About the studio
A small York studio for people who want a website done properly, explained plainly and handed over completely.
Why the name
Ashlar is finely dressed building stone, cut square and laid in even courses, the craft behind the old stone buildings that give York its character. Ink is where every good website starts for us: words on a page, sketches on paper, the plan before the pixels. Together they describe how we like to work: careful craft and clear writing.
How we work
- Small on purpose. You speak to the people doing the work, not an account manager relaying messages.
- Words first. We plan structure and copy before design, because visitors read before they admire.
- Light and fast. No heavy page builders, no unnecessary plugins, no autoplaying video.
- Accessible by default. We build to WCAG 2.2 AA as standard.
- Yours to keep. Domains, hosting, code and content belong to you.
- Honest. We will tell you if you do not need a new site, or if a cheaper option would serve you better.
What the first month looks like
| Week | What happens | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discovery session, access to analytics and Search Console, review of your current site and the sites your customers compare you with | About two hours, plus sending logins |
| 2 | Written plan: sitemap, page purposes, fixed price and dated timeline | Read it, question it, approve it |
| 3 | Content plan and copy interviews; wireframes of the key templates | An hour of interview; comments on wireframes |
| 4 | First visual designs on a private link; photography briefed if needed | One round of consolidated feedback |
From there the build runs on a staging site you can watch, with a short update each week. Nothing goes live until you have approved it.
Our method in brief
Customers before colours. Every project starts with the questions your customers ask and the decisions they make, gathered from your inbox, your phone calls and, where possible, a conversation with a customer or two. Those questions decide the structure.
Evidence before opinion. If you have an existing site, we look at what the data says it does well before suggesting changes. Pages that earn enquiries are protected.
Plain words. We write the way a knowledgeable person talks to a customer across a counter: specific, friendly and without jargon. For technical firms we keep the precision, but put a plain sentence first.
Light builds. We use the simplest platform that fits, keep pages fast for people on weak mobile signal, and build accessibly from the first line of code.
Honest follow-up. At one and three months after launch we look at enquiries and search data with you and say plainly what is working and what we would change.
What we do not do
We do not invent reviews, statistics or awards, for you or for ourselves. We do not promise rankings. We do not lock you into contracts or proprietary platforms. And we do not take on work we are not the right fit for; if a specialist would serve you better, we will say so and suggest the kind of firm to look for.
Who we work with
Independent shops and hospitality in the centre, professional firms, research and engineering companies, food producers, farms and rural businesses, charities and heritage organisations, in York and across Harrogate, Selby, Malton and Ryedale. If you are not sure whether we are a fit, ask; we will say so either way.
Next step
Tell us what the website needs to do
A few lines about your business and what is not working is plenty. We reply within a working day with honest thoughts and, if it fits, a rough plan and price.