Hello — and welcome to the Mortar & Pixel blog. If you've found your way here, there's a good chance you run a local business, you know someone who does, or you're just curious about who we are and what we're about. Either way, welcome. We're glad you're here.
This first post is an introduction — to the business, to me, and to why I started this in the first place. I'll keep it honest, because that's really the whole point of Mortar & Pixel.
It started with my mates
I'm from Halifax, but I've made my home in Brighouse — and I love it here. And like most people who grew up around this part of West Yorkshire, I know a lot of people who work with their hands. Plumbers, electricians, builders, decorators, landscapers. Proper tradespeople who are genuinely brilliant at what they do.
The thing is, most of them built their businesses the same way: word of mouth. Someone recommends them to a neighbour, who tells a colleague, who passes the number on. It works — up to a point. But it's slow, it's unpredictable, and it means a really skilled tradesperson can spend weeks waiting for the phone to ring when there are customers right down the road who'd hire them in a heartbeat if they could just find them.
"There were brilliant tradespeople within a mile of people desperately trying to find them — and nothing connecting them except luck."
A few years back, a couple of my friends asked if I could throw together a simple website for them. Nothing complicated — just somewhere people could see what they do, read a few reviews, and get in touch. So I did. And it made a genuine difference. More enquiries, more jobs booked, less time waiting for the phone to ring.
That stuck with me.
Word of mouth — but make it digital
What struck me wasn't just that the websites helped. It was that the fundamental thing hadn't changed. People still want to hear from someone they trust before they hire a stranger. They still ask around. They still check reviews, read about the business, get a feel for whether they'd like working with this person.
A good website doesn't replace word of mouth. It extends it. Instead of a recommendation stopping at one person, it can reach anyone in the area who searches for what that business does. That's essentially what we're trying to do at Mortar & Pixel — take the trust and reputation these businesses have already built in their communities, and make sure people can actually find it online.
That's the whole idea, really. Not overcomplicated websites, not jargon-heavy proposals, not monthly retainers full of services nobody asked for. Just a good, honest online presence that helps local businesses be found by the people who need them.
Why start another web design company?
Fair question. There are plenty of people who build websites. But here's what I kept noticing: most of the options aren't built for businesses like the ones I was trying to help.
Big agencies are expensive and slow. The process is full of jargon, involves multiple account managers, and projects can take six months and cost five figures. That's not what a sole-trader plumber needs. At the other end, DIY tools like Wix and Squarespace sound good until you realise you're still paying every month, you don't own anything, and figuring out the platform takes more time than it's worth when you have a living to earn.
There's a gap in the middle — businesses that need something professional, affordable, and delivered without faff. That's the gap Mortar & Pixel is here to fill.
- Fixed pricing — you know the full cost before we start, and it doesn't change
- Quick turnaround — most sites are live in two weeks, not six months
- You own it — once it's done and paid for, the site is fully yours
- No jargon — we'll always explain things in plain English, and we'll never make you feel like you should have already known something
West Yorkshire, and beyond
We're based in Brighouse, and most of our clients are local — Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Halifax, and the towns and villages in between. That feels right to us. We like knowing the places our clients are talking about, understanding what it means to actually run a business in this part of the world, and being genuinely reachable when someone needs us.
That said, the whole process works just as well remotely — we work by email and WhatsApp, and geography isn't a barrier to a good job. So if you're reading this from further afield, hello — we'd be happy to help too.
What's next
We're just getting started. This blog is where we'll share useful, practical things — guides on Google Business Profiles, tips on local SEO, honest answers to questions people ask us. Not marketing content dressed up as advice. Stuff that's actually useful whether or not you end up working with us. If you have a question right now, our FAQ page covers the things we get asked most often.
If you'd like to know more about what we offer, the services page lays it all out with fixed prices and no small print. Or if you'd rather just have a chat before deciding anything, that's exactly what our contact form is for. No pressure, no pitch.
Thanks for being here at the start of it. It genuinely means a lot.
— Jamie, Mortar & Pixel
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