Web design and development in Southampton

WordPress suits a team that publishes often and wants to edit most of the site itself. Its plugins offer a wide choice of features, though someone needs to keep the software updated for security. A custom-coded Next.js site suits a company that wants fast pages and a design without template limits, and is happy to involve a developer for structural changes.

A hosted builder such as Wix, Squarespace or Webflow suits a smaller site that its owner wants to run alone. It gives you less control over code and speed. Moving away later can mean rebuilding the site, so consider how much control you want before choosing a platform for convenience.

The design choice is separate from the platform. A custom design fits a specific brand, audience or content need; an adapted template can fit a simple site and a tight brief when it is reworked around your actual content. We recommend WordPress or Next.js after learning how your team works and who will make changes.

If your business is a UK limited company, its website must show its registered number, registered office address, place of registration and limited status. We include space for those details in the site layout, so you can provide the correct information before launch.

UK organisations providing services through a website must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people. We agree an accessibility target in the brief and use it to guide the page designs. The WCAG criteria have A, AA and AAA levels; the W3C encourages use of the latest version.

Bring what you already have, along with the decisions your team has made so far.

• Your goalDecide if you want quote requests, job applications or calls, and who handles each enquiry.
• Brand filesGather a vector logo, colours and fonts, or note what still needs creating.
• Website examplesBring sites you like and dislike, with a short reason for each choice.
• Account accessFind the domain, hosting, email, analytics and Search Console logins, or the person who holds them.
• Real photosCollect images of your team, premises and finished work; book a photo shoot ahead if needed.

• !

  Leaving content until the end

  Use real headings and paragraphs during design, since their length can change a layout that looked finished with placeholder text.

• !

  Reviewing only on a large screen

  Check every page on a phone before approving the design.

• !

  Choosing a platform too early

  Decide who will update the site and how often before settling on the editing setup.

• !

  Letting someone else register your domain or hosting

  Hold those accounts in your business name and grant access to the people doing the work.