Top Web Design Agencies in the United Kingdom (UK)
Best web experts for startups, B2B, SMB, enterprise, SaaS and small business. Best web design agencies in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh and more.
Last Updated: August 1, 2024
Selecting a web design agency is a critical step for any business aiming to establish or enhance its online presence.
These agencies are central to creating websites that are not only visually appealing but also functional and user-friendly.
The right agency can effectively translate a company’s vision into a digital format, making the choice of an agency a key factor in a business’s online success.
Hire some of the best web design company for your project in the UK:
1. Hudson
E-commerce websites, infrastructure and digital marketing website design company.
- Website: www.hudson.co
- Location: Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Clients: Aston Martin, Rolls Royce, The Executive Shaving Co., Zasimo,
- Hourly Rate: $150 — $199 / hr
- Team Size: 20+ employees
- Founded: 2016
- Services: Advertising, Branding, Content Marketing, E-Commerce Development, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, Web Design
- Industries: Advertising & marketing, eCommerce
- Best for: ambitious retailers seeking comprehensive ecommerce solutions
- Clutch rating: 4.9 out of 5.0 (5+ reviews)
2. Reactive
Award-winning creative branding, web design, and web development agency based in London.
- Website: web-designlondon.co.uk
- Location: London, United Kingdom
- Clients: Tower Cold Chain Solutions, Holland Park Press, Afra Capital, Angove Partners
- Hourly Rate: $50 — $99 / hr
- Team Size: 5+ employees
- Founded: 2004
- Services: Web Design, Branding, Other Digital Marketing
- Industries: Business services, Financial services, Other industries, Legal
- Best for: premium SMEs and small enterprise-level companies seeking bespoke web design and branding services
- Clutch rating: 4.9 out of 5.0 (10+ reviews)
3. Coal
Digital marketing, video, web design and advertising agency based in London
- Website: wearecoal.co.uk
- Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom B9 4AT
- Clients: Porsche, Subaru, World Wildlife Foundation, Nielsen, Martini
- Hourly Rate: $150 — $199 / hr
- Team Size: 35+ employees
- Founded: 2008
- Services: Social Media Marketing, Video Production, Web Design, Advertising, Branding
- Industries: Hospitality & leisure, Manufacturing, Automotive, Financial services
- Best for: businesses seeking straightforward and effective advertising solutions focused on achieving specific business goals
- Clutch rating: 4.9 out of 5.0 (5+ reviews)
4. Pixated
Web design agency with extensive performance marketing experience
- Website: pixated.agency
- Location: London, United Kingdom EC2A 4BX
- Clients: Tesco, Wicked Gummy Co, Millionaire Beauty, Vitamasques, Mothercare, Boden, The Guardian, BBC Good Food
- Hourly Rate: $50 — $99 / hr
- Team Size: 5+ employees
- Founded: 2018
- Services: Pay Per Click, Social Media Marketing, Web Design, Web Development, Branding, E-Commerce Development, Email Marketing
- Industries: eCommerce, Business services, Advertising & marketing, Other industries, Dental, Gaming
- Best for: Who want to enhance their online presence and sales
- Clutch rating: 4.9 out of 5.0 (30+ reviews)
How Do We Review These Web Design Agencies?
Our review process for web design agencies is meticulous and comprehensive, focusing on key aspects that determine an agency’s efficacy and alignment with client needs. We assess agencies based on the following criteria:
- Location: Geographical presence and its relevance to clients.
- Clients: The diversity and caliber of their client base.
- Hourly Rate: Pricing structure and its alignment with market standards.
- Team Size: Scale of the agency and resource availability.
- Founded: The agency’s market experience and history.
- Services: Range of services offered, from website design to digital marketing.
- Industries: Industry specialization and experience.
- Best for: Ideal client profile or business size the agency is best suited for.
- Clutch Rating: Independent ratings and reviews on Clutch, a credible B2B rating platform.
3. How to Choose a Proper Web Design Agency?
Choosing the right web design agency from a list involves several steps:
- Identify Your Needs: Clearly define your website’s goals, the functionality you require, and your aesthetic preferences.
- Consider the Agency’s Expertise: Match your requirements with the agency’s strengths. Look for agencies with a track record in your industry or with your specific needs.
- Evaluate Their Portfolio: Review their past work to assess their style, quality, and diversity.
- Check Client Testimonials and Ratings: Look for feedback from previous clients, especially those with similar projects or businesses.
- Discuss Your Budget: Ensure their pricing aligns with your budget without compromising on quality.
- Consider the Size and Location: Choose an agency whose size and location fit your preferences for communication and collaboration.
Some thoughts on hiring the best web design agency UK:
Goals and Scope
Even if you don’t hire an agency, it’s a good idea to sit down and define your site’s goals. This exercise could help decide if you need to hire help as well. If you do hire someone, you’ll have a clear description of what you want to accomplish for discussion with potential firms, a start for the contract scope, and a set of criteria to assess each firm.
- What is the purpose of the project? Is this your first site? Is your site dated and in need of updates? Are you moving in a new direction and need to add features? Have you recently rebranded your company? As you think about this, other details will start to come to the surface. Make a note of them, but try to distal the purpose down to a single statement. For example, “The purpose of this project is to create a website for XYZ company that allows customers to order online.”
- How big is the project? This is a more detailed scope. Take those ideas and details from the purpose step and start to refine them. If it is a new site, this might include the number and general content of pages, major features, and required artwork. It should consist of more information about each component, goals of SEO and keywords, user goals, and other requirements you may have for larger scoped projects. If you have an idea, include technical needs, such as uptime, load, interfaces to other systems, and any other technical requirements.
