Web · Design · Marketing

Your website should be your best salesperson.

Websites, care and marketing for upcoming and established independent businesses where a single new customer is worth thousands — built and looked after by one person in Sussex, start to finish.

Taking on a limited number of projects — two build slots open for October
Mobile device mockup showing the Coburn & Baker website Laptop mockup showing the Natural Angle website Laptop mockup showing the Stone Republic website
What I do

Four things, done properly.

The same person handles every project, start to finish — no account managers, no juniors, no handoffs.

Websites

Fast, modern, mobile-friendly sites — built on WordPress or fully custom, depending on what you need.

Learn more →

Growth Plans

Ongoing SEO & GEO integration, Google Business Profile management and conversion work that keeps bringing in enquiries after launch.

Learn more →

Marketing

Google & Meta ads, Google Business Profile management and social support — run for you, not by you.

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Design & Print

Leaflets, business cards, signage and brand materials, designed to match your website.

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Work

Recent projects.

A couple of examples of what gets built — more going up as projects launch.

Custom build · E-commerce · Growth Plans

Coburn & Baker

Coburn & Baker website homepage

A full rebuild for an independent wholesale and private bakery whose outdated site needed a long-overdue overhaul and wasn't performing well in search. Rebuilt with better SEO, a cleaner UI and proper enquiry forms.

A steady rise in wholesale enquiries, plus more private orders placed online.
Visit site →
E-commerce · Ads management · Marketing

Natural Angle

Natural Angle website homepage

A home improvement business offering bespoke stone worktops, tiles, kitchens and bathrooms — their old site had confusing navigation and slow performance. Rebuilt with a new design and now backed by managed ad campaigns.

A noticeable increase in site traffic and enquiries since launch.
Visit site →
Process

How it works.

01 — Discover

A proper conversation

Understanding your business, your customers, and what will actually move the needle — before anything gets designed or built.

02 — Build

Design & build

Your website, campaign or design work gets built properly, with regular check-ins so there are no surprises.

03 — Grow

Ongoing care

Maintenance, SEO & GEO, ads and support keep things moving after launch — month to month, only what you need.

Sectors

Built for businesses with something worth selling.

Focal Creative works best with independent businesses where a better website and marketing clearly pay for themselves.

Pricing

What projects typically cost.

Every project is scoped around what your business actually needs — these are starting points, not final quotes.

Every build includes 2 months of Grow as standard — carry on at £900/mo afterwards, or step up to Lead Engine for £1,800/mo. Cancel any time.

Website Builds

One-off, paid on completion — includes 2 months of Grow
Foundation
Up to 8 pages. A focused site that brings in new leads, and turns people who already know you into enquiries. Ready in 2-3 weeks.
from £2,500
GrowthMost invest £4.5–7k, depending on scope
8-15 pages, custom-designed around how your customers decide. Service & area pages, booking/enquiry integrations, tracking and sales funnels. Ready in 3-5 weeks.
from £4,500
Bespoke
Fully bespoke builds — e-commerce, custom bookings, and code written for exactly what your business needs. Ready in 5-8 weeks.
over £8,000

Included on every build: mobile responsive design, SEO & GEO setup (optimising search engine and AI-generated search results), image & speed optimisation, SSL & basic analytics.

Growth Plans

Rolling monthly plan
Grow
  • Hosting, security, updates, backups, uptime monitoring
  • Google Business Profile managed
  • Monthly SEO & GEO work, and a report you can actually read
  • Conversion improvements to the site
  • Content and dev time each month
  • Quarterly review with the numbers
£900/mo
Lead Engineless than a part-time marketing hire
  • Everything in Grow
  • Google and Meta ads managed directly by me
  • Landing pages built for the campaigns
  • Call tracking, so you know which enquiries came from where
  • Monthly strategy call
  • Response within one working day
£1,800/mo

Ad spend is paid by you directly to Google or Meta, and isn't part of the fee. Minimum £300/month on ad spend.

Maintain — £300/month. Hosting, security, updates and uptime monitoring only. For smaller sites that don't need the marketing side.

Common Additions

One-off, added at build time
Extra Page
Additional page beyond your build's page count.
£250
Service or Area Page Set (5)
Five service or location pages built to convert local search traffic.
£900
Online Ordering / E-commerce
Product catalogue, cart and checkout, or online ordering for food and services.
from £1,500
Booking System
Online booking or appointment scheduling, integrated with your calendar.
from £900
Copywriting
Professionally written copy for your pages, in your voice.
£150 per page or £900 for the site
Photography Day
A day on-site shooting photos for your website and marketing.
from £650
Logo & Brand Basics
Logo, colour palette and basic brand guidelines.
£950
Migration from Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy or Yell
Move your existing site's content and domain across cleanly, with redirects in place.
£450
Speed & Core Web Vitals
Performance audit and fixes to pass Google's Core Web Vitals.
£550
Accessibility Audit and Fixes
WCAG audit with fixes applied, so the site works for every visitor.
£750

One-off Services

Standalone, no plan required
Website Rescue
Something's broken, hacked or invisible. Fixed in five working days.
£750
Website Performance Audit
Free for all companies in Sussex.
£350
Ad-hoc Work
£550/day, £320 half day

Currently taking on new projects for October — get in touch to lock in a start date.

Get a tailored quote
About

Who's behind Focal Creative.

James Curd, founder of Focal Creative
James Curd Founder & developer, Focal Creative

I'm James — I've spent over 10 years designing, building and looking after websites for independent businesses. Focal Creative runs out of the CityCoast Centre in Portslade, working with businesses across Brighton, Hove and the wider Sussex area. It's an independent design and development studio — which is a deliberate choice, not a limitation. There's no account manager between you and the person doing the work, no junior designer learning on your project, and no handoff between the people who pitch it and the people who build it.

Every website, campaign and piece of design comes from someone who's actually done the work — end to end, for independent businesses who'd otherwise be handed to the junior account team at a full agency.

BASED INBrighton & Hove — working across Sussex
STRUCTUREIndependent studio, direct access throughout
FOCUSUpcoming & established independent businesses looking to grow
BUILT ONFully custom site or WordPress
OWNERSHIPYour domain is always registered in your name — never mine
CONTINUITYBacked up daily, fully documented — never a single point of failure
RESPONSE TIMEWithin 24 hours
FAQ

Common questions.

See all FAQs →

How long does a website take to build?

Most Foundation builds take 2–3 weeks and Growth builds 3–5 weeks, from our first call to launch. Bespoke or fully custom builds usually take 5–8 weeks.

Do I own my website once it's built?

Yes. Once the final invoice is paid, the website and its content belong to you outright — including the source files and your domain, which is always registered in your name.

What happens if I want to cancel my retainer?

Growth Plans run on a month-to-month basis, just give me 30-days heads up before you want to opt out.

Do you work with businesses outside your listed sectors?

Absolutely — home improvement, trades and education are where I have the most experience, but every project starts with a conversation about your business specifically.

Get started

Ready to start a project? Get a tailored quote.

A short guided form — tell me about your business and what you need, and I'll come back with real numbers.

Start your project →
Takes about 2 minutes
Not ready yet?

Get a free 5-minute video review of your website.

I'll record a short screen-share walking through what's working, what's likely costing you enquiries, and what I'd fix first — no obligation, no sales pitch. More about the review →

No obligation — I'll send it across within a few working days. Your details are handled as described in the privacy policy.

Thanks — I'll send your video review within a few working days.