The Internet, by Josh Withers

An online presence that actually works for your business.

I'm the digital person for small businesses that don't have one. Website, email, Google Business, Apple Maps, branding, SEO — I make sure customers can find you and trust what they see. Based in Hobart, Tasmania — working with clients across Australia, Canada, and the USA.

A website that brings people together.

My fundamental difference

I think Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress are a bad deal for most local businesses.

They make it easy to start by making the platform part of the website forever. You pay in speed, control, maintenance, and another rebuild when you eventually want to leave.

That is how I build now. Historical platform projects remain labelled honestly in the portfolio, and I can migrate existing businesses onto the current static stack.

Built for everyone

A mass-market builder has to support millions of businesses, templates, apps, and editing options. Your visitors inherit that general-purpose machinery even when your website only needs great pages and a contact form.

A permanent performance tax

WordPress has a server, database, theme, and plugins to coordinate. Hosted builders still carry platform code and runtime decisions. Caching can help, but it is compensating for complexity a static site avoids.

Difficult to leave

Wix sites must stay on Wix. Squarespace only exports some content. WordPress content can move, but the working site is often tangled through its theme and plugins. Moving commonly means building again.

More surface to maintain

Dashboards, databases, themes, plugins, third-party scripts, and accounts create more places for performance, privacy, compatibility, and security problems to appear.

I build static instead: the website is finished before anyone visits, hosted as simple files, built around one business, and owned in a form that can move.

Why I build static

What I do

I help small and local businesses get found online, look professional, and turn visitors into customers. Think of me as your digital department — without the overhead.

01

Three clear website offers

Choose a static website rescue or migration, a complete small-business website, or a wedding-industry website. A typical build starts around A$3,000–A$4,000, then the actual work is quoted to scope.

Compare the website offers

02

Professional email

Business email that actually lands in inboxes, not spam folders. Proper domain setup, authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and professional signatures that match your brand. Your emails arrive looking like they came from a real business — because they did.

Email that works

03

Google & Apple listings

Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places — set up correctly so customers find you on maps, in search results, and when they ask their phone for recommendations nearby.

Get found on maps

04

Digital branding

Consistent look and messaging across your website, email signatures, social profiles, and business listings. One cohesive brand everywhere customers see you — so you look like the professional operation you are.

Look professional everywhere

05

SEO & AI visibility

Get found on Google, recommended by ChatGPT and AI assistants, and rank ahead of competitors. Technical SEO, structured data, and the emerging field of generative engine optimisation — handled.

Get found and recommended

06

Ongoing digital support

An enquiry-based arrangement for agreed website changes, technical monitoring, Google and Apple listings, search visibility improvements, and clear reporting.

Ongoing support

Niche directories

Business directories built to help companies get found in their niche — with quality backlinks, NAP citations, and local SEO presence.

Static Map Preview

10 locations

Tasmanian Wedding DirectoryANSETT DirectoryAustralian Wedding CelebrantsBrisbane Wedding Directory+6 more

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Marriage office experiments

Sites built to compete in congested marriage services markets — proving static architecture can outrank established players.

Static Map Preview

14 locations

Australian Marriage OfficesMarriage Office MelbourneMarriage Office SydneyMarriage Office Tasmania+10 more

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Website offers and investment

A clear starting point, then a quote for the actual work.

A typical website build starts around A$3,000–A$4,000. These offers explain the shape of the work; the written quote confirms the pages, functions, exclusions, and investment for your business.

01

Static Website Rescue or Migration

For a business with an ageing, slow, difficult, or platform-bound website that is worth preserving.

Starting investment

Quoted after a review. If a full rebuild is the right answer, a typical website build starts around A$3,000–A$4,000.

See the rescue and migration offer

02

Complete Small-Business Website

For a small business that needs a professional website built properly from the ground up.

Starting investment

A typical small-business website build starts around A$3,000–A$4,000, with a quote based on scope.

See the complete website offer

03

Wedding-Industry Website

For celebrants, photographers, filmmakers, planners, venues, and other wedding professionals.

Starting investment

A typical wedding-industry website build starts around A$3,000–A$4,000, with a quote based on scope.

See the wedding-industry offer

How the 50% deposit works

Josh first confirms the scope and investment in a written quote. Once you accept it, a 50% deposit starts the project. The quote and invoice set out the remaining payment details.

