Choosing a web designer is difficult because almost everything you are being sold sounds the same. Every company promises a modern, mobile-friendly, SEO-optimised website. The prices range from under a hundred pounds to several thousand, and it is rarely clear what the difference actually is.
This guide explains what web design really involves, what should be built in as standard, the SEO work that decides whether anybody ever finds your site, and the questions that separate a good designer from an expensive mistake. I have also been straight about how I work, so you can judge whether I am the right fit.
What web design actually is
Web design is not choosing colours. It is deciding what a visitor sees first, in what order, and what you want them to do next. A trades customer standing in a wet driveway on a phone wants your number and proof you have done the job before. Somebody comparing training courses wants to see the options side by side. Same craft, completely different layout.
That is why a template rarely does the job properly. A template is a shape somebody else designed for a business that is not yours. A designed site starts from the journey your customers actually take.
What a good business website needs
Strip away the jargon and a website that wins work usually gets these basics right.
- Loads quickly on a phone on mobile data
- Says what you do and where you do it within one screen
- Lists your services as separate, properly explained pages
- Shows real photos of your own work, not stock images
- Puts your phone number, WhatsApp and form within a tap
- Reads like a person wrote it, because a person did
None of that is exotic. It is just what happens when someone plans the site around enquiries rather than around a design award. You can see how it comes together on my website design page, or open the real client sites on my completed websites page and try them on a phone.
The SEO foundations every new website should launch with
This is the part most people are sold as an upgrade, and it is the part that decides whether your site ever appears in search results. None of it is optional if you want to be found. Ask any designer which of the following is included in their build price.
One page per thing you want to be found for
A single page cannot rank for roofing, guttering and fascias at once. Each service, and each town you actively work in, needs its own page with its own genuinely different content. This is the single biggest structural decision in a build.
Titles and descriptions written per page
Every page needs its own title tag under about 60 characters and a description under about 160. These are what people read in Google before they decide to click, so they should describe the offer, not repeat your business name six times.
One clear H1 and a sensible heading order
One H1 per page describing that page, then H2s for sections and H3s beneath them. Headings are structure, not styling. If a page has five H1s, search engines cannot tell what it is about.
Readable URLs
/roof-repairs beats /page-id-472. Short, lowercase, hyphenated and stable. If a URL has to change later, it should be redirected rather than simply deleted.
Internal links that actually go somewhere
Link between related pages using descriptive words, not 'click here'. Internal links are how search engines discover your pages and how they work out which of your pages matters most for a given search.
Compressed, correctly sized images with alt text
A photo straight off a phone can be several megabytes and will slow the page down badly. Images should be resized, compressed to a modern format and given alt text that describes the picture for screen readers and image search.
Structured data
Behind-the-scenes markup that tells Google you are a local business, what your services are, where you are based, and what your FAQs say. It does not change what visitors see, but it helps you appear correctly in search features.
A sitemap, robots file and HTTPS
A sitemap lists every page you want indexed, the robots file tells crawlers what to look at, and HTTPS is expected as standard. Basic housekeeping, but plenty of cheap sites launch without it.
Local signals set up properly
Consistent name, address and phone number, your real service area written into the content, and your website linked from your Google Business Profile. Local searches are won on relevance to the area, not on clever wording.
Content that answers real questions
Prices, areas covered, how long jobs take, what happens after you enquire. Answering the questions people actually type is the most reliable long-term SEO there is.
Get those right at build time and you have a site search engines can read and rank. Ongoing SEO then becomes about adding content, earning links and improving pages, rather than fixing problems that should never have shipped. If you want that ongoing work handled, it is what my SEO services cover, from £119 a month.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
Ask these of every quote you get, including mine. The answers tell you far more than a portfolio does.
- Who will actually design and build it, and who will I speak to if something needs changing?
- Is the design bespoke, or a template other businesses are also using?
- Do I own the website, the domain and the content if I ever leave?
- What SEO work is included in the build, and what is extra?
- What is the total cost, and what happens each month after launch?
- How many rounds of changes are included before it goes live?
- Can I see live sites you have built that are still working today?
- How long from approving the content to being live?
Warning signs worth walking away from
- A price that only makes sense once you read the small print
- No live examples of recent work you can open and use
- The domain registered in the designer's name rather than yours
- A long lock-in contract with no way to take your site elsewhere
- Promises of a guaranteed number one Google ranking
- You cannot get a straight answer about who does the work
The domain one matters more than people realise. If the domain is not in your name, you do not fully control your own business address online.
Bespoke designer or website builder?
A website builder is a genuinely reasonable choice for a hobby project or a very simple page you intend to maintain yourself. Where it tends to fall down is local search, distinctive design and anything unusual about how your business operates. I have written an honest comparison of both routes in my guide to a bespoke studio versus automated website builders, including where a builder wins.
Why businesses choose Wright Designs Studio
I am a one-person studio in Nuneaton, working with small businesses across Coventry, Warwickshire, the West Midlands and the rest of the UK. Here is what that means in practice.
You deal with me, start to finish
I design and build every site myself, so there is no account manager relaying messages. The person you ring is the person changing the page.
One fixed, all-in price
£350 all in for a standard business website: design, build, your domain, a business email address on that domain and your first three months of hosting. Then £19.99 a month for hosting, maintenance and support. Booking websites are £479 and a complete rebrand is £679.
Live quickly
Once your content and photos are with me, most sites are live within 48 hours. You see the design before anything goes public.
SEO foundations built in, not sold back to you
Page structure, titles, descriptions, headings, image handling, sitemap and local signals are part of the build. Monthly SEO is available afterwards if you want to push further, but you are not launching with a site that cannot be found.
Changes get made, not queued
Unlimited revisions before launch, and after launch your changes come to me directly rather than a support desk ticket.
Design and print under one roof
Logo, business cards, flyers, banners and signage can all be done to match the website, so your business looks like one business everywhere.
My studio is at 5 The Courtyard, Nuneaton, CV10 0AS. If you are local I am happy to meet in person, and if you are not, everything runs perfectly well over the phone and WhatsApp. You can read more about how I work or see exactly what is included for £350.
Common questions
How do I choose the right web designer for my small business?
Ask who is doing the work, ask to see live sites they have built that still work well on a phone, check whether the design is bespoke or a template, and get the total cost plus the monthly cost in writing. If you cannot get a straight answer to those four things, keep looking.
What SEO should be included when a website is built?
As a minimum: a separate page for each service and area you want to be found for, a unique title and meta description per page, one clear H1 with a sensible heading order, readable URLs, descriptive internal links, compressed images with alt text, structured data, a sitemap, a robots file and HTTPS. Those are foundations, not extras.
Can a designer guarantee I will rank number one on Google?
No, and anyone promising it is not being honest with you. Nobody controls Google's results. What a designer can do is build the site so it is technically sound, properly structured and genuinely useful, which is what rankings are actually built on.
How much should a small business website cost in the UK?
Prices range from a few hundred pounds to several thousand depending on the scope. My standard business website is £350 all in, including your domain, a business email address and the first three months of hosting, then £19.99 a month. I break the wider question down in my guide to small business website costs.
How long does a new website take to build?
Once I have your content and photos, most websites are live within 48 hours. The planning conversation beforehand usually takes a day or two while I agree the pages with you and wording.
Do I own my website and domain?
Yes. The domain is registered in your business name and the website is yours. You are never locked in, and you can take it elsewhere if you ever want to.
Where to go next
If you would like a straight answer on what your website would cost, send me a few details and I will come back with a fixed price and an honest opinion on whether you need the bigger option or not.