Websites for first aid trainers and sole traders

I run a workplace compliance company. First aid, food safety, lead generation — and the people I talk to most, day in day out, are first aid trainers and sole traders: one person doing the training, the paperwork, the invoicing and the marketing, usually all before 9am.

That's exactly who most web design isn't built for.

Why this group gets a bad deal from most web designers

Agencies build for businesses with a marketing budget and someone whose job it is to manage the website. A sole trader has neither. You've got an afternoon a month, if that, and the site needs to just work without you having to think about it.

Most of the quotes I hear about start at agency prices for agency-sized problems — brand workshops, "content strategy" calls, packages built around a team that doesn't exist on your end. Or you get pushed toward a DIY builder that's cheap upfront and then eats an evening every time your course dates change.

Neither is really built for "I teach paediatric first aid three days a week and need people to find me and book on."

What actually matters if you're a trainer or sole trader

• Your qualifications and coverage area need to be obvious in the first few seconds. Someone searching "first aid training Derby" needs to see Derby, and needs to see you're qualified, without scrolling.
• Course dates and prices change more often than a normal "About us" page. If updating the site means emailing someone and waiting a week, the site will always be a bit wrong. That's why updates are built into what I do rather than billed as extras.
• Bookings and enquiries need to be dead simple. A form that works on a phone, in a van, between jobs — not a six-step wizard.
• You don't have time to "manage" a website. The monthly round-up should tell you what's happening, not become another task on your list.

Sole traders and tradespeople, more generally

The same logic holds well beyond first aid — electricians, plumbers, mobile hairdressers, personal trainers, cleaners, consultants working alone. If it's just you, the pattern is usually identical: a website was built once, three years ago, by a nephew or a cheap builder, and it's said the same thing ever since while your prices, services and availability moved on without it.

I've written separately about why that kind of site ends up doing nothing for you, and about the actual signs it's worth replacing rather than patching — both apply directly here.

What I'd build for you

Nothing exotic. A clear page saying what you do, where you cover, what it costs, and how to book or enquire — the Starter bundle covers exactly this for £60 to build and £50 a month. If you run multiple courses or services worth separating onto their own pages, or want online booking built in, Growth or Complete cover that.

Either way, the same principle from the rest of this site applies: tell me what you're currently paying, if anything, and I'll aim to match or beat it — for a site that's actually easy for you to live with.

Sound familiar?

If you're a first aid trainer, a sole trader, or a one-person trade business and your website hasn't kept up with you, tell me what you do and where, and what you're paying now if anything.