Look at recent work, not their best work.
Most agency portfolios lead with their three best projects. Ask to see the three most recent. The gap between them tells you about consistency.
Web Design, Surrey and South East
Custom web design for small businesses across Surrey and the South East. No templates. No shortcuts. Sites that rank in search and convert visitors into enquiries.
Most small business websites are built quickly, on a budget, with a template someone found online. They look fine at first. Then the business grows, the site stays the same, and gradually the gap between what the company is and what the website shows becomes a problem.
New customers land on the site and cannot find what they need. They leave. The phone doesn't ring. The business blames something else.
We fix that. Every site we build is designed around one goal: get the right people to contact you. Not impress designers. Not win awards. Convert visitors into enquiries.
4 to 8
Weeks from brief to launch for most projects
100%
Custom design. No templates or page builders.
Every
Site built mobile-first, not mobile-adapted
SEO
Built in from day one, not bolted on later
What you get
We do not charge extra for things that should be standard. SEO, mobile optimisation and post-launch support are included in every project we take on.
Why it matters
Google uses page speed as a ranking signal. Slow sites rank lower, lose visitors faster and convert fewer of the ones who do arrive. Every site we build scores well on Core Web Vitals.
Over 60% of searches happen on a mobile device. If your site is not fast and easy to use on a phone, you are losing more than half your potential customers before they even read a word.
Research consistently shows that people form a view of a website within three seconds. A professional, well-built site builds trust before a single word is read. A poor one destroys it just as fast.
Who we work with
Businesses with an old site that no longer reflects the quality of their work
Startups who need a credible online presence from day one
Sole traders and freelancers who want to look the part
Established SMEs ready to invest in a site that generates leads
Ecommerce brands that need better performance and conversion rates
Professional services firms where trust and credibility are everything
We also have dedicated experience in the automotive sector. If you run a garage, dealership, detailing business or vehicle hire company, see our automotive web design work.
Choosing a web designer
Choosing a web designer is mostly about the questions you ask before signing anything. Here is what we recommend looking for, and what we wish more business owners checked first.
Most agency portfolios lead with their three best projects. Ask to see the three most recent. The gap between them tells you about consistency.
If the answer is one specific platform before they have heard about your business, that is a red flag. The platform should follow the brief, not the other way around.
Quote, day rate, ranges, hosting and aftercare costs. All of it. If a quote is verbal or 'depends on the day', press for written numbers before going further.
Hosting, updates, small changes, security. Who handles what, at what cost. Most disputes between clients and designers happen here. Get it clear before signing.
Both can produce a working site. The difference shows up two years in: bespoke code can be improved, builder sites usually need rebuilding.
If SEO is a paid extra rather than a build standard, the site will likely launch with structural SEO problems already baked in. Walk away.
Bespoke vs platform builders
| What | Bespoke (Makeproper) | Wix | Squarespace | WordPress (template) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design control | Full, every pixel | Limited to template structure | Limited to template structure | Mostly limited to theme |
| Page speed (Core Web Vitals) | Excellent | Average | Good | Variable, plugin-dependent |
| SEO out of the box | Built in from day one | Basic | Basic | Plugin-dependent |
| Custom features and integrations | Yes, anything reasonable | Limited to apps | Limited to apps | Plugin-dependent |
| Ongoing platform fees | Hosting only | Monthly subscription | Monthly subscription | Hosting plus plugin renewals |
| Lock-in | None, you own the code | High | High | Medium |
| Best suited to | Growing businesses that want to scale | Hobbyists and very small sites | Service businesses with simple needs | DIY users who like tinkering |
Wix and Squarespace are reasonable choices for very simple sites where the business does not expect to grow much. For most independent businesses serious about getting found and converting visitors, a bespoke build pays back within the first year through better rankings, faster load times and no monthly platform fees.
How it works
01
We start with a conversation. We want to understand your business, your customers and what you need the site to do. No lengthy briefs or workshops. Just a focused call.
02
We design in the browser where possible, so you see real pages rather than static mockups. The design is built around your content, not the other way around.
03
We write clean code. No page builders, no bloated themes. The result is a fast, reliable site that performs well in search and loads quickly on any device.
04
We handle the technical side of going live: DNS, hosting setup, redirects and analytics. Once launched, we stick around for any post-launch amendments.
"The new site has changed how people perceive the business. We get better enquiries, from better clients. It paid for itself in the first month."
James Holroyd, Holroyd Contracts, Guildford
Where we work
We work with businesses across Surrey and the wider South East. All projects are handled remotely. There is no need to be local to work with us.
Not on this list? Get in touch We work with businesses anywhere in the UK.
Questions
Most projects take between four and eight weeks from brief to launch. Larger sites or projects with more complex requirements take longer. We will give you a realistic timeline before we start.
It depends on what you need. For most business sites we recommend Next.js or a similar modern framework. For clients who need to update content regularly, we will advise on the right CMS for the job.
We build every site with on-page SEO as a foundation: clean structure, fast load speeds, proper metadata and schema markup. Rankings depend on more than your site alone, but we make sure your site is not holding you back.
Yes. A lot of our work is rebuilding sites that have aged poorly or grown too slowly. We can keep what works and replace what doesn't.
Not much up front. A clear idea of what you want the site to do, some information about your business and access to any existing brand assets you have. We will guide you through the rest.
Get started
Tell us about your project and we will get back to you within one working day.