website design

We are website design experts.

We can build you a new website, upgrade your current website, or fix your site if it’s broken. We have 20+ years’ experience doing it.

We are website designers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, but we build sites for customers all over the world. We build websites that are efficient, targeted, secure, and maintained, and we also upgrade old websites or fix sites that are broken.

Our Website Design Process

01.

Website Strategy Meeting

Zoom makes meeting face to face a breeze! We’d love to chat about what you need, and how we can make it happen. We’ll ask about your website objectives and requirements, and you can ask us about our history, our experience, and our expertise.

02.

Website Plan & Quote

We’ll send you a website proposal with a suggested structure, the plugins you’ll need, complementary services, and an itemised quote. Once your job spec and the final quote is approved, we’ll arrange the paperwork so we can get started.

03.

First Website Design Draft

After you’ve sent us your content, we’ll design a few pages to demonstrate our vision for your site. We’d love your feedback on our suggested layout, and we will tweak this until you’re happy for us to build the rest of your site. It’s all systems go!

04.

Final Website Design Approval

We’ll build the rest of your website and, depending on its size, will ask you to proof sections as we go. Once the site is complete, you can test every element and check every page to ensure you are happy with the end result before publishing.

05.

Publishing your Website

We can host your website on our servers, or you can choose a different website host – it’s up to you. If you host with us, you’ll be on our security and maintenance package so your site is safe and secure. It’s time to go live and launch your website!

06.

Security & Maintenance

We like to look after our customers’ websites as if they were our own. We can update your content for you, or you can do it yourself if you prefer. If you choose our maintenance package, we’ll keep your software updated, and your site backed up and secure.

Your website needs a plan.

What should visitors DO when they visit your website?

  • Do you only need an online brochure (i.e. a static website)?
  • Do you want customers to buy your products online?
  • Should visitors request a quote so you send a custom reply?
  • What if your website could generate the quote automatically?
  • Do you need an online portfolio of your past work?
  • Should your website be a detailed catalogue of your products?
  • Your website could answer all the questions your customers call to ask?
  • Would you like to capture sales leads or grow your newsletter database?

Your website could do anything! But it can be tough to choose the right strategy or approach for your particular business.

You need a website PLAN before you even get a website quote, so the web designer knows exactly what they’re quoting for.

Luckily, we offer one-on-one online consultations where we help you to plan exactly how your website will work. We ask the right questions and point out the potential issues, before they become a problem. We’ve been planning and testing website strategies for more than 20 years – we know what we’re doing.

Wondering why we love WordPress?

1. You can update your own website design easily

Remember that website with good traffic are the websites that are updated regularly with excellent content. WordPress makes it very easy for you to update your own website as often as you like, so you don’t need to pay us every time. It has an easy to use, ‘drag and drop’ backend so you just drag your information where you want it, upload an image with a few clicks, publish and you’re good to go!

2. We can build your new website quickly

There are thousands and thousands of plugins available that we can use to add functionality to your website. This means we don’t have to build amazing new features from scratch. We can find the right plugin and customise it to your website. This also means you don’t have to pay for hours and hours of development time, which will save you a lot of money.

3. Your website design will look spectacular

There are thousands of incredible themes to choose from. We’ll customise the theme you choose so your website is stunning and unique. You’ll get a magnificent, professional website for a fraction of what it would cost to design and build it from scratch.

4. Your website will be search engine friendly

Google will love it because WordPress is written using high quality code and it produces semantic mark-up that makes your website very attractive to search engines. We’ll also show you how to optimise your content, so it’ll rank even higher in Google’s search results.

5. WordPress is will grow with your business

The vast selection of themes and plugins means you can add almost any functionality you like to your website design. You can start with a small website design, and grow it as your business grows, adding new and more complicated functionality as you need it.

How do WordPress websites work?

A WordPress website is practical, versatile, and easy to use. You can update it yourself if you like, or we can do it for you.

WordPress websites require the WordPress core software, a theme, and plugins.

WordPress Core
This is the basic software that makes a WordPress website function. It has a backend login system so you can login and make changes to your website yourself, if you’d like to.

WordPress Theme
All WordPress sites must have a theme activated in order to function. A theme controls the look of your website. You can choose a theme that you like the overall look of, and we will customise it with your colours, photos and content. (We only work with premium themes because they are more versatile, stable, and well-supported.)

WordPress Plugins
A plugin is a piece of software that can be uploaded to your WordPress website to add a new function or feature, like a forum; a support ticket desk; specialised contact forms; specialised image or video galleries; an online shop; security features; etc. There are thousands of both free and paid plugins to choose from. This means that we can build almost ANYTHING on your WordPress website.

Why do you need a website designer?

WordPress is easy but, like anything, website design is a skill. We design websites that convert visitors, achieve your business objectives, and are loved by Google!

The strategy and planning, software setup, theme customisation, sourcing and configuring of plugins, speed and security optimisation, mobile responsiveness, and SEO readiness are all specialised skills – ones we have a LOT of practice in! We are longtime website designers. We ask the right questions upfront, so you don’t get stuck with a site that’s missing something important.

There are so many details to consider when building a website. We’ll walk you through the process, so you don’t miss a single step.

What do you need to get started?

  1. Your Branding – Do you have a logo and company colours, or graphic elements that must be included in your design?
  2. Website Copy – Will you be writing the text yourself, or will you hire a copywriter?
  3. Images – Do you have images, or will you hire a photographer to take them? Would you prefer to source stock photography or illustrations?
  4. Domain Name – We will also register this for you. Do you want to register a domain name in your own country, or do you prefer a .com domain? If you’ll be servicing a local audience, stick to your local extension. If you’re servicing an international audience, rather register a .com domain.
  5. Hosting – We’ll set this up for you.

You’re now ready to get started on your new website design! Please contact us so we can get your business online as soon as possible.

Domain Registration Tips

Here are some quick tips to remember when registering your domain name:

  1. Keep it short and easy to type.
  2. Use one of your main keywords.
  3. Include your geographic location if applicable.
  4. Make it memorable.
  5. AVOID numbers and hyphens.
  6. Choose the right extension for you (.co.za, .com, .org etc.)
  7. Act quickly so no one gets it first!