How to Choose a Web Designer in Hull (When You Have Got a Business to Run)
And why the right one will ask about your customers before they mention a single colour
Hello. I am Susi. I run The Trade Marketer. And if you are a trade or service business in Hull, I have been looking forward to meeting you.
Here is the short version. I am a creative thinker with a strategic brain who has spent a career working out what makes businesses visible, trusted, and chosen - and now I have pointed all of it at local trade and service businesses right here in Hull. Plumbers. Hairdressers. Electricians. Personal trainers. Life coaches. Gas engineers.
The people who are really good at what they do and could use someone who is really good at this bit.
The slightly longer version involves a wonderfully wonky career that has taken me through running my own businesses, marketing consultancies, an Amazon prep centre (do not ask about the label printer), and a whole range of work with SMEs across different sectors. Somewhere along the way I discovered I had a real aptitude for creative thinking and for building the kind of systems and processes that make businesses actually work online - not just look nice, but genuinely bring in the right customers.
I also discovered that this is the work I love most. Helping real people running real businesses get found by the people who need them. And offering web design in Hull, where I can be properly part of the community rather than just another name on a screen, felt the right thing to do.
If you want the full backstory, I will link to it. For now, let me tell you what I am excited about and what The Trade Marketer can do for you as a local business.
How do I find the right web designer for my local business in Hull?
QUICK ANSWER
Find someone who is curious about your business before they are excited about your website.
A good web designer for a local trade or service business will want to understand your customers - who they are, how they find you, what makes them get in touch.
For a Hull business, someone who knows the local landscape can help you focus on the things that will actually make a difference. And the right person will help you start with one thing done well rather than trying to do everything at once.
What gets me excited (genuinely)
The way people find local businesses right now is full of opportunity. And I mean properly exciting opportunity - the kind that does not need a big budget, just clear thinking.
Google's AI overviews are creating space for local businesses with clear, specific content to show up right at the top of a search. Voice search means people are asking questions the way they actually talk - "is there a good electrician near Anlaby who can come this week?" - and websites that answer those natural questions get found first. "Near me" searches have gone through the roof, which is brilliant for any local business that has good foundations in place.
A hairdresser on Newland Avenue who is clear about what they offer and where they are can show up ahead of a national chain. A personal trainer in Beverley who answers the questions people are genuinely asking can become the name that Google suggests first. A plumber in Cottingham with great reviews and a clear website becomes the obvious choice at quarter past nine on a Sunday evening when someone really needs one.
This is not future stuff. This is happening now. And it is happening for businesses that get three things right.
Be Found. Be Trusted. Be Chosen.
I think about an ideal local digital presence as three things that build on each other.
Be Found is about showing up. Your website, your Google Business Profile, your presence in local search. When someone nearby searches for what you do, can they find you? That is step one, and there are practical things you can do about it.
Be Trusted is about what people see when they arrive. Does your website feel professional and clear? Can they tell what you offer and where you cover? Do your reviews back you up? Trust online is built through a series of small signals, and every one of them can be put in place deliberately.
Be Chosen is the moment someone acts. They call, they book, they send a message. Everything before this - the visibility, the clarity, the credibility - either leads to this moment or quietly loses it.
The nice thing about this framework is that it shows you where to focus. If nobody can find you, that is the starting point. If they can find you but your website is not doing you justice, that is a different conversation. If both of those are working but enquiries are still not coming through, we look at why.
And you absolutely do not have to work on all three at once. Some businesses come to me for a website. Some need their Google Business Profile sorting out. Some just want help getting reviews working for them. Some want a conversation to figure out what to do first. All of that is a good place to start.
Something you can try right now
Open your website on your phone - that is how most of your customers will see it first.
Can someone tell what you do within a few seconds? Can they see where you cover? Can they figure out how to get in touch?
Three yeses and you are in good shape. If anything made you hesitate, that is genuinely useful - it gives you a clear starting point, and sometimes even a small change makes a surprising difference.
What The Trade Marketer is here for
I want this to be a proper resource for trade and service businesses in Hull. A really useful place where you can find practical thinking about getting your business found online. Your 'go-to' for all things websites.
I will be writing here about the things that matter. Website strategy for local businesses. Google Business Profile - what it does and how to make it work harder. Local search and how it is changing. Voice search, AI, reviews, and the practical things you can actually do about all of it. I'm keeping an eye on the 'website world' at large for opportunities, ideas and useful nformation which I will also share (I've a great announcement from Google in the pipeline that will be a really fantastic opportunity for small local service businesses. You might like to subscribe → to be in the know first!).
I want to be part of this community properly. Working with local businesses. Understanding what you actually need. Showing up for it.
If you want to follow along, you are very welcome. If you want a conversation about your business and where to start, I would love that. And if you prefer to just read and quietly crack on - that is completely fine too. Some of the best results come from someone reading one thing, making one change, and noticing the difference months later.
No pressure. No jargon. Just someone who gets trade and service businesses, gets Hull, and is genuinely excited about what is possible for yours.
You know where I am.
TL;DR
The Trade Marketer is a new Hull-based service helping local trade and service businesses get found, trusted, and chosen online. Websites, Google Business Profile, reviews, local visibility - or just a conversation about where to start. Run by Susi, who brings creative thinking and strategic experience from a varied career working with SMEs, and has focused it all on local businesses in Hull. No packages, no jargon, no minimum order.
FAQs
What kind of businesses does The Trade Marketer work with? Trade and service businesses in Hull. Plumbers, hairdressers, electricians, personal trainers, life coaches, cleaners, gas engineers - anyone running a local service business who wants to get found by more of the right people.
Do I have to buy a full package? No. Start with whatever matters most to your business right now. Website, Google Business Profile, reviews, visibility - or just a conversation to figure out what makes the most difference first.
Do I need a website if I get work through word of mouth? Word of mouth is genuinely wonderful. But the people who hear about you will almost certainly look you up online before they get in touch. A good website makes sure those warm referrals follow through.
What does a website cost for a local business? I will be writing about this properly in an upcoming piece. The short version: it depends on what you need, and a website built with proper thought behind it is probably more affordable than you expect.
What will you be covering on this blog? Everything that matters for local trade and service businesses getting found online. Website strategy, Google Business Profile, local search, voice search, AI, reviews, and practical things you can do. Written for busy people, not tech enthusiasts.
Terms We Used
Google Business Profile (GBP) The free listing that appears when someone searches for your business or type of service on Google. Shows your name, location, reviews, hours, and contact details. For local businesses, getting this right is one of the most effective things you can do.
Local search When someone searches for a service in a specific area - "plumber Hull" or "hairdresser near me." How well you show up depends on your website, your GBP, your reviews, and several other signals working together.
Be Found. Be Trusted. Be Chosen. The Trade Marketer's framework for local digital presence. Three steps that build on each other - visibility, credibility, action.
AI overview The AI-generated answer that now appears at the top of many Google searches. It is creating real opportunities for local businesses with clear, well-structured content.
About the writer
Susi is the creative brain behind The Trade Marketer and the person who will almost certainly ask about your customers before she mentions a single colour.
A career that has zigzagged through global marketing campaigns, running her own businesses, and discovering that label printers have a personality of their own means she writes from experience - the good bits, the messy bits, and the bits that only make sense in hindsight.
She spots opportunities other people walk past, makes complicated things feel manageable, and has never met a local business she was not curious about. When she is not building websites or obsessing over Google Business Profiles, she is probably reading something that will turn into a blog post next week.
Want to get in touch? Why not WhatsApp in the first instance...
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