When Peter Brittain founded Slinky Web Design in 1998, it was driven by a bold vision to fill the growing demand for quality web services during the early days of the internet in Australia.
In this exclusive interview with
Website Planet, Peter shares how the company has evolved from a small East Perth startup into a leading web design firm serving clients across Australia and Southeast Asia. Known for creating websites that deliver real business results—not just eye-catching visuals—Slinky Web Design has stayed ahead of the curve through innovation, strategy, and a client-first mindset.
More than two decades on, their dedication to measurable outcomes and long-term partnerships continues to set them apart.
What inspired the founding of Slinky Web Design, and how has the company evolved to become a professional web design firm in Perth, Western Australia?
Back in June 1998, I started the Slinky Group in East Perth with a focus on telecommunications and internet services. The late 90s were such an exciting time – the internet was still finding its feet in Australia, and I saw a massive gap in the market for quality web services.
Soon after launch, we added web design and SEO to our offerings, which naturally grew to become our main focus. The company basically grew alongside the internet itself in Australia! We started small but kept our eye on quality from day one.
Over the years, we’ve built up a team with deep expertise, expanding our reach beyond Perth to serve clients throughout Australia and South East Asia. What’s interesting is how we’ve maintained our core values while adapting to dramatic changes in technology.
As John Wanamaker once said, ‘Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.’ That quote drove us to focus on measurable results for our clients from the beginning.
Our growth hasn’t just been in size – it’s been in capability. From designing simple websites in the early days to now creating complex digital marketing strategies for major Australian public companies and international organisations, we’ve come a long way. Yet we still give the same attention to one-person startups as we do to our largest clients.
What makes me proud? That we’ve stuck to our guns about creating websites that actually work for businesses. Not just pretty pictures, but actual business tools that drive growth.
Can you elaborate on the range of services Slinky Web Design offers, including website design, maintenance, SEO, Google Ad management, web hosting, and logo design, and how these services integrate to benefit clients?
At Slinky, we’ve built our service range thinking about what businesses actually need to succeed online, not just what looks good on paper.
Website design sits at the core of what we do. We focus on creating sites that balance visual appeal with practical functionality. This isn’t about following trends for the sake of it – it’s about making websites that work for our clients’ specific goals.
Our SEO work builds directly on this foundation. Our exhaustive research over 20+ years gives us the inside track on search strategies that actually deliver results. We’ve seen too many businesses with gorgeous websites that nobody can find! That’s why our design process considers search visibility from day one.
For businesses wanting faster results, our Google Ad management service offers immediate visibility while the organic SEO builds momentum. Having both services under one roof means we can balance these strategies rather than having them compete.
Web hosting might seem like a basic service, but we’ve found clients value having everything in one place. When there’s an issue, there’s no finger-pointing between different providers – we just fix it.
Logo design and branding work feed into everything else. A strong visual identity carried consistently through your website and marketing materials creates trust with customers.
What ties everything together is how these services support each other. For example, we recently worked with a local Perth business where our combined approach of responsive website design, local SEO focus, and targeted Google Ads increased their leads by over 60% in three months.
The real benefit isn’t in any single service – it’s in how they work together as parts of a whole digital strategy.
Could you share a success story where Slinky Web Design’s strategies significantly improved a client’s online presence or business performance, such as increased website traffic or lead generation?
Slinky Web Design – Client case study
Client overview
Client: The Lawncare Man
Sector: Lawn & garden care
Location: Perth, WA
Website: lawncareman.com.au
Services engaged: SEO, website development, web hosting
SEO campaign start: May 2019
Campaign status: Active / Ongoing
53% INCREASE IN ORGANIC TRAFFIC
The Challenge
When The Lawncare Man approached us in 2019, their online presence faced multiple roadblocks. Despite having a solid reputation offline, their website wasn’t drawing enough attention or traffic to convert into new leads.
Here were the main challenges:
Low organic traffic: The website was receiving minimal search traffic, impacting their ability to reach new customers online.
Poor keyword rankings: Industry-specific search terms such as “lawn care Perth” were buried on the second or third pages of Google, far from where most users click.
Limited brand visibility: Despite their experience and quality of work, the brand was not as well-known online as it should have been.
These hurdles were limiting their growth, and it was clear that a more focused, strategic digital approach was required.
