Web design in Merced, for a college town on the way to Yosemite.
WebDevCity is a Turlock web design studio that builds and maintains websites for Merced businesses and nonprofits. Customers here arrive in waves: students each term, Yosemite travelers and locals downtown.
Photo (cropped): Publichall, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Students, orchards and people passing through
Merced is the county seat of Merced County and calls itself the Gateway to Yosemite. The Central Pacific Railroad founded it in 1872 and named it after the Merced River, and it was incorporated on April 1, 1889. Today it is a city of about 90,000, with an agricultural past in orchards and produce and a newer mix of light manufacturing and distribution.
Two schools change the picture. UC Merced, the tenth campus in the University of California system, opened to undergraduates in 2005 and lists about 9,000 students for 2025-26. Merced College was founded in 1962. Together they mean a steady supply of people who are new to town and need to find a haircut, a repair shop or a place to eat.
Downtown has its own character. The Mainzer Theater has been revitalized, the Merced County Courthouse Museum is there, and so is the Merced Multicultural Arts Center. Merced Main Street Association, founded in 2014, works on the downtown district.
Outside downtown there is Applegate Park and Zoo, the Bear and Black Rascal Creek bike paths and Lake Yosemite. Castle Air Museum is just over in Atwater. It is also more affordable than the coastal metros.
What a Merced website has to do
Merced owners tend to fall into one of four groups.
Businesses with student customers
Students search for everything on their phones in the first weeks of a term. The first screen needs what you offer, where you are, when you are open and a button to call. Pages should load fast on a weak connection.
Places that serve travelers
People planning a Yosemite trip look for lodging, food and services before they leave and again while they are on the road. The site needs a tap-to-call number, clear hours and plain directions, and it should be easy to read in bright sun.
Downtown arts, restaurants and shops
Events and show listings should be text on the page, not an image of a flyer. A flyer cannot be searched, read aloud or translated. We give you a simple way to post an event in a minute.
Growing local companies
Light manufacturing and distribution firms need pages that recruit as well as sell: a clear jobs page, a quote request form and a short description of what the company handles.
Merced local-SEO checklist
Merced has some of its own timing, so the checklist follows the calendar.
- Set up Google Business Profile with Merced as your city
Use the address customers visit or your service area, and add the towns you cover. If your customers are students, make sure the hours match the real term, and remember to update them over breaks.
- Join the conversation with Merced Main Street Association
If you are downtown, ask how businesses there get listed and promoted. Check that the hours it shows for you are right.
- Follow the UC Merced and Merced College calendars
Move-in, finals, graduation and breaks decide when students are in town. Change your hours and offers on the site and the profile a week ahead.
- Write one page for travelers
Explain what a visitor can do or buy in Merced before or after a Yosemite trip. Use the words a traveler would type, and keep the page current.
- Reply to reviews
Students and visitors both leave reviews, often in a hurry. A short, friendly reply to each one tells the next reader what you are like.
- Keep your details identical
Name, phone and hours should read the same on your site, your profile and any listing. Fix the differences before you add new listings.
Working with us from Highway 99
Merced is south of Turlock on Highway 99. It is a short trip for us.
- Meeting
- We can drive down to meet at your location, or talk by phone or video. A first call by phone, then a meeting once there is a draft to look at, works well.
- Phone
- 209-535-2200, Monday to Saturday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Sunday closed.
- Term-based business
- If your busy time follows the school year, tell us at the start. We plan the edits you will make during the year around it.
- The quote
- Free and written, before anything is built.
From our home base in Turlock we also work in Modesto and Stockton.
Merced resources worth knowing
Local places that can help with advice, introductions and the student market.
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Merced Main Street Association
A downtown group founded in 2014 to improve the district through organization, promotion, design and economic stability.
mercedmainstreet.com (opens in a new tab) -
UC Merced
The tenth University of California campus, open to undergraduates since 2005.
ucmerced.edu/about (opens in a new tab) -
Central California SBDC Regional Network
Small business advising. The Monarch SBDC is based in Merced and describes its services as low to no cost.
centralcasbdc.com (opens in a new tab) -
Merced College
Founded in 1962. Check its public calendar for term dates before you plan seasonal offers.
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Visit Merced CA
The city's visitor portal, useful for event dates and for seeing how the city presents itself to travelers.
We have no affiliation with or endorsement from these organizations. We list them because they are useful in Merced.
What our sites look like
Our own proof is three sites we built and that are online today. PLT Limos is a good example of a business where visitors need to act fast. Automotive Collision Repair and Repair and Maintenance Co show different service businesses. See the our work page or our services.
Merced questions, answered
Something else on your mind? Call 209-535-2200.
Do you build sites for businesses that depend on UC Merced and Merced College students?
Yes. We design for phones first, with hours, location and a call button up front, and we set up the site so you can change your hours when the term starts and ends.
My business gets travelers on the way to Yosemite. What is different about that?
Those visitors search before they leave and while on the road, so the site has to be fast on a weak signal and show directions, hours and a phone number at once. We also write a page that speaks to travelers directly.
Do you drive to Merced?
Yes. We can drive down Highway 99 for a meeting at your business, or work by phone or video, whichever suits your schedule.
Is a downtown Main Street business different from other Merced businesses?
A little. Downtown customers often arrive for an event or a walk, so event listings, parking notes and evening hours matter more. We build those into the site.
Can I update the site myself during the school year?
Yes. We set it up with a content management system so you can change hours, offers and events yourself. If you would rather not, we can do the updates for you.
Want a Merced website that works all year?
Tell us who your customers are and when they show up. We will answer with questions and a free, written quote.
Get a free quote
- 209-535-2200
- info@webdevcity.com
- Mon–Sat 8:00am–5:00pm · Sunday closed