Web Work for Dickinson Area Businesses

Dickinson sits in the southwestern part of the state, far enough from the metro areas that local businesses often deal with their own particular set of challenges. I've worked with several operations in the area, usually brought in to either fix a website that stopped working properly or build something functional from the ground up.

The clients I've helped tend to be practical, no-nonsense businesses. They don't need elaborate websites with every possible feature. They need something that represents their business well, loads quickly, and doesn't require constant maintenance.

Fixing Broken or Slow Websites

A website can stop being useful long before it actually breaks. Slow loading times, confusing navigation, forms that don't work on mobile devices, these problems drive potential customers away just as effectively as a site that's completely down.

I've rebuilt sites for businesses where the original developer added feature after feature without considering the cumulative effect on performance. The result was a site that took fifteen seconds to load on a phone. For someone trying to find a phone number or business hours, that's far too long. They'll leave and call a competitor instead.

In cases like that, rebuilding with clean, efficient code makes more sense than trying to optimize what's already there. A fresh start usually costs less in the long run and solves problems that would otherwise keep resurfacing.

Hosting That Doesn't Cause Headaches

I've helped several Dickinson businesses move away from hosting setups that weren't working. Sometimes it's unreliable shared hosting where the site goes down regularly. Other times it's overly complicated managed hosting that requires technical knowledge the business owner doesn't have and shouldn't need.

Good hosting should be invisible. Fast page loads, consistent uptime, automated backups, and security taken care of in the background. When something does go wrong, someone should fix it quickly without pointing fingers or shuffling responsibility between multiple vendors.

That's how I handle hosting. VPS infrastructure with proper configuration, and when problems come up, I deal with them. No confusion about who's responsible for what.

Semi-Static vs WordPress

Most small businesses don't need WordPress. They need a clean, professional website that loads fast and requires minimal upkeep. For those situations, a semi-static site is the better choice.

Semi-static doesn't mean limited or old-fashioned. It means the site is built efficiently without unnecessary database queries or plugin dependencies. You still get modern design, contact forms, and whatever features make sense for the business. You just don't get the ongoing maintenance burden that comes with WordPress.

That said, WordPress is the right tool for certain jobs. If you need e-commerce, a regularly updated blog, or specific interactive functionality, WordPress makes sense. I build those too. The key is using the right technology for the actual need, not just defaulting to what's most popular.

Email Configuration Problems

Email reliability is something most business owners don't think about until it stops working. Then it becomes urgent. Messages getting rejected, ending up in spam folders, or disappearing entirely are all problems I've fixed for clients in the area.

The usual culprit is DNS records. SPF, DKIM, and proper MX records need to be configured correctly for email to be reliable. When these are missing or wrong, email becomes unpredictable. Fixing it isn't complicated for someone who knows what they're doing, but it can be confusing otherwise.

Working With North Dakota Businesses

I've spent over two decades working with businesses across North Dakota and into Minnesota. Most are smaller operations: contractors, ag-related businesses, service companies. They're not looking for the latest web design trends. They need websites that work and hosting they can count on.

If you're in Dickinson or the surrounding area and that describes what you need, that's the kind of work I do.