Web Design in Seaside, California

Small business website advice, Seaside edition

35.1% of the people in Seaside speak Spanish at home, and 26.2% were born outside the United States. In a mixed-language market, a website that makes the essentials obvious (what you do, where, how to get in touch) works for every visitor. Short sentences, clear service names and good photos lower the barrier for everyone. The site is where that gets settled, so it pays to get the basics right.

Seaside sits 11 miles northeast of Salinas, and 72.5% of its workers drive to work alone. Being close to Salinas means competing with the whole metro; the local advantage is showing up on time. Make it obvious you are in Seaside and name the streets and subdivisions you serve; it is the edge you have over the big city.

Ever since 1954, Seaside has built up more than half a century of local history. Customers in an older city usually ask around first, and the website is where that recommendation gets checked. If your family has served Seaside for a while, say so plainly and show it with photos of real jobs. Get those few things right and the rest of the website can stay simple.

What kind of businesses Seaside has

The Census counted 674 establishments with employees in 2023 in ZIP code 93955, which includes Seaside and its surroundings. Some of the local businesses in that count:

• 22 painting contractors: how you prepare and protect a home, with photos of finished rooms.
• 24 auto repair shops: the services you do, the makes you work on, your hours and a form to request an appointment.
• 12 grocery stores: hours, weekly specials and departments.
• 42 quick-service restaurants: today’s hours, the menu and photos that look like what customers get.
• 6 nail salons: a price list, the technicians and a contact form.
• 13 hotels and motels: rooms, photos, location and a contact form, so travelers can compare you outside the booking apps.

Monterey County as a whole had 9,212 employer establishments in 2023 and another 26,932 nonemployer businesses, the one-person shops and independent contractors that often have no website at all. By number of employer establishments, retail trade leads in Monterey County (13.9%), followed by accommodation and food services (12.2%) and construction (12.0%). Seaside’s working residents are concentrated in arts, entertainment, recreation, lodging and food service (25.5%) and education, health care and social assistance (21.9%).

Mapping the area around Seaside

Within a short drive of Seaside you find Sand City (1.7 miles west), Del Rey Oaks (2.5 miles south), Monterey (4 miles southwest), Marina (4.1 miles north), Pacific Grove (6 miles west) and Carmel-by-the-Sea (7.6 miles southwest). The nearest airport with an IATA code is Monterey Regional Airport (MRY), 3 miles southwest. A 25-mile radius around Seaside takes in 10 other municipalities. Pinnacles National Park is a short trip away: within 37 miles. If you serve more than one town, your website can have a service area page that names each of them, so a customer in Monterey or Sand City sees right away that you cover them.

Seaside weather and a seasonal business

The nearest NOAA station with 1991-2020 climate normals, Monterey Peninsul Airport, is 3 miles from Seaside. It records an average high of 71°F in September and an average low of 43°F in December. About 16 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a normal year, most of it in January. Mild weather stretches the outdoor season: landscaping, outdoor dining and recreation stay busy for months. Plan the website around your busy season: send the changes by email a few weeks ahead.

Who is searching in Seaside

Most households here rent: 64.6%, against 44.1% across California. Every lease that turns over in Seaside starts a new search for a barber, a gym or a mechanic. 13.1% of residents age 3 and over are enrolled in college or graduate school. Prices, hours and a map matter most to a student with a phone.

The median home here was built in 1968. Older homes need constant upkeep, and owners search for help when something breaks.

Population trend in Seaside

The annual estimates show a slow decline, from 32,328 in 2020 to 31,636 in 2025. Statewide, the change was −0.5%. Without much growth, the customers are mostly the same people every year; the website is how they remember you.

A quick look at Seaside, CA

Of the 10,371 households in Seaside, 35.4% are homeowners. At $85,311, Seaside’s median household income sits about 14% under the California figure ($99,122); customers here compare before they spend.

California and federal rules for small business websites

Before your website goes live, it helps to have the basics of the business in order.

• California’s statewide sales and use tax rate is 7.25%, and most areas add district taxes of roughly 0.10% to 2.00% on top of it. California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA)
• The California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA) rarely reaches a local business: For-profit businesses doing business in California that meet any one of three tests: gross annual revenue over $25 million; buying, selling or sharing the personal information of 100,000 or more California residents or households; or deriving 50% or more of annual revenue from selling California residents’ personal information. A typical small business (a local service company with a brochure site or a small store) meets none of them and is outside the CCPA – but CalOPPA still requires a privacy policy (see outras_leis_site). California Civil Code, Title 1.81.5 (Civ. Code 1798.100 et seq.)
• Check with both Monterey County and the City of Seaside about local business tax receipts before opening. Official source
• Under ADA Title III, a business open to the public should make its website usable by people with disabilities, according to the Justice Department’s guidance. ADA.gov guidance

This is general information, not legal advice; check with the California agencies, Monterey County, the city of Seaside or an attorney.

What happens after you sign up

Aria is based in Curitiba, Brazil, and has built websites for businesses since 2008. There are no visits or meetings in Seaside: material and questions travel by email, and you approve the website on a temporary link.

1. Start with the online sign-up, which takes about 5 minutes, and send your material by email.
2. Review the website on a temporary link, ready within 5 business days, and request any changes by email.
3. Only after you approve do you pay the first monthly fee; then the site is published 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.