For years, it was just the two (sometimes three, depending on the project!) of us here in Hertfordshire. We relied on word-of-mouth, local flyers, and the occasional newspaper ad. And you know what? It worked, mostly. We were busy enough, always had a project on the go, and felt like we had a good handle on things. We were always looking to serve our local community better, but our reach was limited.
Then, a few months ago, we finally bit the bullet and decided to get a proper website. It was one of those things we’d talked about for ages, always pushed to the bottom of the “to-do” list because it felt like a massive undertaking. We imagined complicated coding, endless design choices, and a huge chunk of our already stretched budget. Boy, were we wrong!
From the moment we connected with Plesilium, who also happen to be local to Hertfordshire, the entire process was surprisingly easy. It was so handy being able to meet up in person, and they totally “got” what we were about, especially understanding the specific needs of local businesses in our area, even though we probably weren’t the most tech-savvy clients they’d ever had. They walked us through everything, listened to our ideas, and honestly, they made it fun. We provided some text and a few photos, and before we knew it, they had a design mocked up that was exactly what we envisioned – clean, professional, and really captured the essence of our small business.
The launch itself was a breeze. We were bracing for glitches and a steep learning curve, but it was smooth sailing. And then… the emails started coming in. And the phone calls! We’ve had a massive uptick in inquiries and actual new business since the site went live. It’s been incredible. We’re reaching people we never would have otherwise, both locally in Hertfordshire and a little further afield, and the best part is, many of them mention finding us through a quick online search. It’s fantastic for generating more local business!
Honestly, the website has paid for itself – and then some – in a fraction of the time we expected. It’s no longer a cost; it’s an investment that’s delivering daily returns. And the ongoing support from Plesilium has been excellent. Any little tweak we need, any question we have, they’re right there, quick to respond and always super helpful.
If you’re a small business like ours in Hertfordshire, humming along but wondering if you need a website – stop wondering and just do it! We can’t believe we waited this long. It’s opened up a whole new world of opportunity for us, and we couldn’t be happier. We’re even thinking about adding an online ordering system next!