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How to choose a web designer for your business

Writer: Roland Daniells
Roland Daniells
Apr 5, 2023
2 min read

Updated: Oct 21

A practical way to compare web designers: relevant work, responsibilities, written scope, account ownership and the questions to ask before committing.

Illustration accompanying how to choose a web designer for your business

Start with the job your website must do

Before looking at portfolios, write down your main service, the customers you want to reach and the action a visitor should take. Include your current URL and what is failing: unclear content, awkward mobile navigation or a form people cannot find. A designer can respond more usefully to a concrete problem than to “make it modern”.

Ask for relevant evidence

Choose two or three examples of work that resemble your needs. Ask what the designer actually delivered: design, copy, photography, development or ongoing support. A current client website may have changed since handover, so discuss the original brief as well as its appearance today. Read attributed testimonials and follow the public review links where available.

Compare proposals on the same basis

Send each shortlisted designer the same brief. Compare included pages, features, content responsibilities, revision rounds, testing and handover. Check who owns the domain and platform accounts, who pays recurring fees and what happens when you need an update. A starting price is useful only alongside its scope.

Use the first conversation to test the working relationship

Ask who will do the work and how feedback is collected. Discuss availability, the stages you will review and the decisions you must make. Local meetings can be helpful, but clear communication and a documented brief matter just as much. Consultations with TW Web Design in Reigate and visits around Surrey are by appointment.

A useful first enquiry

Send your website, business location, three priorities, required features and any genuine deadline. Include a budget range if you have one. TW Web Design can then discuss a new website, redesign or focused update with a proposal based on the work.

Reviewed and updated 21 October 2026. The original publication date is retained.

 
 
 

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Clear steps. Agreed deliverables.

From first conversation to a website you can use.

Work directly with Roland Daniells in Reigate. We agree the work, responsibilities, costs and launch plan before development starts, with consultations and business visits by appointment.

  1. 01 / DISCOVER

    Understand your business

    Review your current website, customers, services, content and the enquiries you want to attract.

  2. 02 / AGREE

    Define the scope

    Your written proposal sets out pages, features, platform, content responsibilities, revisions, costs and timing.

  3. 03 / DESIGN

    Review the direction

    Shape the layout, copy and imagery around real customer questions. Review the design at agreed stages.

  4. 04 / BUILD & TEST

    Check the journey

    Build the agreed features and check navigation, links, forms and layouts on desktop, tablet and mobile.

  5. 05 / LAUNCH

    Hand over clearly

    Check the published site, agree the editing handover and confirm any ongoing maintenance separately.

The platform follows the brief.

Wix suits businesses that want visual editing and managed website tools. WordPress supports a flexible content-led website, with hosting, plugins and maintenance agreed around the setup.

Custom development can support business-specific workflows, databases and integrations. We assess API access, licensing and ongoing responsibilities before recommending a solution.

WordPress development · Bespoke websites and web apps

SEO work you can account for.

An SEO proposal identifies the pages to review and the deliverables that apply to your project:

  • Page titles, descriptions, headings and relevant service content.
  • Internal links, indexing checks and sitemap review.
  • Accurate local business information and enquiry routes.
  • A baseline, an agreed reporting schedule and a record of changes.

Ongoing SEO is scoped separately from a website build. Explore local SEO.

Measure the useful changes.

Where data is available, compare Search Console impressions, clicks and relevant queries over stated periods. Review enquiries alongside search traffic, rather than treating rankings as the only result.

For performance work, record the tested page, device, date and tool, then compare before and after. Core Web Vitals and PageSpeed tests can identify improvements; a lab score is not the same as real visitor performance.

Targets, access requirements and reporting frequency are agreed in the proposal. No ranking, traffic increase or perfect performance score is guaranteed.

Content and care after launch.

Agree who supplies copy, photographs, legal text and product information, and what editing handover is needed. Original photography and copywriting can be scoped alongside the website.

Confirm hosting, domains, subscriptions, renewals and ongoing support before you commit. Explore website maintenance or business photography.

Real projects. Considered solutions.

Built around
the business.

From original photography to a custom database, the right website starts with understanding what a business needs.

Design, content & photography

BPM Bathrooms

The brief: overhaul three existing websites.
The work: website design, original photography, customer interviews and search marketing, planned together in January 2024.

  • Website design
  • Photography
  • Search marketing
Explore the client website

Custom development & client control

Rogue’s Gallery Racing

The brief: bring racing information into one manageable website.
The work: a relational database connecting horses, shares, videos, trainers and jockeys, with a client editing interface. Delivered December 2021.

  • Web development
  • Relational database
  • Client-managed updates
Explore the client website

These examples describe the agreed work, not independently measured traffic or revenue gains. Read the full project stories in the portfolio below.

Discuss your project

Know what you are comparing

A starting price. A clearly agreed scope.

The cards above describe three starting points. Your written proposal confirms exactly what is included, which optional features you have chosen and the total cost before work starts.

Package
Starting price
Published features
Starter
From £499
Core business presence: headline, enquiry button, optimised images, navigation, opt-in offer, testimonials, About, Contact and FAQ content.
Medium
From £699
Starter features plus a portfolio, blog and social media setup, with training and support defined in the proposal.
Max
From £999
Bespoke scope. Optional features can include an online store, galleries, newsletter signup, social feeds, portfolios, a blog or event bookings. The selected features and their costs are confirmed in the proposal.

Pages, revisions and timing

Page count, content volume, revision rounds, milestones and target launch date are confirmed in your written proposal. The starting price does not mean unlimited pages or revisions.

Copy and photography

The proposal states which content you supply and whether copywriting, editing or original photography is included. These services are available to scope alongside the website.

Fees, VAT and support

Hosting, domains, platform subscriptions, paid tools, payment-provider fees and ongoing support are identified where applicable. Your proposal confirms recurring costs, VAT treatment and the total payable; do not assume these are included in the starting price.

New features, additional pages and work outside the agreed brief are discussed and quoted before proceeding. Ask for a proposal if you need a complete price for your project.

Practical advice on websites, local SEO and business photography, plus stories from the TW Web Design project archive. Written for independent businesses in Reigate, Redhill, Dorking and across Surrey.