Proposal · prepared for Millicans & Mansfield Opticians · 1 June 2026
A few specific fixes for millicansmansfield.co.uk
Millicans & Mansfield Opticians · Wells · website rebuild
I rebuild small-business sites in my spare time when I can see they are leaving good work on the table. I spent some time on millicansmansfield.co.uk, and three things stood out, mostly around small unfinished details and how little of what makes the practice special, the fifty-year story, the awards finalist standing, actually reaches a first-time visitor. Three findings below, then a working rebuild you can click through.
Finding 01
The footer prints raw template code instead of the year.
What I saw
At the bottom of every page the copyright line reads, literally, "© {{Year}} Millicans & Mansfield Opticians". The {{Year}} is a Webflow placeholder that was meant to be swapped for the actual year when the site went live, and it never was. It is a small thing, but it is the kind of unfinished detail a careful patient notices, and it sits on every page of an otherwise tidy site.
What the rebuild does
The rebuild renders the real year, generated at build time so it can never go stale or show a placeholder again. One less thing on the page that says the site was put up in a hurry.
Finding 02
There is no way to book an eye test online.
What I saw
The contact page tells visitors to "give us a call", so every appointment depends on someone reaching the phone between nine and half past five, or before one on a Saturday. Yet the share text on the homepage itself promises "Book your appointment online today". A parent sorting a child's eye test at nine in the evening, or someone who would simply rather not phone, has nowhere to go.
What the rebuild does
The rebuild adds a short request-an-appointment form: name, phone, and what they need, with the practice calling back to confirm the time. It does not pretend to be a live booking diary, it just lets an enquiry land out of hours, the way the homepage already says it should.
Finding 03
Fifty years of Wells eye care never reaches the homepage.
What I saw
The story here is unusually good. David Millican was in his fiftieth year as an optometrist when he brought Millicans Eye Centre together with Richard Mansfield's practice in 2023, the bench now runs through his daughter Sam, and the practice was an Optician Awards finalist in 2025. None of that is on the homepage. The about page opens on a single sentence about the merger, and the heritage that actually sets you apart from a chain is left unsaid.
What the rebuild does
The rebuild gives the story a proper place, a dated timeline from 1990 to today, the founding family named, the awards finalist mark, and a David Millican quote, sitting on a dark band so it reads as the part to slow down for. It is the strongest argument you have against the multiples, made out loud.
What it costs
No retainer. No contract. No in-person visits, fully remote from Switzerland.
- One round of revisions before launch
- DNS cutover handled (you keep the domain in your name)
- 30 days of post-launch tweaks at no extra cost
- Source code handed over on day 60 (you own everything)
A few things worth answering
What happens to the millicansmansfield.co.uk domain and the info@ email?
Both stay exactly as they are, in your name. Only the hosting moves, from Webflow to a fast static build. The info@millicansmansfield.co.uk address keeps working throughout, and nothing changes about how patients reach you. The site that answers them just gets clearer and more complete.
We have a practice to run. How much work is this for us?
Very little. I take the words, photos and details already on your current site, plus anything you want to add, and build it remotely. You review one round of changes before it goes live. The only ask is a few minutes on a call to confirm the fifty-year story is told the way you would tell it.
Can the appointment requests come through to us properly?
Yes. The form routes to whichever inbox you choose, with the patient's details and what they need, so reception can call back and book it. If you later want a full online booking diary, that can be added, but the form covers the out-of-hours enquiries you are missing now.
If the proposal lands, reply with two or three 20-minute slots in the next ten days for a video call. I take on three Somerset builds this quarter, and the first confirmed wins the slot. If I do not hear back by 11 June, the proposal site comes down.
See the live rebuild ↗ A working preview you can click through. Opens in this tab.