Web Design in Stoke-on-Trent

Fixed price for a defined scope (a 5-page site with listed features) protects both sides; hourly suits ongoing work and vague scopes. Standard payment structure is 30-50% deposit, remainder on launch — never pay 100% up front, and be wary of anyone who asks.

A 5-page small-business site takes 2-6 weeks with a responsive client; e-commerce adds 2-4 weeks. The most common delay is not the designer — it's the client's content. Have your text, photos and logo ready before kickoff and you'll cut the timeline roughly in half.

Three price bands exist everywhere: DIY builders (Wix, Squarespace) at a monthly subscription, freelancers for custom small-business sites at a mid four-figure project price, and agencies at 2-4x freelancer rates with more process. The biggest cost driver is page count and custom functionality, not visual polish.

One page: what the business does, the site's single main goal (calls, bookings, orders), the pages you need, 2-3 example sites you like and why, your content status (ready or needed), deadline, and budget range. Sharing your real budget gets you an honest proposal instead of a guessing game.

No contract, no portfolio of live sites, registering the domain in their own name, 'free' websites with mandatory monthly fees, 100% payment up front, and guaranteed #1 Google rankings. The domain-ownership trap is the costliest — walking away can mean losing your web address.

Two to three structured revision rounds are the industry standard, usually stated in the contract. Unlimited-revision promises sound generous but signal weak process — projects with no revision cap routinely stall for months. Consolidate all your feedback into each round instead of drip-feeding changes.

Freelancers typically charge £800-3,000 for a straightforward 4-5 page site, with most landing around £1,200-2,000. Regional agencies commonly quote £3,000-6,000 for comparable scope with strategy and copy support.

A privacy policy and cookie notice (UK GDPR/PECR), and if you sell online, terms reflecting the Consumer Contracts Regulations — including the 14-day cancellation right for most distance sales. Limited companies must also display the registered company name, number and office address.