Web Design - Website Design & Digital Marketing Services

Over the years we have built sites in lots of different platforms including WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla.

We are HubSpot Partners, and today we specialise in building websites in the HubSpot CMS platform.

HubSpot CMS is faster, easier to edit, more secure and has marketing features which mean you can get better results.

With Ecommerce websites we build in different, specialist platforms including Shopify and Magento.

This is partly how the site is built, and you will also need ongoing search engine optimisation (SEO).

We provide SEO services, but today good SEO is about having a good overall marketing strategy.

This includes content marketing and social media marketing - see our full range of services here: Digital Marketing Services.

The timeline for building a website depends on several factors, including the number of pages, the level of functionality required, and the amount of content creation involved. Once we’ve fully scoped the project and understood your requirements, we’ll provide a clear estimated timeline.

For standard brochure websites, we typically aim for completion within two months. More complex projects—such as eCommerce sites or those requiring API integrations—may take six months or more. You’ll be assigned a dedicated project coordinator who will provide weekly updates and work closely with you throughout. Our process is collaborative and milestone-driven, meaning your timely feedback and approvals are essential to keep the project moving forward efficiently.

There are lots of good website builders on the market, including HubSpot CMS, Wix, Squarespace, Weebly & GoDaddy. With a subscription (usually between £10-50 per month) to one of these platforms, you can build your own website. This is a good option if you are a start-up, need to keep costs down, and have the time available to do the work.

Your business may also employ one or more designers, marketers, and copywriters with the capacity to do it as well. Most businesses don't have this luxury, and it won't make sense to try and take on doing the website alone. It is, after all, your single most important marketing asset.

The key advice here is this: if you don't have the expertise in-house, then outsource the project!

Most popular website platforms offer a range of pre-designed website 'themes.' A theme is essentially a design framework for a website including common elements like the header/footer of the website, plus the fonts, colours and branding. By choosing an off-the-shelf 'theme', you can choose an already part-built website which you can then edit/amend to match your own needs.

With a custom design, you'll have a website theme as well - the difference is that the theme will be custom designed and built to your own specifications and needs. Choosing an off-the-shelf theme cuts out a lot of design work and is a significant shortcut. It reduces the cost and also timescale of your website project significantly, so is a good option when you're on a budget and in a rush.

There are lots of good themes to choose from - here is where you can browse popular HubSpot themes, Shopify themes, and WordPress themes.

There are three main problems with themes, however:

1) Limitations - we've had customers who have chosen the theme route, and then been disappointed to learn that certain features have not been available within their theme. What you gain in speed and cost by choosing a theme, you lose in the ability to have your website 'your way.'

2) Site speed - many themes also come with a lot of features that you don't need, and therefore extra website code. This can slow down the load speed of the site, affecting your SEO results and conversion rates.

3) Security - with open source platforms like WordPress, themes are also a potential source of website hacks (this is not a concern with HubSpot or Shopify which are cloud-based platforms).

Once you've decided that you aren't going to build your website yourself, the next decision is what type of company you want to do it for you. You could find a web design agency (like JDR Group) that has many different employees - or find a single freelancer to do it for you.

A freelancer will generally be cheaper, but there is a risk of them letting you down. We've met many business owners over the years where this has happened - for example one Ecommerce business where the designer left abruptly to go and live in Bulgaria, leaving them with no way of accessing or updating the website they relied on for their income. With a web design agency, there are more likely to be contingency plans if an individual leaves, and more likely to be robust systems and procedures in place to manage your project.

There are also many different skills involved in designing and building a website, including design, development (coding), copywriting, search engine optimisation, user experience and conversion optimisation, and photography. Your website is your single most important marketing asset, so understanding of marketing strategy is also very important when building your website - for example getting the messaging right to position your business against the competition.

It is unlikely you will find a single freelancer that has all of these skills - whereas a good agency will have a team of people with these specialist skills to work together.

• Size - how big is the website? A 10-page website is a simpler project than a 500-page website. Each additional page on your website means additional time from your web design company - designing page templates, uploading content, sourcing images, optimising the layout, performing checks on different devices and browsers.
• Functionality - what does the website need to do? Is the website a 'brochure-style', information-only site or an e-commerce website? Are there any additional features you need - for example calculators, a search feature, password-protected areas, or interactive features such as a product builder? Additional functionality can either mean custom development time needs to be factored in, or that you'll need to purchase additional apps or plug-ins.
• Integrations - does the website need to connect with any other business systems? For example, if you are a recruitment agency you may need the website to connect with your Applicant Tracking System. If you are an estate agency, you may need your website to integrate with your property management system. 
• Content - do you have all your copy and images ready to hand over to a web design agency? Or do you need the following:
  • Photography - you may need professional photography - or if not, the website may still need some custom graphics to be designed for the website, or some stock photography to be sourced and purchased for you.
  • Copywriting - good website copy can really help sell your business and your services, and sometimes it is worth having this outsourced or done for you as part of a website project.
  • Video production - video is a great way of showing what you do, and if you want to use video to bring your site to life you may want to get this done professionally.
  • CGI & Animation - some websites include custom animations or technical drawings to demonstrate products.
• Branding - do you need a rebrand as well as the website design? Branding can be a lot more than just logo design - it can include consultancy, rethinking your entire business identity, development of straplines, brand guidelines and brand positioning.
• Technical - there are some technical costs to a website, including domain name (if you need that to be purchased), and SSL certificate (a security certificate for your site).

Some website investment costs can be claimed under capital allowance. Ongoing/maintenance costs and marketing costs don't qualify, but in some cases the development of a new website as an asset for the company can.