Web Design in Old Forge, Pennsylvania

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

Old Forge has been around since 1899, with more than a century of history behind it. Long-established places reward businesses that look established too: people want to know who they are dealing with and how long you have been around. Put the year the business started and the names of the people behind it on the About page; a photo of the actual storefront or crew beats any stock image.

Who lives in Old Forge, and what that means for your website

18.4% of workers are employed by a federal, state or local government (11.5% in Pennsylvania). Public employees keep regular hours, and many book services around them.

The median home here was built in 1960. That means steady demand for repairs and renovations.

Children under 5 are 8.0% of the population, a sign of many young families. Pediatric care, child care and family services compete hard for these parents online.

24.5% of residents are 65 or older. Many Old Forge seniors have a son or daughter doing the search, sometimes from another state.

Your service area around Old Forge

Old Forge’s nearest neighbors are Moosic (2.1 miles southeast), Taylor (2.2 miles northeast) and Avoca (2.2 miles south). Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP) is 2.4 miles south of Old Forge in a straight line. Lackawanna County’s county seat is Scranton, 4.5 miles to the northeast. Part of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is within 45 miles of the borough. With 2,521 residents per square mile on 3.4 square miles of land, Old Forge is moderately dense by Pennsylvania standards. Customers in Moosic and Taylor will ask the same thing: do you work here? A service area page answers before they have to.

The county around Old Forge, Lackawanna County, counts 216,502 residents and 19 cities and towns.

Sizing up the Old Forge market

The median household income is $71,812, about 8% below the Pennsylvania median of $77,971. 70.0% of the borough’s 3,786 households own the place they live in.

Five years of estimates add up to 139 more residents (1.6%). For Pennsylvania, the five-year change was +0.4%. For a local business, newcomers are the easiest customers to win and the hardest to reach without a website.

Who you compete with in Old Forge

ZIP code 18518, mostly within Old Forge, had 170 employer establishments in the 2023 count. A sample of that count, and what each kind of business needs online:

• 6 beer, wine and liquor stores: store hours, what you carry and events or tastings, on a site you control.
• 4 pharmacies: hours, services such as vaccines, the insurance you accept and a map.
• 12 full-service restaurants: the menu, the dining room, private-event information and the hours, kept current by email.
• 3 painting contractors: a gallery of color projects, residential and commercial pages and a fast way to ask for a quote.

Across Lackawanna County, County Business Patterns counted 5,198 employer establishments in 2023, and the Nonemployer Statistics add 14,138 businesses with no payroll, most of them self-employed owners. Compared with the U.S. as a whole, Lackawanna County leans toward food and beverage stores (161 establishments, 1.6 times the national share). For them, shoppers check hours, specials and what is in stock, and the website should show hours, weekly specials, departments and directions. Next on the list: social assistance and child care providers, 179 of them, at 1.4 times the national share. 24.4% of employed residents work in education, health care and social assistance, and 13.0% in retail trade.

When Old Forge customers need you: the seasons

Old Forge weather, in normals: July highs around 85°F, January lows around 20°F, measured at Wilkes-Barre International Airport, 2.6 miles away (1991-2020). Precipitation totals about 39 inches a year, with September the wettest month. Freezing nights (32°F or below) come about 122 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 website for $89 a month, step by step

Aria is a web design company based in Curitiba, Brazil, building websites, online stores and business email since 2008. There is no Aria office in Old Forge, and you don’t need one: sign-up, material and approval all happen online.

1. Fill in the sign-up form (about 5 minutes) and send your material by email.
2. Within 5 business days you get a temporary link with the whole website, built with your logo, colors and photos.
3. Ask for adjustments by email, approve, and after the first monthly fee the site 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.

Rules that apply to an Old Forge business website

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

• 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
• Newsletters and promotions sent from your business email must include a working way to unsubscribe (16 CFR Part 316). 16 CFR Part 316
• Check with both Lackawanna County and the Borough of Old Forge about local business tax receipts before opening. Official source
• 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

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