Web Design in Des Lacs, North Dakota

Des Lacs up close: notes for a small business website

Mining, oil and gas account for 2.3% of the employer establishments in Ward County, about nine times the national share. Energy work creates demand for contractors, trucking and repair that moves with the industry. Safety credentials and certifications should be on the page, not just mentioned on the phone.

Sizing up the Des Lacs market

Which Des Lacs businesses need a small business website

Ward County has, among its employer businesses:

• 29 chiropractic offices: what a first visit looks like, your hours, the insurance you accept and a way to request an appointment.
• 37 electrical contractors: a page per service (panels, wiring, generators, lighting), your service area and a quote form.
• 59 quick-service restaurants: today’s hours, the menu and photos that look like what customers get.
• 22 auto repair shops: the services you do, the makes you work on, hours and a form to describe the problem.

County-wide, Ward County counts 2,043 businesses with employees and 4,773 self-employed or nonemployer businesses (2023). Compared with the U.S. as a whole, Ward County leans toward oilfield and mining support companies (40 establishments, far more than the national share). In that business, field crews and operators hire on short notice, and the website should show services by type, equipment, certifications and the area you cover. For any of them, a clear website is the difference between being compared and being skipped.

When Des Lacs customers need you: the seasons

The nearest NOAA station with 1991-2020 climate normals, Minot International Airport, is 13 miles from Des Lacs. It records an average high of 84°F in July and an average low of 4°F in January. Rain adds up to about 17 inches a year, falling on about 37 days with a tenth of an inch or more. The high reaches 90°F or more on about 13 days a year. Winter changes what people need: snow removal, heating and ice-dam repairs in the cold months, yard work and construction once it thaws. Seasonal updates help: new hours, a seasonal service, a storm notice, requested by email at no extra charge.

Des Lacs on the map

Distances from Des Lacs: Burlington (6.9 miles, pop. 1,350), Berthold (9.8 miles, pop. 464), Minot (13 miles, pop. 47,308) and Carpio (15 miles, pop. 140). For flights, Minot International Airport (MOT) lies 13 miles away. For big-city shopping and services, Bismarck (77,963 residents) is 106 miles away. Des Lacs covers 0.5 square miles of land, about 338 residents per square mile. The county seat, Minot, is 13 miles east. Customers in Minot and Berthold will ask the same thing: do you work here? A service area page answers before they have to.

The customers behind the numbers in Des Lacs

Des Lacs is one of 12 municipalities in Ward County, a county of 68,233 people. Census estimates for a city this size carry a wide margin of error, so the county is the better guide: households have a median income of $78,238, and half the residents are older than 33.6. Broadband reaches 90.6% of homes, and 7.1% of households are online only through a phone plan. 60.8% of households own their home.

What happens after you sign up

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

1. Register your business online in about 5 minutes; the logo, photos and texts you already have go by email.
2. We build it with your brand on a proven professional template and send a temporary link within 5 business days.
3. Ask for adjustments by email, approve, and after the first monthly fee the site goes live on your domain.

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

Running a website from Des Lacs: the North Dakota rules

Selling or advertising online brings no special license, but a few apply to many Des Lacs businesses:

• North Dakota’s state sales tax rate is 5% for most retail sales, and cities and counties may levy their own sales and use taxes on top of it. North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner
• Accessibility is a federal matter: the Justice Department’s ADA guidance covers the websites of businesses open to the public. ADA.gov guidance

Rules change and details vary by business; this is general information, not legal advice.