I'm Michael Perks. I've been building websites for over 15 years and I run Design Menu from Duncan, BC. I work with small businesses across Vancouver Island — building sites, managing hosting, and giving real SEO advice. One person, no middlemen, no strangers.
About Michael
"When you email me, I answer. When something breaks, I fix it."
I started Design Menu because I kept seeing the same problem: small business owners paying agency prices for websites built on templates, maintained by a rotating help desk, and never quite right. The person who built your site rarely answered the phone. The person who answered the phone didn't know your site.
That's not how this works. I build every site myself. I write the HTML, the CSS, the copy strategy. When something goes wrong at 10pm, you don't open a ticket — you email me. I've been doing this for over 15 years and I'm not planning to hand you off to anyone.
I live in Duncan. I know the Cowichan Valley, I know the Island economy, and I know what local search actually looks like here. That context shows up in the advice I give and the sites I build.
How I Work
This isn't an agency model with a project manager in the middle. It's one person doing the work from first conversation to launch and beyond.
No project manager between us. No account rep who has to relay your question to a developer. When you message me, you get me — the person who built your site and knows exactly what's in it.
Every site I build is written from scratch in HTML and CSS. No page builders, no plugin stacks, no bloated themes. The result is faster page loads, better security, and a site that isn't at the mercy of a plugin update.
I know the Cowichan Valley. When I give you SEO advice, I'm thinking about how someone in Duncan or Nanaimo actually searches — not generic best practices written for a national market.
Your domain, your files, your data. I don't use proprietary systems that lock you in. If you ever want to move on, you can take everything with you. No hostage-taking, no exit fees.
What I Build
Most small business websites don't need a database. They need something fast, secure, and built to rank. Every site I build is static HTML and CSS — no WordPress, no plugins, no CMS overhead. The result is a site that loads in under a second, scores well on Core Web Vitals, and has almost nothing to go wrong.
That choice isn't a shortcut — it's a deliberate decision based on what actually works for service businesses, trades, health practitioners, and small retailers. If you need a CMS to manage frequent content updates yourself, I'll be upfront about that and we'll find the right solution together.
Want the full explanation? Read how static sites and Site Care plans work →
See Example WebsitesOther Projects
Design Menu is my main business, but I run two other sites that might be useful to you.
Local SEO guides and advice written specifically for Vancouver Island businesses. Free articles on Google Business Profile, local keywords, reviews, and more.
Visit islandrank.ca ↗Plain-English web guides for Canadian businesses — covering hosting, accessibility law, PIPEDA, CASL, web design costs, and more. Written from real experience, not SEO fluff.
Visit iwebserve.ca ↗