SMG Web Design

What SMG Web Design does

SMG Web Design is a privately held web services firm founded in October 2009 by Jason Sethre and headquartered in Preston, Minnesota (136 Saint Anthony Street). The company provides custom website design, development, hosting, SEO, and digital marketing support primarily to small and medium businesses, local municipalities, and nonprofit organizations across Southeast Minnesota and the broader Midwest. Its technology stack is conventional and non-proprietary — built on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and optimized plugins — which the company positions as a client benefit, enabling website ownership and portability away from the firm after contract completion. Service breadth extends beyond core build work to include eCommerce modules, content management systems, social media integration, analytics, training, security/backups, and recurring website management packages with unlimited free updates.

The business operates with a small team (1-10 employees, with two named principals: Jason Sethre as President and Michelle Quanrud as General Manager and Main Developer) and generates revenue through a mix of one-time project fees for website creation and recurring subscription revenue from hosting and management packages. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on direct website contact forms, Chamber of Commerce ties, and a cross-promotional partnership with the Fillmore County Journal (a 17,000-circulation weekly newspaper published by Sethre). Sister entities under the broader SMG ecosystem — including SMG Merchant Services and Perfect Glossy — generate cross-referral flow for credit card processing and print marketing. The firm does not use institutional capital and appears to be entirely bootstrapped and founder-controlled.

Name

SMG Web Design

Legal name

SMG Web Design

Website

https://smgwebdesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SMG Web Design is a privately held, bootstrapped web services firm in Preston, Minnesota, founded in 2009 that builds custom websites and provides hosting, SEO, and digital marketing support for small businesses, municipalities, and nonprofits across Southeast Minnesota.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Preston Hollow

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Website Design and Development: Custom website design and development services. One-time fees for initial website creation including custom design, development, content, and launch.
2. Website Hosting: Ongoing website hosting services bundled with website management packages.
3. Website Management Packages: Packages to manage new or existing websites including updates, security, backups, training, and ongoing support. Updates are unlimited and free within packages.
4. Marketing Services: Marketing packages including business cards, brochures, and online marketing services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SMG Web Design provides custom website design and development services for small businesses, government entities, nonprofits, and organizations primarily in southeast Minnesota. They offer a single-vendor solution that includes responsive website design, custom HTML/CSS/JavaScript/PHP development, non-proprietary website hosting, search engine optimization, and ongoing website management packages with unlimited updates bundled into monthly fees.

Product overview

SMG Web Design offers a comprehensive suite of website services as a single-vendor solution. The core offering centers on custom Website Design and Website Development, supplemented by a portfolio of add-on modules including SEO, Website Features (galleries, eCommerce, calendars, blogging), Graphic Design, Analytics, Training, Social Media Integration, and Marketing packages. Additional services include Website Hosting, Domain Management, Security, Backups, and ongoing Website Support. The company emphasizes a relationship-based model where ongoing updates and support are included with their fee, with non-proprietary hosting ensuring clients own their website and can move it if desired.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Website Design
• Website Development
• Website Hosting
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Website Management Packages
• Marketing Packages
• Domain Management

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Fillmore County JournalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCross-promotional partnership where new SMG Web Design client websites are debuted in the Fillmore County Journal, a weekly newspaper with 17,000 circulation. Jason Sethre serves as publisher of the Fillmore County Journal.
• Perfect GlossyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJason Sethre is a principal founder of Perfect Glossy, a company specializing in design and printing of glossy-finished marketing materials. SMG Web Design may cross-refer clients needing print marketing materials.
• SMG Merchant ServicesminorOthersSister company under SMG brand providing credit card processing services. Cross-referral relationship for shared clients needing payment processing solutions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cardinal Digital Marketing: Full-service digital marketing agency offering web design, SEO, and paid media to small and mid-sized businesses — directly overlapping SMG's service-to-SMB value proposition.
• Coalition Technologies: Los Angeles-based web design and SEO agency serving small and mid-sized businesses with custom builds, eCommerce features, and ongoing support — comparable offering to SMG's design + features + SEO stack.
• Yoko Co: Boutique web design agency focused on small businesses and nonprofits with custom builds and ongoing support — closely aligned with SMG's relationship-driven, custom design model.
• Thrive Agency: Houston-based digital marketing and web design agency serving small and mid-sized businesses with custom website design, SEO, and hosting — directly comparable service mix and SMB target customer to SMG Web Design.
• WebFX: Pennsylvania-based digital marketing agency offering custom web design, SEO, and hosting packages to SMBs nationwide. Closely mirrors SMG's bundled service-plus-recurring-support model.
• Big Drop Inc: Custom web design and development agency serving SMBs and enterprises. Comparable custom-build, responsive design, and SEO-driven offering targeting similar client size segment.

Broad incumbents

• GoDaddy: Major SMB web presence incumbent offering domain, hosting, website builder, and design services. Competes for the same local SMB customer segment as SMG but with a vastly broader portfolio and significantly larger marketing budget.
• Web.com: Established SMB-focused web presence company offering website builders, custom design services, hosting, and domain management — competes for the same local SMB customers but at much larger scale and with templated/builder products alongside services.

Emerging players

• Wix: DIY website builder increasingly augmented with AI-driven site generation (Wix ADI), targeting the same small business and small municipality customer base that SMG serves. Represents the most direct substitution threat for budget-conscious SMBs.
• Squarespace: Premium DIY website builder with strong brand in hospitality, tourism, and creative SMB segments — overlapping heavily with SMG's lodging, hospitality, and nonprofit customer mix. A direct DIY alternative for prospective SMG customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/smgwebdesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smg-web-design

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SMG Web Design