Web Design in Mpumalanga

Morally yes, legally increasingly so — several markets now enforce accessibility standards (WCAG) for business websites, and lawsuits and fines are real in some countries. Practically: proper headings, alt text, keyboard navigation and color contrast cost little at build time and a lot to retrofit. Ask your designer to build to WCAG 2.1 AA.

You should. Insist that the domain is registered in YOUR name (not the designer's), you hold the hosting account credentials, and the contract transfers full rights to the design and code on final payment. Designer-owned domains are the single most common lock-in trap in this industry.

If you take fewer than a handful of orders a week, a brochure site with a contact/order form or a payment link costs half as much and launches faster. Move to full e-commerce (cart, inventory, shipping rules) when order volume makes manual handling the bottleneck.

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.

Freelancers typically charge R350-R900/hr, with 5-page small-business sites at R8,000-R30,000 and e-commerce from R20,000. Cape Town and Joburg agencies sit at the top; skilled independents in smaller cities undercut them significantly.

ECTA Section 43 requires your legal name and registration number, physical address, contact details, full price disclosure, terms of sale and refund policy — plus POPIA-compliant data handling. Ask your designer to include a compliant footer and legal pages in the build.