Research-led small business website design

Be the source, not the summary

Custom websites for businesses that know they need something that works and not a brochure. Every project starts with research into your market, your competitors' content and the questions your buyers actually type. It ends with a site you own outright, on whichever platform suits the job.

Start your project

5.0 from 14 Google reviews ↗

My site is designed for clarity.  Most designers would dress this section up differently. Same words, different dressing.

Field 01 / Research inputs

Fig. 01 / What decides the page Illustrative

01 The problem

Websites are easier to build.Being found is much harder.

The actual website build is no longer the bottleneck. The decisions around demand, structure and coverage are more important now.

Research usually happens after the design decisions are already made. When it comes to search, that mistake doesn't cost a month — it costs the one to two years it takes a page to rank.

2 years

average age of a page ranking in Google's top 10. Only 22% get there within a year.

Ahrefs

50%

of companies do any user research before their first design decisions.

McKinsey & Company

2.7X

better outcomes in customer retention and revenue growth for product teams that actively integrate research into their business strategy.

Maze

The launch is a moment. The work is the system.

KOODOS GroundWork

The equivalent of "The Knowledge" for your market, built in days instead of years. I map demand before design decisions can make direction expensive to change.

  1. Site Explorer
  2. Keyword research
  3. Content gap
  4. Technical audit
  5. AI search visibility
Produces Demand Map See a sample →

Website Build

This used to be the hard part. The build is rigorous. Accessible and fast loading is still the standard.

Visibility keeps moving

After launch, content, rankings and competitors keep changing. My ongoing AI search visibility check shows where coverage is growing and what to publish next.

ProducesCoverage Map

Compare the options Read common questions

02 The research

Research creates value either way

Whether the next step is improving an existing site or shaping a new one, the research work produces practical value first.

Research phase

GroundWork

Full-spectrum SEO research covering demand, content gaps, structure, AI visibility and topical opportunities.

  • Search demand
  • Content gaps
  • AI visibility
  • Site structure
  • Topic coverage
  • Action priorities

Output

Demand Map See a sample →

Research application

Existing website

Use the research to improve what already exists.

  1. Find what is weak

    Surface missed topics, weak pages and structural issues.

  2. Create a rectification plan

    Turn findings into a clear action list for client or dev.

  3. Implement improvements

    Content, linking, metadata, structure and page targeting.

Value

Immediate direction without needing a rebuild.

Research application

New website

Use the research to shape the site before launch.

  1. Create the website spec

    Define structure, page strategy and content priorities.

  2. Build with stronger foundations

    Make the site technically and structurally search-ready.

  3. Enhance before launch

    Go live with better SEO properties and stronger content coverage.

Value

A smarter site before it ever goes live.

03 The offer

One entry point, three stages

Everything starts with GroundWork — the build and the coverage that follows both build on it. This way I add value to your website at every step.

  1. DATA

    GroundWork

    The research

    £250 one-off

    Start here
    • Produces Demand Map

    I map demand, competitors and content gaps and AI visibility for your market before any design decision makes direction expensive to change.

    About GroundWork
  2. DEVELOPMENT

    Build

    The website

    From £550, staged payments

    • Produces Build plan
    • Website
    • Test results

    The site is scoped, planned, built and tested against the GroundWork findings, then staged for launch. The scope determines the price

    Requires GroundWork, mine or reviewed.

    About Build
  3. OPTIONAL

    Coverage

    Ongoing search visibility

    From £150/month, 6-month minimum

    • Produces Coverage Map
    • Content Plan
    • Content Ingestion

    Rolling visibility work after launch — content, rankings and competitors keep changing, so this keeps coverage moving.

    Content-led — one development lane

    £150/month

    Ongoing content and visibility work, one lane at a time to agreed frequency.

    Build-out — two development lanes

    From £750/month

    Content & development running in parallel, two lanes with sequential tasks.

    Anything beyond two lanes is scoped and quoted individually.

    Requires GroundWork behind the site, built by me or not.

