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Web Designer / Web Developer

Allen Lawson

Building premium digital systems that merge visual impact with technical precision. Practical, reliable, and performance-minded.

View Approach Contact Me
WordPress Expert
/
Frontend Development
/
Technical SEO
/
13+ Years Exp.

Capabilities

Core Tech

  • HTML5 / Semantics
  • Modern CSS / SASS
  • JavaScript (ES6+)
  • PHP Basics

WordPress

  • Theme Development
  • Elementor / Divi
  • Performance Tuning
  • Security Hardening

Infrastructure

  • DNS & Domains
  • Hosting Management
  • Email Deliverability
  • SSL / HTTPS

Strategy & AI

  • Advanced AI Implementation
  • Technical SEO
  • UX Audits
  • Conversion Design

Approach

I believe in websites that work as hard as you do.

I'm a skilled, experienced designer with a passion for creating beautiful, effective work. I bring a sharp eye for detail and pride in delivery, aiming to exceed client expectations while staying practical and results-led.

My experience spans web design, photography, and graphic design, with strong SEO knowledge to improve visibility and drive organic traffic. I work confidently in teams or independently, and I deliver high-quality output on time and on budget, even under tight deadlines.

Beyond design, I have extensive digital media experience (social, video, and photography) and proficiency across Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, InDesign, XD, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP. With over five years in the military branding and e-commerce sector, I'm equipped to handle complex design challenges across diverse industries.

Featured Work

Yarm Web Design

My own agency portfolio showcasing over 100+ delivered client sites.

Agency Portfolio Strategy

Sunningdale Chop Suey House

Streamlining customer ordering with a high-contrast mobile-first design.

WordPress Elementor UX/UI

Lottie's Aesthetics

Balancing medical credibility with clinic luxury for high-end clientele.

WordPress Design System SEO

CrossFit Teesside

A high-energy digital gateway converting searchers into community members.

Elementor Pro Performance Conversion

How I Solve Problems

A demonstration of diagnostic judgement. Real-world problems require systematic isolation, not guesswork. Here is how I approach the critical failures.

What most people do

Upgrade hosting packages or install "all-in-one" speed plugins without measuring the bottleneck.

What I check first

Waterfall charts and DOM depth. I isolate Third-Party script latency, TTFB (Time to First Byte), and unoptimised font loading chains.

What usually fixes it

Asset consolidation, aggressive server-side caching (Object Cache/Redis), and deferring redundant marketing scripts.

What I put in place so it doesn't happen again

Implementation of a performance budget and automated monitoring (Lighthouse CI) to catch regressions before they ship.

What most people do

Reset the plugin settings or repeatedly try to "test" the form, hoping it was a one-time glitch.

What I check first

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records on the domain's DNS. I check if the server is erroneously attempting to send via PHP mail().

What usually fixes it

Migrating to a dedicated SMTP relay provider (Postmark/AWS SES) and hardening DNS authentication records.

What I put in place so it doesn't happen again

Setting up transactional email logging and DMARC monitoring alerts to ensure 100% deliverability health.

What most people do

Panic and attempt to manually revert files via FTP, often overwriting database changes in the process.

What I check first

Site-level error logs (debug.log) and server error logs to locate the specific line of code or plugin causing the fatal error.

What usually fixes it

Disabling the conflicting component via CLI (WP-CLI) or restoring a verified, point-in-time database backup.

What I put in place so it doesn't happen again

Mandatory staging environments and automated visual regression testing for all major updates.

What most people do

Buy low-quality "SEO packages" or change meta tags every 48 hours in a reactive cycle.

What I check first

Search Console for manual actions or crawl errors. I check for search intent shifts and internal linking "zombie" pages.

What usually fixes it

Consolidating thin content, fixing technical indexing loops, and ensuring E-E-A-T signals are actually present.

What I put in place so it doesn't happen again

Quarterly technical SEO audits and automated Search Console alert integration.

CV

A concise snapshot of my experience, qualifications, and the strengths I bring to projects.

Experience

Jun 2021 - Present

Head of Creative

Market Me Ltd · Full-time

Sep 2011 - Present

Small Business Owner

Yarm Web Design · Self-employed

Apr 2015 - Jun 2021

Web Designer & Developer / Photographer / PPC / SEO / Graphic Designer

Support Logistics Ltd · Full-time

Education & Certifications

  • Education - HND Web Design, Digital / Multimedia and Information Resources Design (Teesside University, 2009 - 2011)
  • Certifications - Google Analytics, Google AI Essentials
  • Core Technical Skills - Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Adobe Photoshop, AI-assisted workflows

Key Strengths

  • Web design
  • SEO
  • Digital strategy
  • Front-end development
  • WordPress expertise
  • AI automation
  • AI integration
  • Multi-discipline delivery

Start Here

Typical Project Scale

I build technical systems for businesses looking for more than just a template:

  • Bespoke WordPress Ecosystems
  • High-Load Landing Pages
  • Critical Performance & SEO Audits
  • AI-Driven Content Workflows

The First 30 Days

A structured, zero-fluff integration of your requirements:

  • Phase 1: Architecture & Strategy
  • Phase 2: Technical Prototyping
  • Phase 3: Refinement & Hardening
  • Phase 4: Deployment & Monitoring

Building something that requires a technical eye? Let's discuss requirements.

Start a Project Connect on LinkedIn

Get In Touch

Available for new projects and long-term collaborations.

allen@yarmwebdesign.co.uk LinkedIn Profile