- Are there any existing assets, information, content, or materials you’d like to leverage? Marketing plans, business plans, brand assets, and other resources can save you time and effort later. Think about existing technology assets and systems like CMS, databases, and tracking or reporting tools.
- What is your budget? What is your timeline?
Needs and Preferences
The scope definition will help you start a list of selection criteria; for example, you should now know if you will also require developers or graphic design help. Often budget is a driving factor. While it is important, there are a few other considerations that can impact the bottom line.
• Agency Type
• Location
• Rapport and Culture
Website Design Company Type
Your company and your customers are unique. Website design studios are no different. They come in different sizes and styles, with different specialties, capacities, and service offerings. The firm you select should have completed projects like yours. This might mean in the same industry, similar-sized clients, or having the same type of brand personality.
There are two basic types of firms in the design field.
• Boutique — smaller, sometimes specialized. They serve a few clients at a time and provide more personal service.
• Enterprise — larger, serve a broader range of clients. Enterprise firms may offer a greater variety of services and skills. The drawback is that they may not provide as personalized an experience.
Size and approach don’t necessarily mean that either type might not be focused on a location, specialty, or industry. Some may be great at eCommerce; others may offer better graphics services.
Location of web designers
As we’ve all learned over the past year, most web design and other professional services can be performed anywhere. The location could still be an important consideration. Consider your style of work. Would it be valuable for you to be able to meet in person (when possible and safe to do so)? What are your working hours like? Should your team be in the same time zone as you? Or are you comfortable working at different times and communicating via email?
Firms overseas can often be cheaper but add expense due to delays in working hours or communication challenges. A local firm may cost a bit more but be more flexible in terms of collaboration. If you are located in a large metropolitan area (San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, New York), you may find that local agencies are priced higher but offer more experience or skilled staffing.
Think about which aspects of the working relationship and proximity might be important to your specific needs. Add this criterion to your list of requirements for a web designer.
Rapport and Culture
This aspect is perhaps the most overlooked. Working styles can vary greatly and impact your project in both obvious and subtle ways. If you are considering a local boutique firm because you value a personal touch, you don’t want to select a firm that takes your requirements and doesn’t communicate until they’ve got a final design to deliver.
The agency you choose should have similar values, a process that meshes well with your existing team, and that you can build rapport with easily. Remember, this may end up being a company you can work with long term on future projects. Selecting carefully now could save you effort and money in the future, so you don’t have to go through this process again.
Search
Here’s the hard part. You now know what you are looking for both in terms of your project and your agency style. But how do you find potential candidates?
Collect Recommendations and Options
Depending on the type of firm you have identified as your preference, your search might take shape a little differently. Aiming for referrals can be helpful for any kind of firm. Here are some areas to start.
- Word of mouth and referrals. Ask your network of colleagues, friends, family, neighboring businesses. Anyone who may know or have used a web design firm in the past. This is the absolute best way to determine how a firm works, the quality of its services, and maybe other details. Your network will likely be specific to your business industry, size, or other factors from your selection criteria.
- Google web design services and visit sites you like. Many sites have their designer’s logo or a “made by” statement in the footer. You’ll see first hand the quality of their work and get a feel for their style. Searching for designers should give you leads on local services, freelance sites, and other resources.
- Business connections. Similar to word of mouth referrals, your community may have lists of services or companies they recommend through the chamber of commerce. Professional societies, entrepreneurs groups, or other groups can be beneficial for finding reliable companies.
Assess Fit
From the referral and search step, select several firms or agencies that seem like a good fit. Use the web and additional connections to investigate each potential option further.
Check out the firm’s own web site, including their portfolio. Look for online reviews, business site ranking, and other review sites.
Hopefully, by now, a few firms seem to be rising to the top of your list. Give them a call or shoot them an email to gather a bit more information, get a feel for their staff, and set up an interview. The goals of the interview step are to:
- Ask for references,
- Learn about fees, availability, and time frames,
- Find out who you might be working with,
- And learn about their process.
Now you should definitely have one or two firms on your list that really stand out. If not, or they seem equally good, compare each firm against your selection criteria.
Conduct a Trial Phase
To avoid unforeseen issues and validate your choice, it can be a good idea to start with a discovery phase. This is a trial that will allow your selected agency to get a better feel for your needs while allowing you to assess if they are the right fit for your project and even future opportunities. Your discovery phase should include things like:
- Refine scope
- Detail budget and estimate
- Explore requirement gaps
- Research user needs
- Conduct competitive research
- Identify potential issues
Once this phase is complete, you’ll have a good idea of how the agency works; responsiveness, process, collaboration, and communication.
Conclude
Web design can be simple, or it can be incredibly complicated. Finding the right team for your particular needs and goals will help you achieve your objectives, as well as your users’. This team will ultimately create a website suited to the services you provide, with usable, attractive features. And, ideally, they’ll develop into a partnership for future work and improvements over time. Your perfect match will offer a budget-friendly, seamless way to please your customers with stellar digital offerings.
Disclaimer
This review is based on a structured and unbiased evaluation of web design agencies.
The opinions expressed are derived from a comprehensive analysis using established criteria and are intended to guide businesses in making an informed decision.
The selection and review of these agencies are independent and free from external influences.
The choice of a web design agency should be aligned with the specific needs and objectives of your business, and we recommend conducting thorough personal research alongside this review.