info@mayandco.net Instagram @mayandcoltd

Web design studio · Rossendale, Lancashire

Bespoke websites, built to be found.

Designed from a blank page and custom-coded, then optimised so Google, Maps and AI assistants like ChatGPT can find, understand and recommend your business.

Start a project What we do

Calm. Considered. Human.

No templates. No page builders. No guesswork.

Every May & Co. site is designed around your business and built in clean, custom code: fast for people, clear for search engines, and readable by the AI tools your customers already ask.

What we do

Three things, done properly.

A beautiful site nobody finds is a brochure in a drawer. Each of these depends on the others, so we do all three.

01Bespoke design & code

Made for you, not adapted from a theme.

We design your site from scratch around your customers, then build it in clean, custom HTML, CSS and JavaScript. No bloated theme, no plugin stack to maintain, nothing you don’t need.

  • Original design you review in your own browser, on your own phone
  • Custom-coded, with no theme or page builder underneath
  • Fast on a phone signal, not just office Wi-Fi
  • Accessible, built to WCAG 2.2 AA
  • Yours to keep: the design, the code and the domain
More on web design 
<!-- Custom code. No theme, no builder. -->
<header class="hero">
  <h1>Stay somewhere considered.</h1>
  <p>A boutique stay in the Rossendale Valley.</p>
  <a href="/book/">Book direct</a>
</header>
100Performance
100Accessibility
100Best practices
100SEO

The Lighthouse scores every build is tuned for

02Fully AI optimised

Be the answer, not just a link.

More customers now ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google’s AI Overviews instead of scrolling through results. Those tools recommend businesses they can read clearly and trust. We make sure that includes you.

  • Structured data (schema.org) that spells out who you are, what you do and where
  • Content written to be quoted: clear answers to the questions customers really ask
  • Plain, fast HTML that AI crawlers can read, because many don’t run JavaScript
  • An llms.txt summary and crawler rules, set the way you want them
  • Checks on how AI assistants describe you, before and after launch
More on AI optimisation 
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@type": "Hotel",
  "name": "Your Business",
  "address": {
    "addressLocality": "Rawtenstall"
  },
  "priceRange": "€€",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "ratingValue": 4.9
  }
}
</script>
# Your Business
> Boutique hotel in the Rossendale Valley.
> Sea views, direct booking.

## Book
- [Book direct](/book/)

03Local SEO

Own your area.

When someone nearby searches “near me”, the map results take the click. We put the foundations in place that get you into them, and keep you there.

  • Google Business Profile set up and optimised
  • The same name, address and phone number everywhere you’re listed
  • Location and service pages that match what people really search
  • A simple routine for winning more reviews
  • Sites in more than one language, done properly, so each one is found in its own market
More on Local SEO

In-house photography & video

Real photography. Never stock.

Curved white building against a blue sky
Architecture
Bar interior in Copenhagen
Hospitality
Folded towel and cactus detail
Interiors

May & Co. is also a photography and video studio for architecture, interiors, property and hospitality spaces. Your site can launch with original images of your space, your team and your work, made by the same people who design it.

Original photos also make your Google Business Profile and listings far more compelling than stock ever could.

See more on Instagram

Recent work

From template to bespoke.

A look at a recent rebuild, moved off a site builder and onto clean, custom code.

Case studyjoelmay.co.uk

Joel May Photography

A Manchester photographer’s portfolio, rebuilt from a site-builder template into a fast, custom-coded site that puts the photography first.

  • Plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript, with no framework
  • Old addresses redirected, so existing search rankings carry over
  • Business structured data, a sitemap and a clean page for every gallery
  • Swipe-to-browse galleries, made to feel at home on an iPhone
Visit joelmay.co.uk

Some of our clients

How we work

Five steps. No surprises.

You always know what’s happening next, and you see the real site taking shape, not static mock-ups.

  1. 01

    Talk

    A free, no-obligation call about your business, your customers and what the site needs to do for you.

  2. 02

    Design

    Bespoke designs you review in your own browser and on your own phone.

  3. 03

    Build

    Custom-coded, tested on real devices, with search and AI in mind from the start.

  4. 04

    Launch

    Search Console, Business Profile, analytics and redirects set up, so nothing is lost in the move.

  5. 05

    Grow

    Ongoing support if you want it: updates, local SEO and checks on how AI tools describe you.

Where we are

Local to Rossendale.

May & Co. is based in Rossendale, Lancashire, on the edge of Greater Manchester, so you work with people who know the area and the customers in it.

We build websites and set up Local SEO for businesses across the valley:

  • Rawtenstall
  • Haslingden
  • Bacup
  • Whitworth
  • Waterfoot
  • Helmshore
  • Edenfield
  • Crawshawbooth
  • Stacksteads

And further afield, across Lancashire, Greater Manchester and the rest of the UK.

FAQ

Good questions.

What does “AI optimised” actually mean?

It means your site is built so AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews can read it, understand exactly what you do and where, and feel confident recommending you. In practice that’s structured data, clear answers to the questions customers really ask, fast plain HTML that crawlers can read without running scripts, consistent business details across the web, and an llms.txt file that summarises your business for AI tools.

Why custom code instead of WordPress, Wix or Squarespace?

Templates and page builders are quick to start, but they ship code you don’t need. That makes pages heavier and slower, and harder for search engines and AI crawlers to read. A custom-coded site loads only what it uses, looks like no one else’s, and has no plugins to keep updating or builder subscription to keep paying.

What is Local SEO, and do I need it?

Local SEO is everything that helps you appear when people nearby search for what you do, especially the map results and “near me” searches. If your customers are local, or you serve particular towns, it’s usually the highest-return work you can do. It covers your Google Business Profile, location pages, reviews, local listings and the technical signals behind them.

Can you guarantee first place on Google or in ChatGPT?

No, and be wary of anyone who does. Search engines and AI tools make their own decisions. What we can do is give you the strongest possible foundations, fix what’s holding you back, and show you how your visibility changes over time.

Do I own the website?

Yes. The design, the code and the domain are yours. Nothing is locked into a platform you can’t leave.

Where are you based?

In Rossendale, Lancashire, on the edge of Greater Manchester. We started out in Cyprus, and now work with businesses across the Rossendale Valley, the North West and the rest of the UK. Local SEO is set up for wherever your customers are, in the languages they search in.