Web Design in Old Town, Maine

Before you build: what Old Town looks like from a business owner’s chair

The median household income in Old Town is $51,585, about 31% below the Maine median of $74,733. Customers who watch their budget check prices first, and they skip businesses that hide what things cost. Publish prices or price ranges, with what is included; nobody has to call to find out.

Old Town goes back to 1774, which gives it more than two centuries of local history behind it. History cuts both ways for a small business: the old names have recognition, and the new ones have to explain themselves more clearly. If the business has served Old Town for a while, say so plainly and prove it with photos of real jobs.

A year of weather in Old Town

Climate normals for 1991-2020 from Old Town, 2.6 miles away, put the July average high at 79°F and the January average low at 6°F. About 44 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a normal year. Freezing nights (32°F or below) come about 173 times a year. Cold winters mean furnace repair, snow removal, roofing and auto service, and the first freeze sends everyone searching at once. A website that changes with the season helps: new hours, a seasonal service, a storm notice, sent by email and included in the monthly fee.

Your service area around Old Town

Old Town’s nearest neighbors are Bangor (8.9 miles, pop. 32,518), Brewer (12 miles, pop. 9,636), Ellsworth (29 miles, pop. 8,862) and Belfast (39 miles, pop. 6,988). Interstate 95 crosses Old Town. Penobscot County’s county seat is Bangor, 8.9 miles to the south. With 196 residents per square mile on 38.8 square miles of land and 4.4 square miles of water, Old Town is spread out by Maine standards. Part of Acadia National Park is within 49 miles of the city. Customers in Bangor and Belfast will ask the same thing: do you work here? A service area page answers before they have to.

The county around Old Town, Penobscot County, counts 157,967 residents and 3 cities and towns.

A web designer’s view of Old Town’s businesses

Penobscot County has, among its employer businesses:

• Child care centers: 75. Their website should show the program, licensing information, the staff and a contact form for parents.
• Site preparation contractors: 55. Their website should show the equipment you run, the kinds of jobs you take and a contact form for builders and owners.
• RV parks and campgrounds: 9. Their website should show site types, amenities, rules, a map and a contact form for availability.
• Hardware stores: 16. Their website should show departments, store hours and services such as key cutting or rentals.
• Full-service restaurants: 113. Their website should show the current menu with prices, hours, the address with a map and photos of real dishes.

County-wide, Penobscot County counts 4,222 businesses with employees and 10,633 self-employed or nonemployer businesses (2023). Penobscot County has 3.7 times the national share of wood products manufacturers: 24 of them in the 2023 count. In that line of work, builders and dealers buy by spec, so the website should show products and species, sizes, delivery area and a quote request form. Next on the list: nursing and residential care facilities, 115 of them, at 2.4 times the national share. Old Town’s working residents are concentrated in retail trade (15.7%) and professional, management and administrative services (8.5%). Most of these businesses are small, and the website does the job a front desk would do in a bigger company.

Designing a website around Old Town’s customers

College and graduate students make up 14.0% of the population age 3 and over. Students turn over every year, so every fall brings customers who are starting from zero.

12.0% of homes heat with propane or other bottled gas. If you service propane systems, say it in those words; that is how customers search.

Census facts about Old Town

Old Town counts 3,192 households; 59.3% own their home. Homes in Old Town have a median value of $208,100, and renters pay a median of $989 a month, compared with $296,600 and $1,139 statewide.

Five years of estimates add up to 162 more residents (2.2%). Statewide, the change was +3.8%. Every family that moves in starts by searching for the basics, and the businesses with a website get that first look.

Maine rules to know before your website goes live

Some homework before launch:

• Accessibility is a federal matter: the Justice Department’s ADA guidance covers the websites of businesses open to the public. ADA.gov guidance
• Maine’s general sales tax rate is 5.5%, with higher rates for a few items (8% on prepared food and liquor served in licensed establishments, 9% on lodging). There are no local sales taxes in Maine. Maine Revenue Services

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

Affordable web design: what you get and how it works

Aria has built websites since 2008 and is based in Curitiba, Brazil. We work with businesses remotely, so a company in Old Town gets the same plan, at $89 a month, without meetings or visits.

1. Fill in the sign-up form (about 5 minutes) and send your logo, photos and texts by email.
2. Within 5 business days you get a temporary link with the whole website, built with your logo, colors and photos.
3. Once you approve it, the first monthly fee is issued and the website 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.