How to choose a web designer for your small business.

Before you contact anyone, write down:

• What the website must do: calls, bookings, orders, quote requests or credibility.
• Who your customers are and what they look for first.
• Must-have features: booking, menu, shop, gallery, multiple locations.
• What you already have: logo, photos, text, domain.
• Your budget range and ideal launch date.

This makes quotes comparable, and it tells you quickly which designers understand your business.

A portfolio tells you more than any sales pitch:

• Open their live sites on your phone. Are they fast? Is the phone number easy to find? Is booking obvious?
• Look for businesses like yours, or similar problems solved.
• Check the work is recent and real, with live links, not just mock-ups.
• Read reviews on Google or elsewhere.

You can see my client sites on the web projects page, most of them for independent businesses in East Molesey.

• What’s included in the price, and what costs extra?
• Who writes the text? Do you help with it?
• Will the site be built for mobile first?
• How will you set it up for Google: page titles, Search Console, Google Business Profile?
• Can I update prices and text myself?
• Who owns the domain, the website and the logins?
• Where will it be hosted, and what will that cost each month?
• How long will it take, and what do you need from me?
• How many rounds of changes are included?
• What happens after launch if something breaks?
• If you’re redesigning my current site, how will you protect my Google rankings?
• Can I speak to a past client?

• Guaranteed first place on Google. Nobody controls Google’s rankings.
• You won’t own your domain or site. Walk away.
• No live examples, or only templates.
• Very low prices with long contracts or high monthly fees hidden in the small print.
• No questions about your business. A good designer asks a lot.
• Vague timelines and no written quote.

• Freelancer: direct contact with the person doing the work, usually good value. Check they have back-up and a reliable process.
• Small studio: a small team, often a good balance of skills and personal service.
• Agency: more people, process and cost. Useful for large or complex projects.

There’s no right answer. What matters is the quality of the work, clear communication and a fair, fixed price.

Put quotes side by side and check:

• Number of pages and features.
• Whether text, photos and set-up for Google are included.
• Running costs: hosting, maintenance, plugins and software.
• Support after launch.
• Ownership and access.

The cheapest quote often leaves out the things that make a site work. Our guide to website costs in the UK explains typical ranges, and monthly running costs covers what comes after launch.

I’m a London-based UX designer with a development team behind me. Every project starts with a free call and a fixed quote. I plan the pages around what your customers need, design the key screens for you to review, then the team builds and I check every detail. You own your domain and site, and Google is set up from day one.

Website design starts at £495. If you have a site already, see website redesign.

A good web designer usually follows a clear process, whatever they call each step:

• Discovery: questions about your business, customers, competitors and goals.
• Proposal: a written scope, fixed price and timeline.
• Structure: a plan of the pages and what goes on each one.
• Design: key pages designed for you to review before building.
• Build: development, content, photos and integrations.
• Testing: on phones, tablets and desktops, with forms and bookings checked.
• Launch: Google set-up, redirects if replacing a site, and a hand-over.
• Support: a clear arrangement for changes after launch.

If a designer can’t explain their process, that’s a warning sign.

Projects go faster when you have these ready:

• Logo and brand colours, if you have them.
• Photos of your work, team or premises, or a plan to get them.
• Your services, prices and any policies.
• Logins for your domain, current website and Google Business Profile.
• A person who can give feedback and approve designs quickly.

Delays in content are the most common reason websites launch late.

Ask how the site will be looked after. Who updates prices? Who fixes something if it breaks? How quickly will they respond? A designer who plans for life after launch is usually one who builds things properly in the first place.

When proposals arrive, look beyond the price:

• Did they understand your business? The best proposals repeat your goals back to you in their own words.
• Is the scope specific? Pages, features, content and set-up should be listed clearly.
• Is there a timeline with milestones and what they need from you at each stage?
• Are running costs listed separately from the build?
• Is ownership clear? You should own the domain and site.

A proposal that’s clear and specific is usually a good sign of how the project itself will run.

• Decide what your website must do before contacting designers.
• Judge designers by their real, live work on your phone.
• Ask about ownership, running costs and support after launch.
• Avoid anyone guaranteeing Google rankings.
• Compare proposals on scope and clarity, not just price.