Case studies

Five projects from the sectors that shape York's economy, each described by the problem, what we did and what changed.

We do not name clients here, publish their figures or quote them. Many of the businesses we work with operate under confidentiality terms or simply prefer not to be listed. What we can show is the reasoning: how a problem was diagnosed, which decisions followed, and what kind of difference it made.

How we approach every project

1. Listen to the customers first. We ask what customers ask, by phone and email, before we look at design.
2. Audit what exists. Analytics, Search Console and a crawl show which pages already earn their keep.
3. Plan words before pixels. Structure and copy are agreed before visual design.
4. Build light. Fast pages, accessible by default, on the simplest platform that fits.
5. Check after launch. We review enquiries and search data at one and three months.

Heritage hospitality

A guest house inside the city walls

The problem

Most bookings arrived through listing sites that took a commission on every stay. The owners' own site had been built years earlier, was hard to use on a phone, hid prices behind a contact form and said nothing about parking or stairs. The owners spent part of most evenings answering the same three or four emails.

What we did

We started by collecting a month of guest emails and listing every question in them. The new site answers those questions in the order guests ask them: directions from the station and the Minster in walking minutes, an honest parking note, room-by-room pages with real photographs and floor levels, a plain access section, and "rooms from" prices. The direct booking engine was restyled to match, and the booking button sits within thumb reach on every page. Google Business Profile details were brought into line with the site.

What changed

A larger share of guests now book direct rather than through listing sites, and the evening emails about parking and check-in have largely stopped because the answers are on the page. The owners update seasonal prices themselves.

The lesson for similar businesses

For accommodation, the questions guests email you are your sitemap. Answer them on the page and both direct bookings and your inbox improve.

Read our guide to York tourism websites

Bioscience

A research spin-out on the science park

The problem

The company had a holding page written for a grant panel. Investors doing early checks, candidates considering a role and commercial partners all landed on the same dense paragraph and could not tell quickly what the company did or for whom.

What we did

We interviewed the founders and two of their early customers, then wrote a one-sentence description that a non-specialist could follow. The site was layered beneath it: a technology page with diagrams for scientists, an applications page for buyers, a publications library the team can update in minutes, team pages written by each person, and a careers section. It was built as a fast static site to WCAG 2.2 AA, which matters for university and public-sector partners.

What changed

The founders now send the site to investors and partners with confidence, and the team keep news and publications current without help. Candidates arrive at interviews already understanding the science.

The lesson for similar businesses

Write the first sentence for an intelligent outsider and the detail for the specialist. Both audiences need to be served, in that order.

Read our guide to spin-out websites

Rail engineering

A specialist rail engineering consultancy

The problem

The firm had a one-page site full of general claims about "solutions". Procurement teams had to email to check basic capabilities and accreditations, and the site did nothing to help recruitment, which the directors saw as their biggest constraint.

What we did

We gave each capability its own page, written in the vocabulary buyers and engineers use, with the standards and processes the firm works to. A single page lists the accreditations the firm actually holds and is kept current. Project write-ups were anonymised and agreed with the firm's clients before publication. A careers section describes real roles, training routes and what a week on site looks like.

What changed

Buyers can now qualify the firm without emailing, the firm appears for the specific capability searches its customers use, and the careers pages give candidates something concrete to respond to.

The lesson for similar businesses

In engineering, specific beats impressive. One clear page per capability does more than any amount of general claims.

Read our guide for rail suppliers

Confectionery

An independent chocolatier

The problem

Strong sales in the shop and at markets, but the online shop was slow, unclear about delivery and difficult to run at Christmas. Summer orders sometimes arrived soft, and customers emailed for allergen details that were only on the printed labels.

What we did

We moved the shop to Shopify with a small number of carefully chosen apps. Every product page now carries full ingredients with allergens highlighted, weight and shelf life, and delivery options next to the buy button. Summer shipping rules hold back heat-sensitive products in warm weeks, and seasonal collections and dispatch cut-off dates switch on for each peak. Gift messages and delivery to a different address are built into checkout.

What changed

The run-up to Christmas is calmer: fewer delivery and allergen questions, fewer problem parcels, and a shop the owner can manage alone in the busy weeks.

The lesson for similar businesses

Sort out delivery rules before design. They decide more about whether a food shop works than anything on the homepage.

Read our guide to selling food online

Agri-food

A diversified farm near Malton

The problem

The family ran a farm shop, holiday cottages and a seasonal event from three separate ageing websites. Each was slow on rural connections, details contradicted each other, and visitors regularly got lost on the lanes.

What we did

We combined them into one lightweight site with a clear section for each business and a shared seasonal calendar. Pages load quickly on weak mobile signal, opening hours and directions sit at the top, and the directions start from the nearest main road with landmarks and a precise map pin. Cottage booking pages show availability without scrolling.

What changed

Visitors have a single place to plan a trip, phone calls asking for directions have dropped, and the family maintain one site instead of three.

The lesson for similar businesses

For rural businesses, speed and directions matter more than visual flourish. Test the site on a phone in the farmyard.

Read our guide to rural and agri-tech websites

What these projects have in common

None of them started with a new look. Each started with a list of what customers needed to find out, and a check of what the existing site already did well. The visual design came afterwards and was shaped by the content. That order is the main reason the sites work, and it is the same order we would follow for yours.