Website firm with designs on growth

FIFTY free websites are available from an Oldham business that has ambitions to be the best in its field.

Business partners Chris Buckley and Mark Farrell, who run Web Vitality from a suite of offices at the Hollinwood Business Centre in Albert Street, have made the offer.

Web Vitality specialises in the creation and design of high-value websites and has a department dedicated to search engine optimisation, which, in layman’s language, is ensuring that a site appears at the top or close to the top of the lists when keywords are typed into Google, Yahoo or other search engines.

The partners met while working in industry — Mark was managing the website for clothing retailer Cotton Traders in Altrincham — and remained in touch when Chris, (30), set up Web Vitality in a spare room at his home in Royton.

That was three years ago and last year the partnership with Mark (32), from Wythenshawe, was established. When the pair won their biggest contract to date, with a bathroom business, they had the confidence and security to move into office accommodation.

Now the business has a sales director and two full-time staff — web designer Dominic Marsat, from Congleton, and Jamie Lyons, from Sale, who works with Mark on the searh engine optimisation side of Web Vitality.

Chris, a former Royton and Crompton School and Oldham Sixth Form College, student, said: “We work with companies based in Saddleworth, Uppermill, Royton, Hollinwood — basically all of Oldham. We also work with a few companies in London, so we are slowly expanding.

“Our core business is producing high-quality websites and helping improve the Google rankings of websites.”

Mark added: “We have a good, growing reputation and are forging a name for ourselves. On the ‘Which Web Design Company’ website we’re currently ranked second in the North-West from rankings based on number of clients and customer reviews.”

The guys are clearly doing something right — turnover is on target for £150,000 in the current financial year, a rapid rise from the £30,000 Chris had through the book in his first 12 months.

You’ll find the firm at www.webvitality.co.uk.