Web Design FAQs
Websites aren’t simple off-the-peg purchases. So the best way to get started is by scheduling a callback or video call to discuss your goals. It’s quick, easy, and lets you book up to two weeks in advance.
If you can’t make the meeting or no longer need help, please let me know so I can focus on helping my other clients.
Still, it saves time to address some common questions first. So please check those out below — then click the button to let me know the best time to call.
Why should I trust what you say about small business web design?
Because I’ve been doing it since 1996 and specialising in helping small businesses since 2005. Before setting up Netcentrics.co.uk, I helped set up Cable Online (aka NTL, now Virgin Media) and Which? Online, mentoring teams providing award-winning support for the Consumers’ Association. Before that, I promoted events and set up and ran a high-street shop.
So unlike most web designers, I’ve been building businesses for over 35 years, coding and doing graphic design for over 40, and have a first-class honours degree in Computer Science. If that isn’t enough, trust my Testimonials.
Can you just build me a basic site to promote my business?
Yes and no. It depends on what you mean by “promote my business.” My basic sites can collect leads and give you a web address to put on cards, vehicles and other signage. Beyond that though, basic sites don’t automatically attract visitors. Your competitors are working hard to reach them first — so you need a strategy:
- Traditional outbound marketing strategies (broadcast ads, print ads, cold emails and telesales) waste time and money on messaging people who aren’t interested and often resent being pitched. Paid online ads are more targeted, but can still be costly and addictive. Visitors can easily cost over £1 but under 1% then typically become customers. If your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) exceeds your sales profit, you’re wasting money. Yet even then, it can be hard to stop, as doing so would lose the traffic you’ve been buying. Getting these numbers wrong can easily kill a small business, but they simply don’t work for everyone.
- Inbound marketing aims to attract attention from a targeted, interested audience of potential customers and to earn their trust before pitching. So my affordable marketing site package is designed to help you earn free visitors from Google through strong on-site SEO. I can then help you augment that through content marketing (blogging), off-site SEO, social media marketing, newsletters and mailing lists, review management and video marketing, We can also then work on Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), which boosts the percentage of visitors who become customers. Basic sites just don’t include the tools to do this very effectively.
I'm not confident with web stuff — can you still help?
Yes. We all have our own experience and skill sets. Helping small business owners like you is mine. Asking questions is better than learning stuff by trial and error, so never feel awkward about it.
I'm very busy — how can I find time for this?
Step by step:
- Get started. Book a call, or pick a plan (see the “How much does website design cost?” item below for links to more info). Distractions will keep appearing until you commit.
- Relax and let me walk you through it. Building effective business websites takes weeks or months, not in a few hectic hours or days. So we’ll work around your other commitments as far as possible. If events beyond your control have set urgent deadlines, definitely book a call first, though. Otherwise, you’ve got time, and I can help you find it.
Do I need to get a logo, domain or hosting first?
Not really. I can help with those — otherwise it’s easy to make common mistakes. Just book a call, and we can discuss what you’ll need to get from where you are to where you want to be, and how to get those things sorted.
What factors are important when designing a website?
Success takes more than strong visuals and catchy copywriting — and many factors are far less visible. It’s not as simple as building a site you like and filling it with content you want to see. For instance, here are some of the things I help clients with:
- Branding: logo, typography, colours, brand “voice” & values
- Domains, hosting and DNS management
- Server and software maintenance
- Security — including SSL certificates
- Legal Compliance
- Site speed & “web vitals”
- Crawlability: sitemaps & code quality
- Mobile-friendly, responsive web design
- Performance management: stats, analysis & experiments
- Interactivity & Engagement: forms, chat, animation etc.
- Audience targeting & user-centric design
- Content quality: relevance, readability, structure, usefulness, interest, expertise, authority
- On-site SEO (including structured data)
- Email marketing: newsletters, outreach, deliverability
- Social Proof: reviews and video testimonials, client logos, accreditations
- Off-site SEO (backlinks, directory citations etc.)
- Content updates
- Video marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Process automation
- Accessibility
- Interest Targeting & Keyword Research
- Target Audience Personas (UX/UI)
- Conversion Rate Optimisation & A/B Testing
- Google Business Profile
- Bing for Business
- Paid Ads and remarketing strategies
- Lead magnets and sales funnel design
Do I need web design or web development? What's the difference?
Even web designers confuse these — but then, many confuse art and design, too. Sometimes that doesn’t matter much, but when it does:
- Art makes things pretty. Design makes things work.
- Web development uses programming and/or scripting languages to implement complex behaviours and processes. Web design code in markup languages that control layouts on various devices, but those can’t automate complex decision-making.
However, modern websites are often built from pre-developed components that mostly need configuration and visual styling to achieve common business goals. Putting those together is more design than development, but can be called either. Still, full web development is far more complex and time-consuming, so is rarely realistic on budgets under £6k.
