A small web design studio in Colchester

Why Tilework

Walk around Colchester Castle or along the Roman wall at Balkerne Gate and you will see thin red tiles laid in bands through the rubble. The Romans used them to level and bind each course of a wall, and the Normans reused them when they built the castle keep on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius. Nearly two thousand years on, the walls are still standing.

That is the idea behind the name. Good websites are built in courses too: a solid technical core, then structure, then content and design, each layer levelled before the next goes on. Skip a course and it shows later.

What we believe

• Plain speaking. We explain what we will do, what it costs and what to expect, without jargon or inflated promises.
• Fast and light. We build lean websites without heavy page builders, because speed matters to customers and to search engines.
• Your site, your control. You own your domain, content and design, and we set things up so you can edit them yourself.
• Local context. We plan every site around how customers in Colchester and the surrounding area actually choose.
• Accessible by default. Good contrast, clear type, proper labels and keyboard-friendly navigation on every build.

How we work

We are a small team, so you deal directly with the people designing and building your site. We work with a short list of trusted specialists, such as photographers, when a project needs them, and we tell you up front when we do.

Most of our clients are small and medium-sized businesses in Colchester and north-east Essex: independent retailers, hospitality, trades, professional services, food producers, attractions and technology firms. Some have never had a website; others have outgrown the one they have.

Our method, course by course

Every project follows the same order, because skipping a stage is where most website problems start.

What a first month looks like

In week one we talk through the business and what the website must achieve, then look at how you currently appear in search and on Google Maps. In week two you receive the page plan and wireframes, along with a short list of what we need from you: photos, prices, details of any qualifications you hold. Week three is mostly about words, and week four is when you see the first designed pages. Most brochure websites launch a few weeks after that, depending on how quickly feedback comes back.

How we keep you in the loop

You get one point of contact, a shared checklist of what is done and what is waiting, and a short update at the end of each week. We do not disappear for a month and return with a surprise. If something changes the price or the timeline, we tell you before doing the work, not after.

After launch

Some clients take a hosting and maintenance plan so updates, backups and small edits are handled. Others prefer to run the site themselves, and we make sure they can. Either way, we check in a few weeks after launch to look at Search Console, fix anything that has come up and answer questions that only appear once you start using the site day to day.

What we do not do

We do not lock you into contracts, sell you services you do not need or promise guaranteed rankings. If a website is not the right answer to your problem, we will say so.

Read our case studies or get in touch.