About Local Roots Digital

Hi, I'm Michael.

I run Local Roots Digital from Ormesby. My working life has covered public services, research, publishing, community projects and small businesses.

Local Roots is a one-person business: you speak to me, I do the work and I remain responsible for it.

Local to Teesside In IT since 1985 Building websites since 1998

Ask where to start Read why Local Roots exists

The story

Coming back to Middlesbrough shaped the business.

I grew up in Middlesbrough, spent more than 20 years over in Hartlepool, then came back home. While I was sorting some work on the house, I kept bumping into good local trades and small businesses: busy, genuinely skilled, and trusted by everyone who already knew them.

Their online presence often gave a much thinner picture than the real business deserved. That mismatch is why I started Local Roots Digital and why the business remains focused on practical online help for Middlesbrough businesses.

Track record

Experience across public service, research, publishing and local business.

My work has covered public information, academic and clinical trials, publishers, directories, community projects and local businesses. That range taught me how much reliable digital work depends on understanding the people who must use it.

1985

Started in IT

Long before a website was something every business was expected to have, or even something most people had heard of.

1998

Started building websites

The internet fascinated me from the start. My first websites were a personal news-feed site and one for Unison, a local trade union.

2002

Managed Hartlepool Council's web presence

Where clear communication, reliable delivery and information people could actually use mattered every single day.

2003–2026

Independent research and publishing sites

Clinical trial and research support sites for Imperial College and King's College London, three UK newsstand magazines for a publishing company, and a local business directory.

Now

Focused on small businesses

Bringing that experience into a one-person business supporting local owners directly, with the same focus on clarity and reliability.

Over more than 20 years, I've built sites that are still live today, and sites that did their job, ran their course, and were replaced when the need changed.

What it is like to work together

One person, clear answers, ongoing support.

Local Roots Digital is small on purpose. You talk to me, I do the work, and I'm still here to look after it afterwards.

Direct contact

No account manager or handoff. You know who is responsible for the work.

Plain English

If something matters, I explain it in normal language and answer the questions that come with it.

Still here later

If something needs changing down the line, you know exactly who to message.

"Local Roots was there right through the process of taking my business from dream to reality, taking all of the gobbledygook away and making it simple, secure, fast and professional. If you're thinking of working with Local Roots Digital... don't overthink it, just do it. You will never regret it."
Ian Burney, TOCK.earth, Environmental Education - Google review

Prefer to deal directly with the person doing the work?

Your message comes to me, and I remain your point of contact if we decide to work together.

How I Help explains the first conversation and recommendation process. The review page shows the checks behind the recommendation.

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