    About Coverage

£25–£50/month

Platform Care: Hosting, monitoring and priority fixes for the live site. Mandatory from launch, not an add-on.

50% of the GroundWork fee credits against a build started within 60 days.

Start with GroundWork Read common questions

04Reviews

What clients say on Google

5.0 from 14 Google reviews ↗

Neelam Potdar★★★★★
For anyone looking to develop their professional website I would highly recommend Mark -the owner and creator of Koodos! Mark provided full support, guidance and shared his wealth of knowledge without hesitation for my Healthcare website. The process required time and commitment- Mark was extremely patient, friendly, easy to communicate with and flexible. I have enjoyed working with him and extremely happy with the website and service. I have recommended Mark to my family and friends. Undoubtedly, he is the best in his field!
Hem Patel★★★★★
Working with Mark on this project was an absolute pleasure. I set out to elevate our site from a static brochure to a true, dynamic business platform, and Mark delivered that and more. Throughout the process I felt fully empowered; each update felt intuitive, the new CMS structure gave me control, and the carefully tuned performance and animations brought my brand to life. Mark's communication was on point, timelines were respected, and his expertise transformed my vision into something far better than I’d imagined. Highly recommended!
Mel Kerrison★★★★★
APMP UK recently worked with Koodos to build our new website on a modern platform, and we couldn’t be happier with the result. The new site looks fresh, professional, and much easier to navigate. From the very start, Mark helped us focus on the user journey — really thinking about how people would interact with the site and where our content should sit. He supported us in reviewing what could be re-used, what needed re-writing, and how to organise everything in a clear, engaging way. We went live exactly on the planned date, with no rollbacks or issues, which is a real testament to his preparation and expertise. Throughout the project he was incredibly supportive, always available when we needed guidance, and highly knowledgeable about both the technical and content sides of web design. We’d highly recommend Koodos to anyone looking for a smooth, professional, and collaborative website build experience.
Connie Towl★★★★★
Mark has been fantastic for our business in terms of setting up, maintaining and managing our website. He is our go-to for the biggest and smallest of issues and nothing is ever too much trouble for him. Recently, we had our account hacked and Mark was on hand to help us at every obstacle, we couldn't be more grateful. His knowledge is second to none, his communication is fast and approachable and his service is excellent. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending Mark to anyone needing help, support and growth with their website.
Becky Mae Watson★★★★★
I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Mark over the past four years, and his knowledge, expertise, and consistently fast turnaround times have been invaluable. Most recently, we've collaborated on a website redevelopment project, and thanks to Mark’s support and clear guidance, what could have been an overwhelming process felt smooth and manageable. His professionalism and reliability make all the difference. Thank you, Mark!
Karen Shephard★★★★★
Mark was extremely helpful and responsive, both in creating a beautifully themed website for my Community Interest Company and in supporting me in its use. Any queries I had were answered swiftly and professionally. I would recommend Mark for any similar work and would definitely use his services again should the need arise.
Stefan Dziewanowski★★★★★
Mark has helped us to shape and develop our website with a good deal of flexibility and collaboration in order to get it to where we want it to be. We continue to work with him to iterate and improve so we can flex with changing demands and projects. Thanks Mark.

05Questions

Frequently asked questions

What does "starting with the research" actually mean?
Before any design work, I run keyword, competitor, and AI-citation research specific to your market — mapping which terms you can win, what competitors miss, and where AI answer engines already send buyers. That research becomes the site's structure, not an afterthought.

Quickest way to see it for your market: book a 30-minute chat and bring a competitor or two.

How is a KOODOS site different from a template?
Every page is built against a specific keyword cluster and a specific job, not a generic template section. The information architecture, content plan, and performance budget are all derived from research on your market before a page is designed or built.
What's the difference between Content-led and Build-out development lanes
Content-led (one lane): one thing in progress at a time. A content batch goes through the pipeline, however with the a Build-out (two lanes): content runs continuously in one lane while a second carries actual development — new templates, a booking flow, a landing page set. These two don't compete because they're different kinds of work with different review cycles.