Building Effective Digital Solutions
I'm James, founder and lead developer of Small Business Websites. My journey in programming began at age 14, starting with Windows systems development before evolving into a career spanning both backend engineering and web development. After working as a backend engineer for a startup in Austria, I completed my Bachelor of Science, majoring in Computer Science and Statistics at the University of Otago with a scholarship in science. This diverse technical background has shaped my approach to web development—one that focuses on creating effective, data-driven solutions tailored to each business's unique needs.
Through years of partnering with local businesses, I've identified a crucial gap in the market: while small businesses increasingly need a strong online presence, traditional web development services often require substantial upfront investment that can strain early-stage budgets. This insight led to our innovative $0 down service model, where we not only create but comprehensively manage your website, allowing you to focus on what matters most—running your business.
My experience has also revealed concerning practices in the digital marketing industry, particularly in Local SEO services. Too often, agencies operate on a model that prioritizes aggressive sales tactics and lengthy 6-12 month contracts and then outsourcing their SEO "work" to 3rd world nations like India or Pakistan - you can only imagine what Google thinks of those backlinks. Even agencies claiming to handle everything "in-house" often you find they employ dangerous methods such as link farms and keyword stuffing, methods which risk penalization from Google. They often justify poor performance by insisting that SEO is a "long-term strategy," while failing to deliver measurable results.
At Small Business Websites, we take a different approach. We believe in transparent, results-driven strategies that generate genuine value for our clients, backed by data and proven methodologies. If we don't achieve positive movement in your Google search rankings within the first 30 days, you'll receive a full refund. This commitment reflects our belief that SEO should deliver tangible results, not just promises.