Ongoing support is quoted separately

Support can cover agreed site changes, technical monitoring, listings, search visibility, and reporting. There is no invented monthly package price: enquire for a scope based on the work your business needs.

Questions

Straight answers to the things people usually ask before getting started.

Ask something else
What do you actually do?

I'm the digital person for small businesses that don't have one. I build websites, set up professional email, get you on Google Maps and Apple Maps, make sure your branding is consistent everywhere, and handle the technical SEO and AI visibility work that helps customers find you online. Think of it as having a digital department — without needing to hire a whole team.

What's a fractional digital executive?

It means you get an experienced digital professional working on your business, but you're not paying a full-time salary. I work with several businesses at once, giving each one the attention their digital presence needs. Most small businesses can't justify a full-time digital hire — but they still need someone who knows what they're doing. That's where I come in.

Do I need a new website?

Maybe. Maybe not. Some businesses need a ground-up rebuild. Others have a website that just needs the right technical work done — faster hosting, proper SEO setup, email that doesn't go to spam. I'll look at what you've got and tell you honestly what needs doing. I'm not going to sell you a new website if your current one just needs fixing.

Why do my emails go to spam?

Usually because your domain isn't set up to prove the emails are really from you. There are three records your domain needs — SPF, DKIM, and DMARC — that tell email providers like Gmail and Outlook 'yes, this email is legitimate.' Without them, your emails look suspicious and end up in spam. I set all of this up properly so your business emails land where they should: in the inbox.

How do I get my business on Google Maps?

Through Google Business Profile — it's free and it's one of the most important things a local business can do. It's what shows up when someone searches 'plumber near me' or 'best cafe in Hobart.' I also set you up on Apple Business Connect (for iPhone users) and Bing Places. Most businesses either haven't claimed their listing or set it up once and forgot about it. I make sure it's complete, accurate, and working for you.

What is SEO and do I need it?

SEO — search engine optimisation — is what helps your website show up when someone searches Google for what you do. If you're a plumber in Launceston, you want to appear when someone searches 'plumber Launceston.' Good SEO isn't a magic trick — it's making sure your website is fast, well-structured, and clearly tells Google what your business does and where you are. Every website I build has this baked in from the start.

What about AI — do I need to worry about ChatGPT?

More and more people are asking AI assistants like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Siri for recommendations — 'best electrician in Hobart,' 'wedding photographer in Byron Bay.' If your business isn't structured in a way these systems can read, you won't get recommended. I build websites with structured data and AI-readable files so that when someone asks an AI about your industry in your area, your business has the best chance of being mentioned.

How much does this cost?

A typical website build for a small business starts around A$3,000–A$4,000. The written quote confirms the actual scope and investment. Once you accept it, a 50% deposit starts the project, and the quote and invoice set out the remaining payment details. Ongoing support is enquiry-based and quoted around the agreed workload rather than an invented monthly package.

I already have a website — can you help?

Absolutely. I can audit what you've got and tell you what's working, what's not, and what needs fixing. Sometimes it's a full rebuild. Sometimes it's setting up proper email authentication, adding schema markup, claiming your Google Business listing, or getting your site speed from a 40 to a 95 on PageSpeed. Not everything needs starting over.

Why don't you use Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress?

My current service builds static sites: pre-built HTML, only the JavaScript a feature genuinely needs, no public CMS or database required for ordinary pages, portable source files, and free or near-free hosting. Squarespace and Wix couple the working site to proprietary systems, while a working WordPress site still depends on its database, host, theme, plugins, configuration, and updates. I do have older Squarespace work in the portfolio; those case studies accurately describe historical projects and do not pretend they used today's stack. I can now help businesses migrate from those older platforms.

Can you help with social media?

I focus on the digital foundations — your website, email, listings, branding, and search visibility. I don't create social media content or manage accounts day-to-day. But I'll make sure your social profiles are branded consistently, linked properly, and working with your website rather than against it. If you need a social media manager, I can point you in the right direction.

Where are you based?

Tasmania's Huon Valley, just outside Hobart. But I work with clients across Australia, Canada, and the USA. I've been building websites since 1996 and running my own businesses since 2008. The internet doesn't have borders — wherever you are, the work is the same.

Want a website without the platform baggage?

I build fast, static websites that belong to your business, help it get found, and give customers a better experience.