For Marcella and Ken
A note from Jordan
I built this site without being asked, because your incredible reviews deserve a better front door. Below is what I found on your current site, what the new one does for you, and what it would take to make it yours.
What I found on your current site
Worth knowing whether or not you use the new site. None of it is a knock on you; it happens to any site after a few busy seasons.
It says pedalboatpub@gmail.com, but tapping it opens an email to pedalboat@gmail.com. Unless that address is yours too, party bus enquiries have been going to someone else. Each one is $150 or more, and a group who thinks you never replied. Worth fixing today, whatever you decide.
Individual seats are your $40 option for couples and small groups, and your site gives three answers about when they run:
- The price card picture on your homepage: "Fridays & Sundays"
- The pricing part of your FAQ: "Sundays ONLY"
- The booking instructions in that same FAQ: "We are currently not offering individual seats"
Each mixed answer becomes a message you have to answer, or a guest who gives up. The new site says it once, as soon as you tell me which is right.
Your homepage has no description for Google to read, and the FAQ, About and Contact pages show leftover code like "</div>" where the page name should be. Page names show in browser tabs and often in Google's results, so someone new can see that before they see the boat.
The first thing new visitors read is a block of capitals about parking and alcohol at Green's Park. It's important information. Might it be worth saving for guests who have booked or are about to? The new homepage opens with the boat, and the rules sit on "Before your cruise", now in the main menu.
The price cards on your homepage are image files, so changing a number means remaking the picture. On the new site they're real text you can change yourself.
What the new site does for you
Here's what it actually changes for your business.
270%
more likely to buy when reviews are shown
That's from a Northwestern University study of online stores. You have 279 reviews across Google (5.0), Facebook (98% recommend) and TripAdvisor (4.8), and your site, where people decide to book, shows none of them.
Mon–Thu
the days it's really for
If your weekends fill up on their own, the site's real job is your weekdays. Company outings get their own section, built around your weekday rate.
See it for yourself:The boat, seat by seatHow a cruise worksBefore your cruise
Less website work, not more
You're busy running a boat.
I look after it
Hosting, security, backups and updates, handled by me for $20 a month. It replaces your Squarespace plan, which costs about the same ($19 to $25 a month for their basic plan), and you get a real person to text.
-
Your reviews stay current
Your Google rating and review count update themselves every week, and new 5-star reviews appear on their own, word for word. No extra cost.
It answers the usual questions for you
81% of people try to find an answer themselves before they call or message (Harvard Business Review). Parking, what to bring, the park rules, seat days and prices are each answered once, so fewer questions land on your phone.
Booking doesn't change
Every Book button goes straight to your Starboard Suite calendar, exactly like today.
The edit screen is optional
Your site comes with a simple edit screen for two-minute jobs like changing a price or a date, so you never wait on anyone.
Anything bigger, just text me
Send a text, an email or a photo of a scribbled note. I'll tell you the price before I start, and nothing is charged without your OK.
Why I picked you
Pedal Boat Pub was an easy pick. I like what you've built, and a 5.0 from 169 Google reviews is genuinely rare. Your website should match that standard.
I run Gilded Pixel Studio, a one-person studio in Oxford. I spent years as a designer, then ran marketing for two companies, where I watched agencies take advantage of the small businesses paying them. I got sick of seeing small businesses get screwed by agencies, so I started my own studio to do it properly: every site built by hand, at a fair price, and I hold myself to a high standard of integrity.
I'm 26 and this is my first business, but I'm not new to the craft. That's why I built your site before reaching out: I'd rather show you than tell you. You'd be my fifth client, and while I build my portfolio I'm offering a real deal, which is why the price below is lower than usual.
Your price and what happens next
Premium build, 6 to 8 pages
About the same as seven weekend cruises at $530, or eight weekday ones.
Your site is my Premium build. Because you'd be one of my first clients and your site is already built, you get it for my Standard price. My pricing is public, so there are no surprises.
How it's paid
- $1,750 to start, which holds your spot
- $1,750 when you approve the finished site
- $20 a month after launch for hosting and upkeep
- Your first month of care is free
Your site is already built, so we skip the slow part. If you love it as it is, it could be live within days of you saying yes. It comes down to the changes you want, and I move as fast as you do.
A quick call
Fifteen minutes on what you'd change, plus a few things I couldn't find online, like next season's prices and which days seats run.
$1,750 holds your spot
Half up front. Since the site already exists, we go straight to your changes.
Your changes
Send them however is easiest. I keep one numbered list and send it back so you can check I've got it right. Up to three rounds are included. If you can think it, I can build it.
$1,750 when you approve, then it goes live
pedalboatpub.com switches to the new site within 24 hours. Your email, your Google listing and your reviews aren't touched, and every old web address keeps working. Then I show you the edit screen.
After launch
I watch the site closely for the first week, and anything broken is fixed free for 30 days.
Good to know
- If it's a no
- You owe nothing, and the preview stays up through the winter in case it's useful later.
- It's yours
- If you ever want to take it elsewhere, there's a one-time $200 handoff. Nothing is held hostage.
- Squarespace
- Once the new site is live, you cancel your Squarespace website plan. Your domain name stays yours.
- Bigger changes later
- After your first month, they're $75 to $125 each, or included in Care+, which is $99 a month for up to two hours of changes.
Thank you for reading
If you'd like to go ahead, or just have questions, reply to my email or text me, and we'll find 15 minutes. No pressure either way. And whatever you decide, fix that party bus link. My number is 248-933-8094 and my email is info@gildedpixelstudio.com.