Results to date
Since launching the campaign, The Lawncare Man has seen impressive and sustained improvements across key SEO metrics.
Organic Traffic Growth
53.04% increase in organic monthly website visits
Steady month-over-month growth sustained through seasonal shifts
This jump in traffic translated directly into more inquiries and service bookings.
Keyword Rankings
Key rankings dramatically improved:
“Lawn Care Perth”: Moved from #4 to #1
“Vertimowing Perth”: Jumped from #39 to #1
“Lawn Coring Perth”: Rose from #13 to #1
The Lawncare Man now appears on the first page of Google for all of their relevant service terms, cementing their status as a leader in their niche.
Increase in organic traffic 53%
Keywords that increased their positions 100%
Keywords are now on the front page of Google 100%
Client feedback
We’re proud to have developed a strong relationship with The Lawncare Man over the years. Their team has been proactive and receptive throughout the process, allowing us to implement changes quickly and effectively. Here’s what they had to say:
We are thrilled with the results
–
Tanya Hawtin, The Lawncare Man
What role does Slinky Web Design’s Perth-based team play in delivering tailored web solutions, and how does the company build strong relationships within the local community?
Our Perth-based team gives us a massive advantage in understanding the local market. When a client walks through our door, chances are we’ve already worked with similar businesses in their area and know the competitive landscape they’re facing.
We’ve built our team to balance technical skills with genuine people skills – what good is technical brilliance if you can’t explain things clearly to clients? Our designers, developers, and marketing specialists all share a common focus on translating technical jargon into plain English.
Being Perth-based means we can meet clients face-to-face when needed. While we’re comfortable with Zoom calls and remote work (I split my time between Perth and Bali myself), there’s something about sitting across a table that helps us grasp what a client really wants, beyond what they might put in an email brief.
In terms of community relationships, we’ve taken a “show, don’t tell” approach. Rather than just talking about supporting local businesses, we’ve become active members of the Australian Web Industry Association. This keeps us connected to best practices while supporting our industry.
We’ve also found that community building happens organically through client relationships. For example, we’ve had situations where two clients from completely different industries have ended up doing business together after both mentioning they work with us.
What’s been especially rewarding is seeing long-term clients grow alongside us. Some businesses we started working with as tiny startups have developed into major players in their industries. There’s a mutual growth that happens when you stick with clients for the long haul – we understand their business better, and they come to trust our guidance more.
I believe our success comes down to treating every project, regardless of size, as if our reputation depends on it – because it does. Word travels fast in Perth business circles!
How does Slinky Web Design stay ahead of emerging trends in web design and digital marketing to ensure clients receive innovative and effective solutions?
Staying current with digital trends is like trying to hit a moving target while riding a bicycle! We approach this challenge through a mix of formal and informal methods.
As a Google Partner, we receive early insights into upcoming platform updates and changes. This allows us to proactively adapt our client strategies, potentially providing them with a competitive edge.
Our team has a culture of constant learning. Rather than having occasional big training sessions, we build learning into our daily work. Each team member spends a portion of their week reading industry news, testing new tools, or watching tutorials – it’s part of the job, not an add-on.
We’ve found that cross-pollination of ideas works wonders. Our designers regularly chat with our SEO specialists, and our developers sit in on marketing planning sessions. This breaks down the silos that plague many agencies and leads to more integrated solutions.
But honestly, our clients teach us just as much as any formal training. Every industry has unique challenges, and we’ve worked across dozens of sectors from mining to hospitality. When you design for such varied businesses, you quickly learn what works universally and what needs to be customised.
I remember chatting with a client in the construction industry who explained how their customers think about renovations in terms of problems, not solutions. This insight totally changed how we approached their content strategy, focusing on pain points rather than service descriptions. That lesson has since helped many other clients, too.
We also pay close attention to what’s happening internationally. Web trends often hit the US or Europe before Australia, giving us time to assess what’s worth adopting and what’s just a passing fad.
At the end of the day, we filter everything through a simple question: “Will this actually help our clients get better results?” The flashiest new design trend isn’t worth much if it hurts conversion rates or confuses visitors. Innovation for us means finding new ways to achieve real business outcomes, not just looking modern for the sake of it.
Find out more at:
www.slinkywebdesign.com.au
