Web Design in Memphis, Tennessee

Designing for Memphis: the facts that matter

Memphis is the seat of Shelby County, which puts the courthouse and county offices in town. That is a county of 910,226 people and 7 cities and towns. Visitors who come in for county business often need something else while they are here: lunch, a copy shop, a notary, a mechanic. A page that says which parts of the county you serve saves a call from everyone who lives outside Memphis.

With Interstate 40, Interstate 55 and Interstate 240 crossing the city limits, Memphis sees a steady flow of travelers. Highway traffic also brings freight: trucking, repair, towing and truck services work for customers from far away. One screen with services, hours and location is what a traveler needs.

Since 1819, Memphis has built up more than two centuries of local history. It also keeps sister-city ties with Varna (Bulgaria), Kaolack (Senegal) and Kanifing (The Gambia). History cuts both ways for a small business: the old names are known, and the new ones have to explain themselves faster. Write the year you opened and the names of the people behind it on the About page; a real photo of the owner beats any stock image. Get those few things right and the rest of the website can stay simple.

Where Memphis customers come from

Distances from Memphis: Germantown (11 miles, pop. 40,001), Southaven, MS (11 miles, pop. 57,819), Horn Lake, MS (12 miles, pop. 26,741), Bartlett (12 miles, pop. 56,416), Olive Branch, MS (13 miles, pop. 47,563) and West Memphis, AR (13 miles, pop. 23,336). Memphis International Airport (MEM) is inside Memphis. Memphis lies on the Mississippi River. A 25-mile radius around Memphis takes in 25 other municipalities. The city spreads over 289.8 square miles of land and 8.9 square miles of water, with roughly 2,104 people per square mile. A service area page that lists the towns you cover, from Memphis to Southaven and Horn Lake, answers the first question many customers have: do you come to me?

When Memphis customers need you: the seasons

By the 1991-2020 normals of the Memphis International Airport weather station (3.8 miles from Memphis), July highs average 92°F and January lows average 33°F. Rain adds up to about 55 inches a year, falling on about 74 days with a tenth of an inch or more. About 72 days a year hit 90°F or more. Heat sets the rhythm: crews start early, indoor businesses get busier in the afternoon, and emergency calls spike in the hottest weeks. Give seasonal work its own page, so the right page is there when the weather turns.

Memphis in figures

Of the 253,120 households in Memphis, 44.9% are homeowners. At $51,736, Memphis’ median household income sits about 26% under the Tennessee figure ($69,595); customers here compare before they spend.

Memphis lost 18,635 residents between 2020 and 2025, according to the Census Bureau’s estimates. Statewide, the change was +5.8%. In a stable market, reputation matters, and a website lets customers check yours at any hour.

Who lives in Memphis, and what that means for your website

Renters are a large group in Memphis (55.1% of households; 33.1% in Tennessee). A renter population turns over and keeps searching for new local businesses.

Memphis’s housing is older, with a median construction year of 1970. Older homes need constant upkeep, and owners search for help when something breaks.

Local competition in Memphis

In the ZIP codes that lie mostly inside Memphis (38103, 38104, 38105, 38106, 38107, 38108 and others), the Census counted 13,267 business establishments with employees in 2023. Some of the businesses behind that number:

• Physician practices, 355 in the count. What works online: office hours, locations and what to bring to a first visit.
• Quick-service restaurants, 515 in the count. What works online: the menu with prices, hours and the closest cross streets.
• Beer, wine and liquor stores, 72 in the count. What works online: store hours, what you carry and events or tastings, on a site you control.
• Insurance agencies, 216 in the count. What works online: the lines of insurance you write, the carriers you represent and a quote form.
• Child care centers, 167 in the count. What works online: ages served, hours, tuition or fees and how to schedule a tour.

Across Shelby County, County Business Patterns counted 19,359 employer establishments in 2023, and the Nonemployer Statistics add 100,318 businesses with no payroll, most of them self-employed owners. Compared with the U.S. as a whole, Shelby County leans toward warehousing and storage operators (177 establishments, 3.8 times the national share). For them, businesses compare space, location and services, and the website should show square footage, services, location and a quote request. The jobs Memphis residents hold are mostly in education, health care and social assistance (22.4%) and transportation, warehousing and utilities (14.7%).

Tennessee rules to know before your website goes live

Having a website does not change the rules, but these apply to most Memphis businesses:

• A business operating in a Tennessee county or incorporated municipality and grossing $100,000 or more must register for and pay business tax, which is administered with county and city business licenses; the city business tax applies where the city has enacted it. In Memphis, that means asking Shelby County and the City of Memphis. Official source
• Tennessee’s general state sales tax rate is 7%, and a local rate set by the county or city is added on top. Tennessee Department of Revenue
• The Tennessee Information Protection Act (TIPA) rarely reaches a local business: A business that does business in Tennessee or targets Tennessee residents, earns more than $25 million in annual revenue, and either controls or processes the personal information of at least 25,000 Tennessee consumers while deriving 50% of gross annual revenue from selling that information, or processes the personal information of at least 175,000 Tennessee consumers in a calendar year. A small business with a website is almost always outside the law because of the $25 million revenue test. Tenn. Code Ann. Section 47-18-3201 et seq. (2023 Public Chapter 408)
• Fake or bought reviews are illegal under a federal rule in force since 2024 (16 CFR Part 465): post only real ones. 16 CFR Part 465

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

Affordable web design for Memphis, done remotely

Based in Curitiba, Brazil, Aria has been building business websites since 2008. We work with businesses remotely, so a company in Memphis gets the same plan, at $89 a month, without meetings or visits.

1. Start with the online sign-up, which takes about 5 minutes.
2. Within 5 business days you get a temporary link with the whole website, built on a proven template with your brand.
3. Ask for adjustments by email, approve, and after the first monthly fee the site goes live on your domain.

After launch, changes to text, photos and prices are requested by email and are part of the monthly fee; quick questions go by email too.