Banwell Homes

Banwell Homes is my dad's carpentry, decking and fencing business in Betty's Bay, Western Cape. I'm telling you that up front. It's a real working business with a live website I built from scratch, and I show it first because I can tell you exactly why every decision was made.

Visit the live site →Back to all work

Neville on site in Betty's Bay. This is the same photo used on his website.

Client: Neville Banwell, my dad
The business: Decks, pergolas and structures, staircases, fencing and screening
Area: Betty's Bay, Rooi Els, Kleinmond and Pringle Bay
What I did: Design, build, copywriting, search setup and launch
Live site: banwellhomes.co.za

Where he started

Paying every month, with no website of his own.

Before this, Neville paid a marketing agency every month. His business appeared on the agency's website, listed alongside other businesses. What he didn't have was a proper website of his own, under his own name.

That matters more than it sounds. A listing on someone else's site is borrowed. It sits under their brand and on their terms. Someone who hears his name from a neighbour and goes looking has nothing of his to find, and everything he's built up in his work has nowhere to live online that he controls.

The game plan

Six decisions, and why I made each one.

Put it in his name
The domain is registered in Neville's own account, and so is Google Search Console. Everything that belongs to the business is his. I'm added as a user so I can help, and the code sits in my account for now. If he ever wants to move it, it goes with him.
Show the real work
The photos are from his own jobs, sorted by what he builds: decking, fencing, structures and staircases. Before and after pairs let a customer see the difference instead of reading a claim about it.
Make asking for a quote the easiest thing on the page
There's a call button on every page and a WhatsApp button that follows you down the site. The WhatsApp message is already written, so the customer only has to tap send. Quotes are free with a site visit, and the site says so plainly.
Answer the questions people really ask
The FAQ uses Neville's own answers: free quotes, how big his team is, and how long a job takes. There's also a guide to choosing the right timber for decking on this coast, written for the people who actually live here.
Make it easy for Google to understand
Every page has its own title and description, clean web addresses, a sitemap, and a proper 404 page. The site is verified in Google Search Console under his account, with the sitemap submitted.
Keep it light and honest
It's plain, fast code with no heavy platform behind it. I left analytics off on purpose: a small local trade business with no campaigns to measure doesn't need tracking, and it means no cookie banner either.

What I built

A site that looks like the business it represents.

Every part of the site is there for a reason. Here is the home page with the choices from the game plan marked on it.

banwellhomes.co.za

1234

1His name, front and centreThe domain, the logo and the business name are his, not an agency's. Decision 01
2What he builds and whereFour specialties and four towns, readable in a second. Decision 02
3One tap to callThe number sits in the header and in the opening screen. Decision 03
4WhatsApp follows youOn every page, with the message already written. Decision 03

The Banwell Homes work page, a grid of real project photos — **The work page.** Real photos of real jobs, sorted by what he builds.

The Banwell Homes about page with Neville's photo and his story — **The about page.** Neville, his story, and how he works.

The Banwell Homes home page on a phone — **On a phone.** Built to be used with one thumb.

What changed

What I can say honestly, and what I won't.

Ownership
He owns his name online
He now has a website under his own name, at banwellhomes.co.za, that he owns and controls.
Enquiries
One tap to reach him
A customer can call or message him from any page, on a phone or a computer.
Honesty
No made up numbers
The site is new, and one business isn't enough to prove a trend. When there are real enquiries and search results worth showing, they go on this page, with the date.
Next
Real Google reviews
Asking his past customers for real Google reviews. For local search they count for more than anything on the site itself.

Keep going

"I build the foundation. I run the engine. You own the returns."

Let's talk about what your business actually needs.

No pressure, no corporate pitch. Book a short call, or email me directly if that's easier.

Book a Free Call →

Or email hello@alastairbanwell.com

Banwell Homes

Paying every month, with no website of his own.

Six decisions, and why I made each one.

Put it in his name

Show the real work

Make asking for a quote the easiest thing on the page

Answer the questions people really ask

Make it easy for Google to understand

Keep it light and honest

A site that looks like the business it represents.

What I can say honestly, and what I won't.

He owns his name online

One tap to reach him

No made up numbers

Real Google reviews

More work, and how it gets built.

All work

How it gets built

What it costs

Let's talk about what your business actually needs.