Bespoke Web App Development for SMEs
New Media Aid provides bespoke web application development for SMEs across the UK. Based in Hertfordshire, I work remotely with clients in London and beyond to design, build and support reliable internal business systems, customer portals and workflow tools built on ASP.NET Core and SQL Server.
Work directly with an experienced developer (25+ years).
If your business has outgrown spreadsheets, generic SaaS tools, or an ageing internal system, a bespoke web app can remove friction from day-to-day operations — saving time, reducing errors, and giving you a single source of truth.
Whether you need a new system from scratch or a careful modern replacement for something legacy, I work closely with you to design software that fits how your team actually works (and improves it).
Typical web apps I build
Examples of bespoke web systems I deliver for SMEs:
- Job, project and task management systems for contractors and service businesses
- Scheduling and resource planning tools for teams, vehicles and equipment
- Customer portals for bookings, requests, documents and updates
- Registration and onboarding portals (education, membership and services)
- Workflow tools with approvals, audit trails and role-based access
- Quote-to-invoice pipelines and operational dashboards
- Reporting that matches how you run the business day-to-day
- Web back-ends that support mobile apps used by field staff
- Integrations with third-party services (email, payments, accounting, APIs)
- Modern front-ends for older databases that still do the job well
Built on solid, modern technologies
Most of my work uses the Microsoft stack — robust, maintainable, and well suited to long-lived SME systems.
Core web stack
- ASP.NET Core (Razor Pages) for maintainable server-side web apps
- SQL Server for reliable data, reporting and performance tuning
- Bootstrap 5 for responsive, mobile-friendly interfaces
- Authentication and access control (email/password, Azure AD, role-based access)
- Clean APIs for integration with other systems and services
Often included
Where it makes sense, I also build supporting APIs and mobile components (e.g. offline-first Android apps for engineers on site), or integrate existing tools so data flows reliably without manual re-keying.
Replacing ageing or fragile systems
Many SMEs already have a “system” — often an old WebForms app, an Access database, or a patchwork of spreadsheets and shared folders. These can be risky to maintain, slow for staff, and painful to change.
I specialise in modernising and replacing legacy systems carefully, so your team can keep working with minimal disruption while the new solution is introduced in a controlled, low-risk way.
How a project typically runs
- Discovery: understand the workflow, pain points, and what “success” looks like.
- Prototype: agree screens, data flow and permissions before heavy development starts.
- Build: develop in small milestones, with clear progress and regular feedback.
- Launch: rollout with training, data migration (if needed), and a sensible cutover plan.
- Support: ongoing improvements, performance tuning, fixes and enhancements.
Designed around your workflow, not the other way round
Off-the-shelf products often force you to work the way the software expects. With bespoke development, we start with how your business works — and then improve from there.
- Workflows and screens that match the language your team uses day to day
- Validation and business rules that reflect how you actually price, schedule and deliver work
- Dashboards showing what managers genuinely need to see each morning
- Performance tuned around real usage, not artificial demo scenarios
Relevant case studies
Examples of bespoke web applications I’ve delivered for SMEs and organisations:
Bespoke Scaffolding Management System (B-MAT)
A .NET web app replacing spreadsheets and off-the-shelf tools — managing quotes, jobs, inspections, invoicing, scheduling, portals and dashboards.
Admissions & Enrolment Platform (Woodhouse College)
A large-scale online portal handling applications, validation rules and integrations — designed for reliability during peak enrolment periods.
Digital Publishing & Subscription Platform (Dry Cargo)
A mobile-friendly web platform with CMS, archives/search, controlled access and eCommerce — built for long-term content management.
Who this is for
This service is a good fit if you:
- Are held back by spreadsheets, dated web apps or manual processes
- Need a system that matches your business, not the other way round
- Want to work directly with an experienced developer, not a rotating agency team
- Value long-term support, performance and stability over short-lived experiments
Thinking about a bespoke web app?
If you have an idea for a new system — or you’re worried about the fragility of an existing one — I’m happy to have a short, no-obligation conversation about what might be involved.
Discuss bespoke web app development