I am Harrison Ratcliffe, a UK-based WordPress and server specialist trading as Ask Harrison. I set up, migrate, harden, and repair WordPress sites and VPS infrastructure for site owners and web agencies. All work is quoted at a fixed price, built on staging, approved by you, and cut over out of hours.
Who is Harrison Ratcliffe?
I run Ask Harrison as a sole trader in the UK. There are no employees, account managers, or subcontractors. When you hire Ask Harrison, I carry out all technical work personally.
I started Ask Harrison in 2026 after nine years in web hosting. First, I spent three years building and running a hosting provider I started as a teenager, which I later sold. Then I spent six years working inside one of the UK's largest independent hosts, serving around 50,000 customers. That is nine years of real production experience, not personal tinkering.
Working inside a major hosting provider at that scale meant fixing production failures every day: malware injections, database corruption, failed migrations, broken software updates, and web server misconfigurations. Seeing those failure patterns repeat hundreds of times showed me why sites break during moves and upgrades. I set up Ask Harrison to handle infrastructure projects properly: staging first, thorough testing, and zero downtime.
How does a project run from start to finish?
Handing a live production site to an external engineer requires clarity at every step. My work follows five stages on every project.
- 1. Fixed quote agreed upfront
I review your site or server requirements and provide a flat price in writing before work starts. You get complete cost certainty upfront with no unexpected hourly invoices.
- 2. Built and tested on staging
I set up a full working copy of your site or server environment on a private staging URL. All updates, PHP upgrades, and server configuration happen on staging while your live site stays online and untouched.
- 3. Approved by you before cutover
You check the staging environment, test forms, and verify checkouts. Nothing moves to production until you review it and give the go-ahead.
- 4. Out-of-hours cutover
I execute the live cutover during a quiet window you select. I copy final database changes, sync updated file uploads, and update DNS records so your users experience zero unexpected disruption or data loss.
- 5. 30-day fix-free warranty included
Every project includes a 30-day warranty. If any bug or configuration issue related to my work pops up within 30 days of cutover, I resolve it immediately at no additional cost.
Why do you charge flat prices with no monthly retainers?
Hourly billing creates incorrect incentives. It rewards slow troubleshooting and leaves you with open-ended invoices for critical technical work. I quote a single, flat price before starting. If a server migration or PHP upgrade takes additional troubleshooting, the price remains exactly what was agreed.
I do not sell monthly retainers or ongoing management contracts. Agencies and site owners frequently pay recurring monthly retainers for server management that is only required a few times a year. I work exclusively on an ad-hoc project basis. You pay for specific technical tasks when you need them, without ongoing financial commitments.
Can you work under my agency's name?
Yes. I work directly with site owners and white-label for web development and digital agencies.
When operating under white-label terms, your agency’s name remains on the work. I act as your technical infrastructure specialist. I never contact your end-client directly unless you explicitly instruct me to do so. All technical communication stays between you and me.
If your client searches for my name mid-project, they find a sole-operator infrastructure specialist. Staging environments can be hosted on neutral domain structures, and non-disclosure agreements are respected. Once the project is signed off, I hand over all credentials, server documentation, and access details directly to your technical lead. I then decommission all temporary staging environments and delete stored credentials.
Do you provide hosting?
No. I do not sell web hosting, I do not resell web hosting, and I do not hold client hosting accounts.
I work on the infrastructure you already own or are moving to: your Hetzner server, DigitalOcean droplet, AWS cloud instance, or managed host. I configure, harden, optimize, and migrate server environments. Leaving hosting to dedicated infrastructure providers keeps my recommendations unbiased. You maintain complete ownership of your hosting accounts and infrastructure at all times.
How do I get in touch?
You can reach me directly by emailing harrison@askharrison.co.uk. Include details of your site, your current hosting setup, and what you need done. I will review your requirements and provide a flat quote before any work starts.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you charge hourly rates or offer monthly retainers?
- No. All work is quoted at a single flat price agreed before I start. I do not charge hourly rates or sell monthly retainers.
- What happens if something breaks after a migration or upgrade?
- All work includes a 30-day fix-free warranty. If a bug or configuration error related to the project appears within 30 days, I fix it without additional cost.
- Do I need to buy hosting from you?
- No. I do not sell or resell hosting. I work on your existing host or help you set up accounts on infrastructure providers like Hetzner or DigitalOcean under your own name.
- Can you work as a white-label contractor for my agency?
- Yes. I work directly for agencies under white-label terms. I do not contact your clients directly and respect agency confidentiality.
- How do you handle site cutovers to prevent downtime?
- I build and test the full site on staging first. Cutover occurs out of hours in a window you select, with delta database syncing so no data is lost.