I used to think accessibility was a checklist. Add some alt text. Pick a readable font. Tick the box and move on.

Then a client called and the building of a website changed my mind.

Sound of Wonder is run by DJ Scooby, who I work with at Harrogate Community Radio. So this isn't a stranger's project. It's someone I know well, asking me to solve a real problem for real readers.

Hi, I’m Andrew Backhouse. My site is https://andrewbackhouse.design and in this episode of “A web designer in Harrogate did what?!”, I'm talking about accessibility in web design and how it forces design forward.

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I want to talk about something I get asked about more than almost anything else. And that is: why is my website not getting me any enquiries?

It is a fair question. You have got a website. It exists. People can find it, presumably. So why is nobody picking up the phone or filling in the contact form?

A lot of the time, when I actually look at the site, the answer is pretty obvious. And it usually starts on the homepage.

So today I want to walk through what a small business homepage actually needs to do. Not what it should look like. Not colours or fonts or any of that. What it needs to do. Because those are different things.

This is not a very long episode. I am going to keep it practical.

Hi, I’m Andrew Backhouse. My site is https://andrewbackhouse.design and in this episode of “A web designer in Harrogate did what?!”, I'm talking about the essentials every small business website needs on their homepage.

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Today we are talking about something I say to almost every client. Your website is not your brochure.

Hi, I’m Andrew Backhouse. My site is https://andrewbackhouse.design and in this episode of “A web designer in Harrogate did what?!”, I'm talking about why lots of small business websites work exactly like brochures - they look nice, they list the services, they have a phone number at the bottom.

And, then the owner wonders why nobody is getting in touch.

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewadesigner/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewadesigner

Welcome to the eighth episode of "A web designer in Harrogate did what?!" Today I want to talk about something that affects every single person who uses a website, an app, or a phone. And yet, most people have never heard the term for it. It is called accessible design. And no - it is not just for disabled people

Before I go any further, I want to be clear about something, Making things accessible for disabled people is the right thing to do, full stop. But today I am focusing on something slightly different; I want to show you how design choices made for accessibility end up helping all of us every day, without us even noticing.

Hi, I’m Andrew Backhouse. My site is ⁠https://andrewbackhouse.design⁠ and in this episode of “A web designer in Harrogate did what?!”, I am exploring value based pricing; but, this approach isn't without difficulty. It takes confidence to quote a higher number and hold your ground. Some clients, especially smaller local businesses, are used to comparing hourly rates - and a fixed fee without a visible hourly breakdown can feel opaque to them.

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Most of us start the same way - pick an hourly rate, estimate how long something will take, multiply the two, and send a quote. That method has a name - it's called time-and-rate estimating. On the surface it feels fair and logical.

The problem is it ties your income directly to your hours. The better you get, the faster you work - and the less you earn for the same result. That's a system that penalises you for improving.

Hi, I’m Andrew Backhouse. My site is https://andrewbackhouse.design and in this episode of “A web designer in Harrogate did what?!”, I am exploring value based pricing; but, this approach isn't without difficulty. It takes confidence to quote a higher number and hold your ground. Some clients, especially smaller local businesses, are used to comparing hourly rates - and a fixed fee without a visible hourly breakdown can feel opaque to them.

Follow Andrew:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewadesigner/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewadesigner

Today I want to talk about accessibility

Before you assume this is going to be a technical deep-dive into WCAG guidelines and ARIA labels, let me be clear: this episode is about money

It's about why making your website accessible is one of the smartest commercial decisions a business can make

Hi, I’m Andrew Backhouse. My site is https://andrewbackhouse.design and in this episode of “A web designer in Harrogate did what?!”, I am exploring why when I bring up accessibility in a client conversation, the response is usually polite but vague

People nod, they agree it's important, and then they ask whether it's going to add time and cost to the project

So today I want to flip that question around

The real question is: what is inaccessibility costing you right now?

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewadesigner/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewadesigner

Your contact form is sitting there on your website, looking the part. But is anyone actually using it?

Hi, I’m Andrew Backhouse. My site is ⁠https://andrewbackhouse.design⁠ and in this episode of “A web designer in Harrogate did what?!”, I look at contact forms - what makes them work, what puts people off, and why so many enquiries never arrive. I share what I've seen across client sites, from forms that quietly fail to ones that genuinely bring in business.

Whether you built your own form or just accepted whatever your theme gave you, this one is worth a listen.

Follow Andrew:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewadesigner/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewadesigner

Do you know how people use your website?

Analytics are well and good, but they don't show you how visitors actually use it - and your visitors will not use a website like you use it.

In this episode I walk you through how to conduct a usability test of your website for free.

Hi, I’m Andrew Backhouse. My site is https://andrewbackhouse.design and in this episode of “A web designer in Harrogate did what?!”, I'm going to talk through how I run a usability test using Zoom. This is about what happens during the call itself.

At this point in the process, your participants are already recruited, the questions have been reviewed, and people have been selected. This is all assuming you know how to make a Zoom call and that the calls are booked and confirmed.

I'll cover how I open the Zoom call, how I guide the session, and how I wrap up and review interviews.

Follow Andrew:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewadesigner/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewadesigner