Web Design in Bremerton, Washington

Before you build: what Bremerton looks like from a business owner’s chair

In Bremerton, 12.1% of workers walk to their jobs and 6.4% take public transportation, far above most of the state. Customers on foot decide on the spot, often standing on the sidewalk. Keep the hours current, since people come straight over after checking them.

The city of Bremerton has been around since 1891; that is more than a century of local history. The city also keeps sister-city ties with Olongapo (Philippines) and Kure (Japan). Customers in an older city often ask around first, and the website is where they confirm what a neighbor told them. If your family has served Bremerton for a while, say so plainly and show it with photos of the shop over the years. That does not take a big website. It takes an honest one, kept up to date.

Just 18 miles from Seattle, Bremerton is part of the Seattle orbit: the average trip to work takes 25.3 minutes. A commuter city does its shopping research at night. Say clearly that you are local and list the neighborhoods you cover; that is your advantage over the metro. That is the work a small business website does well: answering the first questions before anyone has to ask.

How big is the Bremerton market?

Median household income is $74,940 in Bremerton and $98,141 in Washington, a gap of about 24%. Half the residents are older than 33.2 (the Washington median age is 38.3). A typical home here is worth $439,400; the median rent is $1,641 (Washington medians: $564,600 and $1,760). There are 18,272 households, and 48.1% of them own their home.

Net growth since 2020 1,948 more residents (4.5%). The state’s figure for the same years was +3.8%. New residents mean new customers who don’t have a favorite plumber, dentist or restaurant yet.

Website design for the people of Bremerton

Government jobs account for 29.5% of employed residents. Public employees keep regular hours, and many book services around them. 34.0% of Bremerton residents are in their twenties or early thirties. They expect prices and hours on the page, not on a phone call.

48.6% of the people living in Bremerton were born in another state, the largest group from the West. For people new to Bremerton, the website is the first contact with your business.

Bremerton’s housing is older, with a median construction year of 1969. That means steady demand for repairs and renovations.

The roads, towns and places around Bremerton

The closest municipalities to Bremerton are Port Orchard (3.9 miles), Bainbridge Island (12 miles) and Poulsbo (14 miles). The city spreads over 28.4 square miles of land and 3.7 square miles of water, with roughly 1,599 people per square mile. Bremerton National Airport (PWT) is 4.1 miles southwest of Bremerton in a straight line. The county seat, Port Orchard, is 3.9 miles east. Olympic National Park lies within 49 miles of Bremerton. Naming Bainbridge Island, Gig Harbor and the other places you cover on a service area page tells customers outside Bremerton that you work there too.

Local competition in Bremerton

Across Kitsap County, County Business Patterns counts, among others:

• Custom home builders: 131. Their website should show floor plans and photos of homes you have built, the lots or areas you build in and a way to start a conversation.
• Real estate offices: 213. Their website should show the agents, the neighborhoods you know best and a contact form for buyers and sellers.
• Dental offices: 133. Their website should show the treatments you offer, a map to the office and a contact form, written in plain words for nervous patients.
• Beauty salons: 79. Their website should show services with prices, photos of real work, the stylists and the hours.
• Full-service restaurants: 212. Their website should show the current menu with prices, hours, the address with a map and photos of real dishes.
• Pet supply stores: 16. Their website should show the brands you carry, store hours and, if you want, an online store with the same monthly fee.

Across Kitsap County, County Business Patterns counted 6,272 employer establishments in 2023, and the Nonemployer Statistics add 17,269 businesses with no payroll, most of them self-employed owners. Compared with the U.S. as a whole, Kitsap County leans toward homebuilders and building contractors (384 establishments, twice the national share). In that business, buyers compare builders for months before they sign, and the website should show finished homes by project, the steps of building with you and the areas you build in. The county also has a strong cluster of sporting goods, hobby and music stores (55 establishments, 1.8 times the national share). Most of these businesses are small, and the website does the job a front desk would do in a bigger company.

Bremerton weather and a seasonal business

The nearest NOAA station with 1991-2020 climate normals, Bremerton, is 2.6 miles from Bremerton. It records an average high of 77°F in August and an average low of 35°F in December. Precipitation totals about 57 inches a year, with December the wettest month. Freezing nights (32°F or below) come about 42 times a year. With this much rain, roofers, gutter installers, waterproofing and drainage contractors are in steady demand, often on short notice. Update the homepage before your busy season: a short email with the new text is all it takes.

What Washington asks of a business with a website

A few rules apply to any Bremerton business that sells or advertises online:

• Washington’s state retail sales tax rate is 6.5%, with a local rate added depending on the city or county. Washington State Department of Revenue
• Under ADA Title III, a business open to the public should make its website usable by people with disabilities, according to the Justice Department’s guidance. ADA.gov guidance
• Check with both Kitsap County and the City of Bremerton about local business tax receipts before opening. Official source
• Doing business under a name other than the owner’s full legal name is one of the conditions that requires a Washington state business license, so the trade name is registered together with that license at the Department of Revenue. Official source

This is general information, not legal advice. Your county, your city hall or an attorney can confirm what applies to you.

Small business website, start to finish

Aria works from Curitiba, Brazil, and has built websites for small businesses since 2008. There are no visits or meetings in Bremerton: you send your material by email, and you approve the website on a temporary link.

1. Sign up online in about 5 minutes; the logo, photos and texts you already have go by email.
2. Your website is ready within 5 business days on a temporary link, so you can check every page before anything is published.
3. Approve it, pay the first month, and the website goes live on your domain together with your business email.

Hosting, the SSL certificate, daily backups and security updates are on us, and content changes you send by email are included.