Websites
Your website is the front door people try before they try the real one. It is where somebody checks whether you are open, whether you deliver, and whether you are worth the walk — and a site that looks abandoned answers all three questions the wrong way.
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Websites, set up properly
We design and build the site in-house, on a system you can edit yourself, and connect it to the things that actually bring money in: online ordering that feeds the same EPOS as the counter, table booking, gift vouchers, and a gallery that still loads quickly on a phone in a car park. Everything is responsive and on HTTPS, hosting and domains are handled here, and the design is set by the team that does your signage — so the site, the fascia and the menu all agree with each other.
“Without a website, people may question your legitimacy as a business. Having a website is an opportunity to make a great first impression and give people comfort that you are a real business.”
- Built phone-first, where your customers actually are
- Online ordering that feeds the same EPOS as the counter
- Editable by you, with no monthly agency bill
- Designed alongside your signage, so the branding matches
What should you know before ordering websites?
What should a business website actually do?
Answer the questions people arrive with, quickly: when you are open, where you are, whether you deliver and what is on the menu or the price list. Then let them act on it by ordering, booking or getting in touch without leaving the site. BD Signs builds around those jobs first and the decoration second, because a visitor who cannot find the order or booking button straight away usually tries somewhere else.
Why should your website match your signage?
Because recognition is built on repetition. Someone who has seen your fascia and your menu should know your website belongs to the same business before they read the name. At BD Signs the website is designed by the team that does your signage, so the colour scheme, logo and photography carry straight across. A site in different colours from the shopfront makes one good brand look like two separate businesses.
Can you update the website yourself?
Yes, and you should be able to. BD Signs builds on a system you edit yourself, so changing opening hours for a bank holiday, adding a dish or swapping a photo does not mean waiting for somebody else. Bigger jobs, such as a new section or a fresh design, are where our team comes back in. A website that is easy to keep current is far more likely to stay current.
How does BD Signs set up websites?
- Step 1
Brief and brand
We start with what the site has to do, whether that is taking orders, taking bookings, selling online or bringing in enquiries, and with your brand. If BD Signs already does your signage, the colours, logo and photography are ready to use.
- Step 2
Designed and built in-house
The site is designed and built here, phone-first, then checked on tablets and desktops. Pages are kept light, so the menu and the gallery still load quickly on a weak mobile signal.
- Step 3
Ordering, booking and Google
We connect the parts that bring money in: online ordering into the same EPOS as your counter, table booking, gift vouchers or an online shop. Your Google Business Profile is linked up, so search and the site send people to the same place.
- Step 4
Hosting, HTTPS and handover
Hosting, domains and the SSL certificate that puts the site on HTTPS are all handled here. Once the site is live, we show you how to edit the pages yourself, and the bigger changes come back to our team.
What rules apply to a business website in the UK?
Cookies come first. Under PECR, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, a website generally has to ask before setting cookies that are not strictly necessary for the site to work, with limited exceptions. The ICO's guidance sets out which cookies need consent and how that consent should be asked for.
If the site collects personal details through an order, a booking or an enquiry form, UK GDPR applies. You need a privacy notice that explains what you collect, why you collect it and how long you keep it, and the information has to be kept secure.
Accessibility matters too. The Equality Act 2010 expects service providers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the usual benchmark for judging a website. Tell BD Signs at the brief what the site needs to collect, so cookies, privacy and accessibility can be discussed before the build rather than after it.
Websites we've built
What do people ask about websites?
Will my website work properly on a phone?
Yes. Every BD Signs site is responsive, which means the layout rearranges itself for a phone, a tablet or a desktop instead of shrinking the desktop page to fit. We design for the phone first, because that is where most people look up a takeaway, a clinic or a holiday let. Buttons are sized for thumbs, phone numbers tap to call, and images are compressed to load quickly on mobile data.
Can my website link up with my Google Business Profile?
It should. Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing people see when they search for you, in the results or on Maps, and it needs to point to your website and, where you have it, your online ordering. Opening hours, address and phone number should match in both places, or customers stop trusting either. Linking the two is part of the Google Business and local SEO work BD Signs does alongside the build.
Can my website take orders, bookings and payments?
Yes. BD Signs connects online ordering that feeds the same EPOS as your counter, so web orders reach the kitchen alongside everything else. Restaurants can add table booking and gift vouchers, while retailers and trade suppliers can have a full online shop. All of it runs on HTTPS. The point is a site that keeps earning while the doors are shut, rather than one that only describes the business.
The rest of the system
“Excellent service as always. Friendly staff. Highly recommend.”
“Excellent service as normal — have used BD Signs for the last 20 years and they have always been very helpful and delivered on time and on price!”
Want a demo of websites?
Tell us how you trade and we will show you the system running your own menu, priced as one job including installation and training.
Or email info@bdsigns.co.uk — we answer everything the same working day.