Put simply, if you have goals to achieve, you need design, not art. If those goals involve implementing specific, uncommon processes, you’ll probably need a web developer, not just a web designer.
The two disciplines are so dissimilar that most visual designers can’t program, and most programmers can’t do visual design. I’ve been doing both for decades, and my goal is to help small firms find solutions that fit their budget. So whatever you need, we should talk.
How much does website design cost?
The cost of website design varies widely, based on:
- The size and complexity of the project. More pages, features, bespoke work or decision-makers all add to this.
- How much help you need. If you’re a startup, there’s lots to learn — and I’ve specialised in helping folks do that cost-effectively since 2005.
So we’d normally need a scheduled call or video meeting to discuss those details, free from distractions. That said, over the years, I’ve developed a few ranges of flexible packages that cover most common startup requirements:
- Affordable sites — highly cost-effective, editable sites with setup payments split over several months to help your cash flow. Covering anything from simple templated brochures to bespoke e-commerce, the base packages range from £1500 to £2100 in £300 increments. They also offer 100% green, high-performance, secure UK hosting, security updates, ongoing support, email and more from £75/month. Some clients qualify for discounts on these prices, whilst others choose to add extra features to them, so these packages work out as the most flexible, growth-focused options around for small firms.
- Budget sites — built on proprietary systems, these aren’t as flexible, user-friendly or search-optimised as my affordable sites but can support blogging from just £750 plus £75/month, or e-commerce from £950 plus £95/month (with no extra transaction fees). So if your site isn’t business-critical but you still want basic marketing features on a low budget, these sites can help.
- Basic “Static” sites — simple brochure sites with no built-in editing system (aka “static”). These can’t support advanced marketing strategies like blogging. Still, if you’re on a very tight budget, just want to present a few pages of info with a contact form, and don’t want to do site edits yourself, starting from £600 plus £60/month these may work for you. Simple editing and small webshop systems (for up to 100 products) can be added cost-effectively, although not with the flexibility of my more advanced website packages.
- One page sites — a single, non-editable page that can present a few sections of info and a contact form, from just £60/month. Such small sites don’t attract much search traffic. So they need to be supported by some other traffic source, such as paid ads and/or offline marketing like networking or vehicle livery.
More complex bespoke projects, like large website redesigns, need to be individually assessed and start at £3k. Finally, bespoke web development (programming processes specific to your business), starts at £6k.
How long does website design take?
Timescales for building websites vary depending on the project’s complexity and scope, and how quickly you can provide feedback when required. If all the content is available up-front, and you aren’t busy, a very simple business site could be built in a fortnight or less. That’s assuming you want it done well enough to compete. However, because most small business owners are busy, most projects take two months or more.
Web development projects tend to take far longer. So they are often best planned in multiple ongoing stages of development. For that, we prioritise your requirements and start with a Minimum Viable Product (“MVP”). Then we continually refine features and add the less-essential ones, step by step. That way, something goes live as soon as possible, but you don’t have to fret about it being feature-complete and perfect from the outset. Few projects are, anyway — a smart business is always open to feedback and change requests from its customers, which can be quite eye-opening.
How soon can you start?
Usually within a week. However, the complexity of web projects means I can only take on a few at a time. Sometimes, I have to stop taking on new projects for a few weeks or even months. So please book a callback to check my current availablity.
Will my website be mobile-friendly?
Absolutely! In today’s digital landscape, having a mobile-friendly website is crucial. So all the sites I build are “responsive”, adapting to different screen sizes to optimise user experience across desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
Can you provide content for my site?
Yes, I can offer custom copywriting, blogging, infographics, videos and e-book creation (e.g. for lead magnets), as well as stock media to cover a wide range of needs and general content planning help. I can also provide basic compliance content for your Cookie and Site Privacy Policy pages.
Can I update my website content myself?
Certainly — if you want to! I normally base sites on user-friendly content management systems (CMS) to let you make changes and additions to your website’s content easily. If you don’t think you’ll have time for that though, let me know and we’ll discuss other options.
Have you got a portfolio of similar sites I can see?
Yes — and no. It’s here, but I don’t keep it up to date as testimonials are far more important in web design. You’re not a carbon-copy of any of my previous clients, so your site will have different images, content and branding. What will stay the same — I hope — is that you’ll be as happy to work with me as the previous clients who provided those reviews.
