What can you help with?

Websites and Shopify stores, local SEO and your Google Business Profile, and the admin automation behind a small business. One person across the lot, so the site, the search side and the back office actually talk to each other.

How much does it cost?

A website or portfolio site starts at $1,800 AUD, and an online shop starts at $2,500 AUD. Brand identity, SEO, automation and ongoing support are quoted on the actual scope. Either way, you get a fixed number in writing before anything starts.

Do I need to be technical?

Not at all. You never need to understand how it works, only that it does. I handle everything and explain it in plain language.

How long does it take?

A landing page goes live in about a week, a multi-page site in two to three. A full bespoke project, brand and site built together, is usually a few weeks. You get a fixed timeline with the quote.

Will I own everything when it’s done?

Yes. Everything is in your name and your accounts: code, domain, hosting account, Google accounts, lead-tracking sheets. If you decide to walk away tomorrow, you take it all with you. No vendor lock-in, no hostage data.

Why no monthly subscription?

Because most people don’t need one. I charge per project, one-time, so you only pay when there’s real work to do. If you genuinely need ongoing help we can set that up, but it’s the exception, not the default.

Why not just build it myself on Squarespace?

Honestly? If you only need a one-page portfolio, go ahead. I come in when the site has to do real work: capture enquiries, integrate with the tools you already use, rank in search, and look like nobody else’s. It usually pays for itself the first time it books a job while you’re busy.

What if I already have a site?

Tell me about it. Sometimes it just needs a polish, speed, SEO, a few fixes. Sometimes new things shipped. Sometimes a rebuild. I look at it honestly and tell you what actually moves the needle, and what doesn’t.

How to get your business on Google Maps (Melbourne, 2026)

In short: to get your business on Google Maps you create and verify a free Google Business Profile, complete every field honestly, add real photos, choose the right primary category, and start collecting reviews. Verification takes about a week. Once you are on the map you appear in the local pack, the block of three businesses Google shows above normal results, where most of your Melbourne competitors have not bothered to optimise. This is the single cheapest local marketing win available, and it is entirely free.

When someone searches "coffee near me" or "electrician Brunswick", Google shows a map and three businesses before anything else. That block is the local pack, and getting into it has nothing to do with your website. It comes from your Google Business Profile. Here is how to claim your spot.

Step one: create or claim your profile

Go to google.com/business and search for your business name. If Google already has a listing (it often creates them automatically), claim it. If not, create one. Use your real business name, exactly as it appears everywhere else. Consistency matters to Google.

Step two: verify it

Google needs to confirm you are really the business. Usually this is a postcard with a code sent to your address, sometimes a phone or video verification. The postcard takes about a week to arrive. You cannot appear on the map until this is done, so start it now and do the rest while you wait.

Step three: choose the right primary category

This is the most important single setting. Your primary category tells Google what searches to show you for. Be specific. "Ceramics studio" beats "art studio". "Wedding photographer" beats "photographer". You can add secondary categories too, but the primary one does the heavy lifting. Pick the one that matches what you most want to be found for.

Step four: complete every field

Half-finished profiles do not rank. Fill in your hours, phone, website, service area, and a real description. Add the services or products you offer. Google rewards complete profiles because they make for a better result. This takes twenty minutes and most businesses skip it, which is exactly why doing it puts you ahead.

Step five: add real photos

Profiles with photos get more clicks and calls than those without. Add your storefront, your work, your space, your team. Real photos, not stock. Phones take fine photos now. A dozen good ones at the start, then one every few weeks, signals to Google that the business is active.

Step six: get reviews, and reply to them

Reviews are a major ranking factor in the local pack, and they are what convinces a human to choose you once you appear. Ask happy customers directly. Send them the review link Google gives you. Aim for a steady trickle rather than ten in one day, which looks artificial. Reply to every review, good or bad, in a calm and human voice. Google notices that you engage, and so do prospective customers reading them.

What actually moves you up the pack

Three things, in rough order: how complete and active your profile is, how many genuine reviews you have and how recent, and how relevant your category and details are to what was searched. Distance to the searcher matters too, which you cannot control, but the other three you can. There is no trick. It is mostly the boring work of completing the profile and earning reviews that your competitors did not do.

Do you also need a website?

The profile gets you on the map. A website is still where people go to decide whether to trust you, and the two reinforce each other: a complete profile linking to a fast, clear site is stronger than either alone. If your site is not pulling its weight, the web design page covers that side.

The short version

Claim it, verify it, pick a specific primary category, complete everything, add real photos, and earn reviews steadily. That is the whole game, and it is free.

If you would rather have it set up properly in one go, a one-time Google Business Profile and local SEO setup does exactly that, no retainer. Or tell me about your business and I will point you at the one thing most worth doing first.