Salford is its own city. Always has been. It gets lumped in with Manchester constantly, but anyone who lives or works here knows the difference. If you run a business in Salford, you want someone who understands that distinction and treats your area with the respect it deserves.
I'm Laurence, a web designer and IT person based in Ramsbottom, about half an hour from Salford. I work with small businesses directly. No agency, no team of middlemen, no subcontractors. When you get in touch, you speak to me. When your website gets built, I write the code myself.
MediaCity and Salford Quays get a lot of attention, and rightly so. But most of Salford isn't production studios and glass offices. It's independent businesses, tradespeople, local services, and sole traders who need a solid online presence without paying city centre agency prices for it.
The agencies clustered around Deansgate and Spinningfields charge what the postcode allows. That's fine if you've got the budget for it. But if you're a small business with a handful of staff, those prices don't make sense. I build websites by hand, line by line. No WordPress, no templates, no drag-and-drop builders. Clean code that loads fast, works on every device, and is built to perform in local search results. From £499 one-off, or fully managed from £30 a month including hosting, SSL and ongoing support.
I also build AI chatbots trained specifically on your business. Not a generic chat bubble that frustrates people. A proper assistant that knows your services, your prices, and your opening hours. It handles enquiries when you're busy or out of hours. From £199 setup, £20 a month.
Whether you're on Eccles Old Road or Chapel Street, the fundamentals are the same. You need a website that actually represents your business, an email address that looks professional, and a Google presence that brings in local customers. I set up Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft 365 from £8 a month per user, fully managed. For businesses that want to show up in local searches, I run local SEO campaigns from £199 setup and £20 a month ongoing.
If you need a hand with your tech, IT support starts from £65 an hour remotely. For anything that needs a physical visit, onsite callouts start from £85. Web design, email and hosting are all handled remotely, so distance is never an issue.
If you're looking for a web designer who treats Salford as Salford and not "basically Manchester", I'd like to hear from you.