Award Winning Small Business Website Design & Support Services
Elevate Your Online Presence with Netcentrics.co.uk
Pete is an amazing human and the ultimate expert. He does not sell for selling sake and gives honest advice all through. He has taken my website from strength to strength till it comes up high on the organic listings. I whole heartedly recommend Netcentrics for anyone wanting website related advice, thanks Pete :-) best wishes Dr Prashant Murugkar Pete has been patience personified, helping me to navigate a website I inherited for an event I am responsible for. But for him I would probably have broken the back end repeatedly. Pete has been incredibly helpful and supportive, above and beyond what was required. We're a tiny business, and from helping with the initial web design to SEO advice and inevitable tweaks and changes as the business develops, Pete has been patient and full of sage advice. We cannot recommend him more highly! Thanks, Pete! Since you updated my site, business has gone crazy – I now have more work than I know what to do with! I use Netcentrics for all my business needs. Always a professional, super-prompt and to date flawless service. Excellent. A fantastic service! We are a small business just starting out with a new venture. Pete at Netcentrics has gone above and beyond to provide us with not only a fantastic website, but also invaluable business and marketing advice. The whole process has been incredibly positive and beyond what we expected compared to previous experiences. He is incredibly knowledgeable and supportive. His support did not stop at the end of the website build, he has continued to make himself available ensuring that we know how to maximise use of the website for our start up. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Pete to anyone. Thanks, Pete — your advice is like gold dust! Oh my goodness, thank you so much! In over 20 years of online retailing this is the best and most comprehensive bit of help I've ever had relating to the dreaded SEO. I really appreciate it - many thanks again You’re amazing — highly recommended! Amazing service. Professional and outstanding company to deal with. Pete has great understanding with online requirements and core issue's. Spent hours on the telephone explaining and working on the website to bring it up-to-date. Noting but gratitude and respect to Netcentric. Highly recommend to any one through my experience they have gone above and beyond. Pete is the most professional and knowledgeable web developer I have experienced since 2016 as I have had many since. You won’t regret. I highly recommend him. Pete is a professional and very helpful. I needed an online booking system for my driving school. He completed the job as promised. He is very easy to work with. I can t be any happier. I will in touch again if I need help in the future. Thank you Pete!! It has been pleasure working with you ! Peter expertise is exactly what I needed . When I have ideas Pete makes them work. I could not run my website without him Can't recommend him highly enough. He was extremely professional, laid out exactly what we needed to do and his role within that, setting expectations all round very clearly, and working within our budgetary constraints to set clear boundaries. He was extremely prompt and punctual in his responses and work. He was also extremely patient with his recommendations and explanations, which were clear and simple to follow. Excellent value for us as a charity. We're very grateful to him - he was a real pleasure to work with. knowledgeable and professional service designing and building a website for a local SME business. Very helpful staff who really understood the problem and dealt with it. First rate! Knowledgeable, professional and creative. I would absolutely use Netcentrics again for future projects. Amazing, professional service and speedy communications. Very impressed and highly recommended. Netcentrics designed, implemented and have maintained our company website for many years.If you want a secure and reliable website I strongly recommend Netcentrics. I can’t say enough good things about Netcentrics.co.uk - thorough, knowledgeable, dedicated and innovative. Highly recommended. Very pleased with my new e-commerce site from Netcentrics. Very professional, knowledgeable, and highly recommended. I have been using Netcentrics' SEO service and they have impressively managed to get over 250 of my keywords onto the first page of the search results. A very friendly and thoroughly professional service. Highly recommended. Many thank's Pete for all your advice and expertise over the years. A first class professional service and excellent value for money. Just saw that my site is now in 2nd place on the first page of Google. I’m not sure what you have done, nor do I understand it, but it worked! Many thanks! It is a pleasure dealing with a professional with a high degree of technical skill allied to a ‘can do’ positive attitude. Your ability to explain technical concepts in layman’s language is also a great advantage. I would have no hesitation in recommending your services. Excellent and professional work from beginning to end. Pete was open to ideas and able to make suggestions on how to develop my site. Fast, friendly, efficient service that exceeded the spec and made a complicated job hassle free for me. Five stars, would highly recommend and would happily employ again for all things web and internet based. A flourishing web designer, who is thorough and meticulous in everything he does. Will create a great looking unique and professional website particular to your needs. Pete is one of the most creative, reliable, competent and ingenious people it has ever been my very great pleasure to work with. There is no problem he can’t find an ingenious and unexpected way out of, and he has a work ethic you could bend horseshoes around. I cannot recommend him highly enough for his breadth and depth of knowledge and his total commitment to whichever project he is currently undertaking. DogLost is the UK’s largest community of pet owners and rescuers. Other developers have struggled to meet our needs, but since Peter rebuilt our site and support systems we have gone from strength to strength, winning major awards including the 2013 Innovation Award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare. We couldn’t have done that without him. Cody's Pet Deli is an online business that sells pet food & accessories. Approaching Pete to set up a new website was the best move I have made. We wanted a system that was easy to navigate and look good when customers shop online.Pete made the whole process simple and dealing with him was a great pleasure. He can't do enough to help and solve any problem that may arise. I would highly recommend Pete for his experience and knowledge and total dedication to see the project through to final conclusion.Steve H.Dr Prashant Murugkar
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