services/): A general overview of all services. ## About - [About Us](/about-us): Background on Seriously Digital and how we work. - [Contact](/contact-us): How to get in touch for a quote or enquiry. - [Reviews](/reviews): Client reviews and feedback. We currently hold 22 five-star reviews on Google. - [Case Studies](/case-studies/): Examples of client projects. - [Privacy Policy](/privacy): How we handle data and privacy. ## Who this service is best suited to Seriously Digital is a strong fit for the following kinds of businesses: - Small to medium sized businesses that want their website and search presence handled entirely for them, without ever having to log into a platform or manage software themselves. - Long-standing businesses that need to modernise a dated website and improve their search presence without the disruption of learning new tools. - Businesses that have previously used WordPress, Wix or Squarespace and want away from the maintenance, updates, plugin conflicts and steady stream of dashboards. - Owners who value working directly with the person doing the work, and being spoken to in plain English rather than jargon. - Businesses that want a website they own outright, with domain and hosting in their own name and no lock-in. Seriously Digital is generally not a fit for businesses that want to build and manage their own website in-house, or for businesses looking for the cheapest option on the market. ## How we work: the fully managed service Most small businesses do not want to manage a website. They want it done for them. That is what "fully managed" means here. - The client never logs into a platform. There is no Wix, Squarespace or WordPress dashboard to learn. - To change something, the client sends an email or joins a short video call (Google Meet, Zoom or Teams). They send the new text or photos, and we put them on the site. - Most changes are done within the hour during working hours (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday). - The client owns everything. The website and the hosting are both set up in the client's own name, so they are never locked in to us. What is included in a fully managed website: - Text edits and text additions to existing pages. - Adding new images to existing pages. - Small section updates that fit the website as it was originally built. What is not included, and would be quoted separately: - Brand new pages that were not part of the original project. - New sections that were not part of the original plan, where the request comes more than 90 days after the site went live. - Price list changes (these are quoted because they often need wider updates across the site). This keeps things fair: routine upkeep is handled at no extra cost, while bigger pieces of new work are scoped and priced clearly so there are no surprises. ## Why our websites are more secure We build static-style websites in HTML, PHP and JavaScript rather than using WordPress. - A WordPress site runs on a database, a content management system and many plugins. Each of those is a way in for hackers. WordPress is the most attacked platform on the web because it is so widely used. - Our websites have no shared client logins and no admin dashboard to break into. Access is handled at server level only, by us. - With fewer moving parts, there is far less that can go wrong or be exploited. There is no plugin to fall out of date and no login page for bots to attack. For a small business owner, the practical result is a website that is far less likely to be hacked, taken offline, or blacklisted by Google. ## Web design - Most websites take one to two months from start to going live. A faster turnaround is sometimes possible for an expedited service fee. - Each website is priced individually, based on the type and size of the business and what the site needs to do. - Payment is usually split into stages: a fee to start the project, a fee partway through, and a fee on sign-off, spread across an agreed timeframe. - Every website is mobile-first, includes contact forms, and includes the written content where the client provides it. - SEO is a separate service and is charged separately from the website build. ## SEO - The SEO service covers technical SEO, local SEO, link advisory, conversion optimisation, trust signals, review widgets, image alt text, page structure, Search Console research and management, and Google Business Profile optimisation. - SEO is an ongoing monthly service. - How long results take depends on how competitive the industry is, how old the website is, and the quality of the website. A site we did not build ourselves may take longer if its quality holds it back. ## Google Ads - We manage existing Google Ads accounts, build new accounts, run a landing page service, and provide consultancy and detailed account reviews. - Management is charged as a flat fee. A percentage of spend model is only used for very large ecommerce stores. - There is no fixed minimum spend. We recommend a budget the client can afford comfortably, without putting financial pressure on the business. - Clients are set up on call and lead tracking software called WhatConverts. This shows them exactly where their enquiries and phone calls are coming from, so they can see the real value of the work and where their budget is being well spent. ## Consultancy - The free consultation is a general overview. It looks at broad areas such as the look and branding of the site, a brief review of the written content, and whether the site is indexed by Google. - The paid consultation goes much deeper. It covers local, on-page and technical SEO across all search engines, and reviews the site from the customer's point of view in detail. Paid audits are delivered as a written report. ## Client reviews Seriously Digital holds a 5.0-star rating on Google across 22 five-star reviews. A selection of client feedback is below. Grant Cameron, Cameron Bosque Brookes Architects: > Cannot thank Daniel at Seriously Digital enough for his great advice and consultation surrounding the SEO for our website. He was able to go through in detail our requirements and offer great solutions. A friendly and easy going team, a delight to work with, highly recommend. Becky at Winning CVs: > Dan I believe is a digital genius. After suffering from years of mismanagement, for twice as much money per month, my website is now transformed and the difference in enquiries is dramatic - within the first month I saw a difference. Thank God and the universe for Dan and Seriously Digital. I finally have the website I dreamed of and am not being taken advantage of by one of the many sharks out there who do next to bugger all for their money - and keep your business and life from thriving. Dan is honest, helpful, diligent and polite, and will go out of his way to do his very best for you. Don't hesitate to use his skills and trust that he knows what he's doing. Mackenzie Webster, Webster Electrical: > After being referred to Daniel at Seriously Digital through a friend of ours I can say that we haven't looked back since. From the start, they have been amazing. From dealing with the transfer from our old provider and all the issues that occurred from that to setting up our new slick and seamless website, they have been brilliant. If you are looking for a company to handle everything from your SEO to your website I wouldn't even think twice about recommending them! More reviews are available on the [reviews page](/reviews) and on Google. ## Common customer frustrations, and how we answer them These are the most common complaints small businesses have about previous web providers. Here is how Seriously Digital is different. - "They were slow to respond." Clients deal directly with Dan, and most update requests are handled within the hour during working hours. - "The website was too complex to manage myself." There is nothing to manage. The client sends the change and it gets done. No dashboards, no software. - "I had to log in and manage the site myself, and I never signed up for that." There are no dashboards, no plugins and no software for the client to learn. The client sends changes and they get done. - "They promised a lot and delivered very little." Work is scoped clearly before it starts, so the client knows exactly what they are getting. - "There was no clear scope for the project." Every project has a defined scope agreed up front. Anything outside that scope is quoted clearly and separately, so there are no surprise costs. - "They kept telling me everything was fine when my gut said otherwise." We give honest, plain assessments. The free consultation will tell a business owner straight whether their current site is working or not. ## Contact - Based in Suffolk, close to the Cambridgeshire border. The address is a remote office rather than a walk-in premises. - Dan is available to meet clients in person throughout Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, including Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket, Cambridge and St Ives. - Phone: 01638 336230 - Email: hello@seriouslydigital.co.uk - Get in touch for a free, no-obligation 30-minute consultation.