The move itself was hardly epochal

It didn’t involve us learning a new language, a different culture, driving on a different side of the road as we moved from Heywood, Rochdale to Chinley in the High Peak. The two places are in fact just 33 miles apart but they are very different in feel, character and climate as you’d probably expect! Before we were practically equidistant from Bury and Rochdale, both fairly large towns, but now Chapel-en-le-Frith is our closest town, with more facilities available in either Buxton or Macclesfield.

So what’s my verdict on the area?

I like it.
A lot.

Been busy?

When you’ve built a business though like mine - a web design one that was ranking well locally - it does inevitably take a hit when you move areas. Say I’d been based in Manchester city centre and decided to relocate to Leeds, there’s no way my business would be found online immediately in Leeds. SEO is like that - it takes time; local SEO is no different. What I see though in my new base is lots of digital potential. We’ve all lived through 12 months of lockdown and more and businesses in Bury, Manchester, Rochdale, Macclesfield and Buxton have all had to adapt. Closures of hospitality venues and non-essential shops have seen my order books, and those of web design friends, swell in size. People have spending less because they’ve been unable to go out, but strategic thinking has come to the fore. Cafés, restaurants, pubs and hotels have adapted with a takeaway or delivery model. They’ve invested in websites and apps that allow online orders of food; I’ve seen this surge first hand to a point where the 13 hour day has become a norm for me! Not that I’m complaining … just pointing out that Coronavirus has in many ways accelerated the dependency on the internet. If your business is to survive and thrive, you need a fast-loading, attractive, secure and responsive website. It needs to be optimised for search, clearly show your social media channels and designed to get you sales of your products or services.

Now this is where I differ from web design agencies.

I have a modest home office. I don’t have a nice place in a city centre to upkeep. I don’t pay staff. I don’t have KPIs set from a boss.

I work with trusted friends and am a freelance web designer and developer.

Don’t get me wrong - you can find cheaper alternatives to me; and also companies that charge way more. I’m literally working on a project at the moment - an Ecommerce one - where the nearest price to the one I quoted was £5000 more. £5000. That’s a huge difference, don’t you agree?

So if you’re looking for a Peak District web designer, a web developer in Buxton or Macclesfield, give this newcomer to the area a try.