Web Design in Selma, Alabama

What makes Selma different, and what your website should do about it

Selma is the seat of Dallas County, so the county courthouse and county offices are here. County business keeps a ring of law offices, title companies, surveyors, insurance agents and accountants around the courthouse, and most of them compete on trust. Show the address, where to park and the hours on every page; someone coming from across the county wants to plan the trip.

Ever since 1815, Selma has built up more than two centuries of local history. History cuts both ways for a small business: the old names have recognition, and the new ones have to explain themselves faster. Just opened? Then the website has to do what years of reputation does for the older names: show the work, the people and the prices. That is the work a small business website does best: answering the first questions before anyone has to ask.

Your Selma audience

The median home here was built in 1971. That means steady demand for repairs and renovations.

Selma is one of 3 municipalities in Dallas County, a county of 35,140 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 $35,627, and half the residents are older than 41.2. 80.5% of households have broadband and 23.2% rely on a cellphone data plan alone. Homeowners are 63.8% of households.

Small business websites in Selma: the local business mix

The Census counted 457 establishments with employees in 2023 in ZIP code 36701, which includes Selma and its surroundings. Here is part of that mix, with what each website should show:

• Law offices: 24. Their website should show practice areas on separate pages, the attorneys and a contact form for a first conversation.
• Funeral homes: 3. Their website should show your services explained with care, contact information and directions.
• Quick-service restaurants: 20. Their website should show today’s hours, the menu and photos that look like what customers get.
• Optometry offices: 3. Their website should show eye exams, contact lenses and frames on separate pages, plus your hours and the insurance you take.
• Grocery stores: 6. Their website should show hours, weekly specials and departments.
• Hotels and motels: 7. Their website should show rooms, photos, location and a contact form, so travelers can compare you outside the booking apps.

Dallas County as a whole had 651 employer establishments in 2023 and another 2,315 nonemployer businesses, the one-person shops and independent contractors that often have no website at all. Retail trade accounts for 20.9% of the county’s employer establishments, ahead of other services (repair, personal care, organizations) (14.1%) and health care and social assistance (12.4%). The jobs Selma residents hold are mostly in education, health care and social assistance (24.9%) and manufacturing (15.1%).

Selma in figures

Homes in Selma have a median value of $96,500, and renters pay a median of $713 a month, compared with $209,900 and $1,007 statewide. 46.0% of the city’s 7,974 households own the place they live in. Half the residents are older than 38.5 (the Alabama median age is 39.3).

Climate normals for Selma

Climate normals for 1991-2020 from Selma, 1.3 miles away, put the July average high at 93°F and the January average low at 36°F. About 55 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a normal year, most of it in February. About 81 days a year hit 90°F or more. Long, hot summers mean steady work for AC repair, pool care and pest control, and nobody waits when the AC stops. Plan the website around your busy season: a short email with the new text is all it takes.

Where Selma customers come from

The closest municipalities to Selma are Valley Grande (4.8 miles, pop. 3,903), Orrville (14 miles, pop. 140), Benton (15 miles, pop. 36), White Hall (20 miles, pop. 753), Autaugaville (22 miles, pop. 817) and Marion (22 miles, pop. 2,602). 6 municipalities lie within 25 miles, each with its own customers. The city spreads over 13.8 square miles of land and 0.6 square miles of water, with roughly 1,164 people per square mile. For big-city shopping and services, Montgomery (195,300 residents) is 45 miles away. Customers in Valley Grande and White Hall will ask the same thing: do you work here? A service area page answers before they have to.

Rules that apply to a Selma business website

Some homework before launch:

• Alabama has no mandatory statewide DBA filing. A trade name may be registered with the Secretary of State’s Trademarks Division, and rights also arise from adoption and use under Alabama common law. Official source
• Alabama’s state sales and use tax rate on general merchandise is 4%, with a reduced 2% rate on food and groceries since September 1, 2025; cities and counties add their own rates. Alabama Department of Revenue
• Check with both Dallas County and the City of Selma about local business tax receipts before opening. Official source
• Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, businesses open to the public must make their goods and services accessible to people with disabilities, and the Justice Department’s guidance says that includes their websites. ADA.gov guidance

This is general information, not legal advice; check with the Alabama agencies, Dallas County, the city of Selma or an attorney.

Your website for $89 a month, step by step

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

1. Register your business online in about 5 minutes; the logo, photos and texts you already have go by email.
2. Within 5 business days you get a temporary link with the whole website, built on a proven template with your brand.
3. Approve it: the first monthly fee is issued and your domain starts showing the new site.

Changes after launch go by email and are included, and so do quick questions.