Web Design in Howard, Pennsylvania

A small business website that fits Howard

Howard goes back to 1770, so it has more than two centuries of local history behind it. In a place with that much history, families tend to stay with the businesses they know, and a newer business has to earn trust the slow way. Put the year you opened and the names of the people behind it on the About page; a real photo of the owner does more than any slogan.

Which Howard businesses need a small business website

The Census counted 78 establishments with employees in 2023 in ZIP code 16841, which includes Howard and its surroundings. Among them:

• 12 remodeling contractors: a gallery of past remodels, a clear list of what you do and don’t take on, and a form that sends estimate requests to your inbox.

Across Centre County, County Business Patterns counted 3,344 employer establishments in 2023, and the Nonemployer Statistics add 10,461 businesses with no payroll, most of them self-employed owners. One sector stands out in Centre County: religious, civic and membership organizations, with 198 establishments and 1.6 times the national share. What works for them online: meeting times, programs, location and how to get involved. Next on the list: sporting goods, hobby and music stores, 33 of them, at twice the national share.

Howard by the numbers

There are 231 households, and 78.8% of them own their home.

Since 2020 the count has slipped: 682 then, 659 in 2025. Statewide, the change was +0.4%. Without much growth, the customers are mostly the same people every year; the website is how they remember you.

Writing a website for Howard residents

10.7% of Howard adults are veterans (6.1% in Pennsylvania). If you give service members or veterans any special terms, say so on the website, not only at the counter.

Homeownership is high in Howard: 78.8% of households own, against 69.3% in Pennsylvania. Homeowners hire contractors, landscapers, cleaners and insurance agents, and many look them up online first.

Reaching customers beyond the Howard borough limits

Howard’s nearest neighbors are Beech Creek (5.8 miles, pop. 732), Milesburg (8.5 miles, pop. 1,062), Bellefonte (8.9 miles, pop. 5,862) and Mill Hall (11 miles, pop. 1,456). Centre County’s county seat is Bellefonte, 8.9 miles to the southwest. Howard covers 0.4 square miles of land, about 1,815 residents per square mile. The nearest airport with an IATA code is William T. Piper Memorial Airport (LHV), 15 miles northeast. For big-city shopping and services, Harrisburg (50,522 residents) is 65 miles away. If you serve more than one town, your website can have a service area page that names each of them, so a customer in Milesburg or Mill Hall sees right away that you cover them.

By the 1991-2020 normals of the Millheim weather station (13 miles from Howard), July highs average 84°F and January lows average 15°F. About 42 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a normal year, most of it in September. Freezing nights (32°F or below) come about 152 times a year. Cold winters bring furnace repair, snow removal, roofing and auto service, and the first freeze sends everyone searching at once. Give seasonal work its own page, so the right page is there when the weather turns.

Howard is one of 10 municipalities in Centre County, a county of 157,393 people.

Paperwork and rules for Pennsylvania businesses online

Having a website brings no special license, but these apply to most Howard businesses:

• The Pennsylvania sales tax rate is 6 percent. Only two local add-ons exist: 1 percent in Allegheny County and 2 percent in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania Department of Revenue
• Municipal requirements are separate: check with the local municipality about taxes, zoning requirements, local licenses and permits. In Howard, that means asking Centre County and the Borough of Howard. Official source
• Selling to customers in other states? Each state sets its own threshold for remote sellers; Pennsylvania’s is At least $100,000 in annual Pennsylvania gross sales, measured by calendar year; there is no transaction-count test. Sales and Use Tax Bulletin 2019-01; Act 13 of 2019

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

What happens after you sign up

Aria is based in Curitiba, Brazil, and has built websites for small businesses since 2008. We don’t have an office in Howard: the whole process happens online, and the plan is the same $89 a month in any city.

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. Only after you approve do you pay the first monthly fee; then the site is published on your domain.

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