Online presence that you actually own.
Your website is home base for your brand — not a rented profile on someone else's platform. It gives you full control over your story, your visuals, and how customers move from curious to ready to buy.
Western Iowa Web Design
Western Iowa's Custom Web Design Studio.
We build custom websites for local businesses — and we'll build yours first for free. See your real, live mockup before you spend a single dollar. If you love it, we talk. If not, no hard feelings.
✓ Free custom mockup
✓ Real working site — not a PDF
✓ No commitment required
How It Works
Three steps. Zero risk. A real website at the end.
We handle everything. You just tell us about your business.
1
We research & build your custom mockup
We learn your business, your customers, and your market — then hand-code a personalized website from scratch. No templates. Built specifically for you.
2
We revise until it's exactly right
You see the live mockup and give us feedback. We refine it until every word, every section, and every detail feels like you. Not close — perfect.
3
We launch it & manage it for you
We connect your domain, make it live, and become your ongoing website manager. Updates, maintenance, changes — we handle it so you can focus on your business.
Ready to see what we build for you?
Get My Free Mockup →About Us
Built by families who know what it means to work for something.
Johnnie Sims
Co-Founder
Johnnie Sims
Co-Founder
Johnnie spent 7+ years in enterprise tech sales, managing six-figure accounts and advising businesses on digital strategy. He co-founded Sims & Freund Creative Studio to bring that same strategic thinking to small businesses in Western Iowa — without the agency price tag.
Joe Freund
Co-Founder
Joe Freund
Co-Founder
Joe grew up in Woodbine and has spent his career embedded in the Western Iowa business community. He knows the owners, the towns, and what it actually takes to earn trust here — and he builds every site with that local investment in mind.
Why we built this.
Both of us come from blue collar families — the kind that built towns with concrete and hammers, our families worked for companies that put everything on the line to operate. Johnnie watched 2008 shake the foundation out from under good people, and we both watched Covid do it again. Those moments changed how we see things. Local businesses aren't just storefronts. They're families, legacies, and the backbone of communities like ours.
We built Sims & Freund Creative Studio to be the option that didn't exist for businesses like the ones we grew up around. Since launching, we've built sites for tattoo studios, restaurants, wedding companies, and local retailers across Iowa — each one custom, each one built to perform.
We're not a faceless agency. We're two people with real stakes in this region — and every site we build is a bet on a local business succeeding online.
Our Differentiators
Why a custom website beats a template or a social media page every time.
Swipe through to see what a real, custom-built website does that nothing else can.
75% of people judge your credibility by your website.
According to Stanford Web Credibility research, three out of four people decide whether to trust a business based on how its website looks. Your site isn't just a page — it's your first impression, your handshake, and your pitch all at once.
A Facebook page is a listing. A website is a sales asset.
A Facebook Business Page can't control your messaging, rank for your target searches, or present your offer with the depth and branding a real website can. Facebook gets attention. Your website is what turns that attention into trust and leads.
76% of "near me" searches lead to a visit within 24 hours.
When someone searches for what you do in your area, they're ready to move. A strong website paired with local SEO makes sure they find you — and trust what they see when they do. Without it, that customer goes to whoever shows up first.
Social platforms can disappear overnight. Your website can't.
Facebook can change its algorithm, reduce your reach, suspend your account, or shut down entirely. Your website is the one digital property you actually own and control — no platform, no rules, no one who can turn it off.
SEO and structure built in from the start.
Templates often fight your content. A custom site is structured for search, speed, and clarity — so people find you when they're already looking. Google Business Profile gets you discovered. A strong website is what converts that discovery into a customer.
Built for your business, your customers, your town.
This is not a one-size-fits-all theme. Every site we build is designed around your specific business model, your customers, and your community — so it feels like you, not like everyone else in your industry.
Why Clients Hire Us
Your brand has a story. Your website should tell it.
Most business owners know exactly what makes them different — the passion behind their work, the way they treat customers, the thing that gets them out of bed every morning. The problem is their website doesn't show any of it. It looks like everyone else's. We fix that.
We build websites that give business owners a real voice online — one that reflects their personality, communicates their value, and gives potential customers a clear reason to reach out. Not a template. Not a theme. Something that actually sounds and feels like you.
01
Your brand, front and center.
We take the time to understand what drives your business and build a site that expresses that — so visitors feel like they already know you before they ever call.
02
Designed to drive action.
A beautiful site that doesn't convert is just a brochure. Every layout decision we make is pointed at one thing — getting the right people to take the next step.
03
Built for real business growth.
We're not here to hand you a file and disappear. We build with your long-term success in mind — and we're around when things need to change.
Free Mockup — No Catch
Tell us about your business. We'll build your mockup.
Fill this out and we'll get to work. You'll see a real, live mockup built specifically for your business — completely free, no commitment. Most owners are blown away by what we put together. If you love it, we talk pricing. If not, no hard feelings.
Phone
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Best fit
Local service businesses, studios, shops, and founders who need a better first impression and a website that actually drives business.