A heating engineer who taught himself web design.
I started in the trade in 1999. I still run Thames Boilers. Everything I build for other tradespeople I've already used on my own business — I know what works because I've tested it myself.
Still in the field
Thames Boilers, Kent UK
25+
Years in the trade
20+
Websites built for tradespeople
$0
Setup fees ever charged
1
Person doing all of this
How a plumber ended up building websites
It wasn't planned. I just needed something that worked — and nobody else was building it right.
Started in the trade
I qualified as a heating engineer and went to work for a local firm in Kent. Early starts, long days, van full of tools. I loved the work — solving real problems for real people.
Started Thames Boilers
I went out on my own. A phone, a van, and a basic website a friend threw together for a few hundred dollars. We got by on word of mouth and directory listings. The website was embarrassing but we were busy enough not to care.
Started taking digital seriously
Work dried up during the downturn. I'd been ignoring the website and relying on existing customers. When new jobs started getting scarce, I realised I didn't have a pipeline. I started reading about SEO, Google Ads, how websites actually work.
Grew turnover 4x with digital marketing
By the time I'd rebuilt the site, set up proper SEO, and learned to run my own Google Ads, Thames Boilers was busier than it'd ever been. We were turning away work. The website had gone from a business card nobody read to the thing that was actually driving the company.
Got fed up with bad agencies
I tried outsourcing to an agency twice. Both times: expensive, slow, and full of jargon designed to make me feel like I needed them. Neither had any idea what a tradesperson's business actually looked like or what customers were searching for. I built my own systems and kept them for Thames Boilers.
Started building for other tradespeople
Other plumbers and heating engineers kept asking me how the website worked. I started building sites for them and realised there was a genuine gap — someone who understood the trade doing the digital work. Lane Consultancy was the result.
What working with me actually looks like
I test everything on my own business first
Every SEO tactic, every page structure, every ad format — I've tried it on Thames Boilers before I use it on your site. If it doesn't work for me, I won't recommend it to you.
I answer my own emails
There's no account manager, no support ticket queue, no chatbot. When you email me, you get me. Usually same day. If something needs fixing urgently, it gets fixed urgently.
I build every site myself
I don't farm out to overseas developers or use drag-and-drop builders. Every site is handcoded — which is why they're fast, flexible, and built exactly the way they need to be for local SEO.
If something's not right, I fix it
No hiding behind contracts or passing blame. If a page isn't ranking, if something breaks, if you want a change — I sort it. That's the whole relationship.
“The site is detailed, comprehensive and user friendly. Honestly, I can't fault it — it is a first class site and I am extremely happy with the end result. I will have no issue recommending your website building services to other plumbers.”
Andy Smitham
Owner & Director, Invicta Boilers
Let's build something that works.
Fill in a short form and I'll have a working prototype of your website ready within a few days. No charge, no obligation.
No setup fee. No contract. Cancel anytime.