The business
Kiama Smash & Mechanical Repairs is a local workshop on Barney Street in Kiama, run by Jonathon Britten. Unlike most workshops, they do both smash repairs and mechanical work under one roof: panel and paint, servicing, brakes and clutch, steering and suspension, windscreens and eSafety inspections (pink slips). They've been doing it since 2006.
The problem
KSMR didn't have a proper website of their own. Anyone searching for them found a handful of directory listings, and they didn't all agree. Different listings even showed different opening hours. Nothing showed what the workshop actually does or made it easy to get in touch.
For a busy workshop, that matters. A lot of the calls coming in were routine questions that a decent website could answer. So the goal was simple: give them a real online presence, help locals find them, explain their services clearly and cut down the "are you open Saturday?" interruptions.
What we built
I started with a concept built from their existing branding: the workshop sign, the orange from their signage and photos of the actual workshop. I sent it to Jonathon in early September and we went through it together at the workshop.
From there we built the live site at ksmr.com.au:
- A clear home page that leads with smash repairs and car servicing in Kiama, with four main tiles: smash repairs, logbook servicing, eSafety inspections, and brakes and clutch.
- Individual service pages for smash repairs, insurance repairs, windscreen replacement, mechanical servicing, brakes and clutch, steering and suspension, and eSafety/pink slips.
- Real photos supplied by the workshop, not stock images.
- Accurate business details: address, opening hours and contact info, set up so Google can read them properly (structured data, a sitemap and analytics).
- Mobile-first layout, because most people looking for a mechanic are on their phone.
We also kept the scope tight on purpose. After a phone call with Jonathon, we cut services they didn't want to promote and changed the main heading to "Smash Repairs & Car Servicing in Kiama". An online booking assistant and calendar link were discussed early on, but we left them out of the launch. Appointments at KSMR are mainly for existing customers, and Jonathon didn't want a public calendar. That can come later if it's useful.
Cost and timeline
The whole thing came to around $800, including the first year of hosting and the domain.
The timeline, roughly:
- Early September 2026: concept sent and reviewed with Jonathon at the workshop.
- 9 September: agreement accepted, first payment made.
- Late September: workshop photos supplied, then a round of changes over the phone.
- 30 September: Jonathon approved the site and it went live at ksmr.com.au.
So about four weeks from first concept to live site, and most of that was waiting on photos and feedback, which is normal for a busy workshop.
The result
The main need is sorted: KSMR now has a proper online presence. There's one accurate place that shows who they are, what they do, where they are and when they're open, instead of relying on whatever the directories say.
I'm not going to quote traffic or call numbers here, because it's too early for meaningful data and I'd rather not make anything up. What I can say is that the site does the job it was built for, and it gives them a solid base to build on with Google reviews and their Business Profile.
Why this matters for other small businesses
Plenty of solid local businesses run on word of mouth with no real website. You don't need a huge build to fix that. You need a site that answers the basic questions clearly, works on a phone and gives Google accurate information. For KSMR, that was a simple site at a small-business price.
If you're in a similar spot, I'll have a look for you. Book a free Business Check and I'll tell you straight what you need and what you don't.