Downing Media Offers Web Design to Local Businesses

Some business owners become angry after talking to Eric Downing.

The frustration usually stems from the reality Downing has presented them — the web designer they recently hired did a poor job. After some of those discussions, he lands a client and Downing Media's owner and sole employee begins cleaning up the virtual mess left by the customer's prior web developer.

"They're not getting what they should be for their money," Downing said. "I just contacted one guy in Mentor and said I wanted to talk about a website design. He said, 'what are you talking about? I just did a website design.'

"He just paid somebody to do this, so he's not too happy."

Downing believes customers will be happy when they see his results. Downing Media, 7547 Mentor Ave., Suite 309, offers custom web and mobile site design, E-commerce, search engine optimization, social media marketing, Internet advertising and more. The Painesville Township native built his business from the ground up in 2006, teaching himself the ins and outs of web design every night after working his day job as a freight broker.

He finally made Downing Media his full-time job in April. He moved into his Mentor Avenue space about two months ago.

Now, he makes 500 sales calls per week and spends nights working on projects for clients he has already signed. Downing targets newer companies and doesn't solely stick to Northeast Ohio.

"I just picked up five this week, (including) a towing company in Atlanta and I picked up a mechanic in Thief River Falls, Minn., way up by the Canadian border," he said.

Though Downing recently completed a site for Hunk Golden Clothing in Painesville, he has been working on several mobile and SEO projects. He says businesses who request a redesign typically hired someone who did not make SEO a priority — and their rankings on Google suffered for it.

"It's like your storefront when somebody walks in," Downing said. "If your building looks terrible, they're not going to come and visit you. If your website's outdated and terrible, that's a direct reflection of your business."

Prices depend on quotes, but Downing said most semi-custom sites will cost $500 or more, while custom designs are about $750 to $1,000. He says both ranges are cheaper than those offered by most web design firms in Cleveland.

Downing said he doesn't spend much time trying to convince potential customers. He hopes they recognize the value of a good website deign after a conversation or two.

"Anytime you're dealing with consumers directly, I think that's really important," he said. "A lot of times, you're going to look up the company before you buy from them.

"If you have a GoDaddy starter page that has an old truck that 500 other people have, that doesn't give a good message."