Web Design in Old Harbor, Alaska

Why an Old Harbor website can’t be generic

Since 1966, Old Harbor has built up more than half a century of local history. Long-established places reward businesses that look established too: people want to know who they are dealing with and how long the business has been open. If the business has served Old Harbor for a while, say so plainly and prove it with photos of real jobs.

The businesses that compete for customers in Old Harbor

Kodiak Island Borough has, among its employer businesses:

• 7 coffee shops and snack bars: the menu, hours and photos of the counter and the drinks.
• 7 hotels and motels: rooms, photos, location and a contact form, so travelers can compare you outside the booking apps.
• 6 grocery stores: what you carry, local products and directions.
• 5 plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors: the services you offer, the towns you cover and a form for service calls that lands in your email.
• 5 auto repair shops: a page per service (brakes, A/C, diagnostics), the shop’s location and a quick contact form.

Kodiak Island Borough as a whole had 450 employer establishments in 2023 and another 1,477 nonemployer businesses, the one-person shops and independent contractors that often have no website at all. One sector stands out in Kodiak Island Borough: hotels, inns and other lodging, with 18 establishments and about five times the national share. What works for them online: rooms with real photos, amenities, location and how to reserve by email or through your booking channel. Each of these businesses competes for the same search: someone in Old Harbor typing what they need and picking from the results that look trustworthy.

Designing a website around Old Harbor’s customers

Half the homes in Old Harbor were built before 1975. Older homes need constant upkeep, and owners search for help when something breaks.

The county around Old Harbor, Kodiak Island Borough, counts 12,387 residents and 6 cities and towns. 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 $86,250, and half the residents are older than 35.1. Broadband reaches 92.7% of homes, and 20.7% of households are online only through a phone plan. 61.1% of households own their home.

What the Census counts in Old Harbor

The roads, towns and places around Old Harbor

Old Harbor’s nearest neighbors are Larsen Bay (34 miles) and Akhiok (38 miles). Old Harbor Airport (OLH) is 2.2 miles east of Old Harbor in a straight line. Old Harbor covers 16.2 square miles of land and 6.4 square miles of water, about 12 residents per square mile. The city lies at an elevation of about 3 feet. Kodiak Island Borough’s county seat is Kodiak, 52 miles to the northeast. A service area page that lists the towns you cover, from Old Harbor to Larsen Bay and Akhiok, answers the first question many customers have: do you come to me?

Your website for $89 a month, step by step

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

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

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

Running a website from Old Harbor: the Alaska rules

These are some of the Alaska and federal rules a small business with a website runs into:

• In Alaska the trade name is tied to the business license: a separate license is required for each business name under which the applicant does business in the state. 12 AAC 12.020

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