We love questions, and if you don’t find the answers you are looking for here, please use the e-form at the bottom of the page - we will reply via email within a few working hours.
Q How much does a custom website design cost?
A We have spent years creating packages that are price-sensitive and industry-specific. Our briefing and design processes ensure that every website is a custom solution, and no two websites will ever look or operate identically. Our prices are available for review on our website, and navigating our menu is a great way to explore them. Prices range from R2000 to R26000. From time to time, we meet potential new clients who require something designed from the ground up. These projects require additional consultations and, in some instances, advanced development. Prices for these projects start at around R30000 but may be considerably higher.
Q What is your web design process, and how long does it take?
A Depending on the size and complexity of the website, the development timeline averages between 7 and 28 days.
Q Do I own the website once it is completed?
A Absolutely! The site content and domain are all yours!
Q Will my website be mobile-friendly and responsive?
A Definitely. We optimise websites for mobile devices, laptops, PCs, and other devices as standard. We also test them on two types of browsers.
Q Can you redesign my existing website?
A Certainly. However, if the design is more than three years old, the code may need to be updated. This may require more hours than building a brand-new website. NB: very often, our quote for a new website is less than the cost of refreshing an old one.
Q Which Content Management System (CMS) or platform do you use?
A Our preference is WordPress and WooCommerce. We, along with many others, consider WordPress and WooCommerce superior to closed platforms such as Wix or Shopify because they offer complete ownership, unlimited flexibility, and no built-in transaction fees – and these are all very good things!
Q Do you provide web hosting and domain registration services?
A Absolutely. We also own www.websitehosting.co.za, so we can do everything, including domains, email, hosting, security, and more! Everything you need under one roof! Check out our websites with hosting packages.
Q Will my website be optimised for search engines (SEO)?
A We love this question! No website is ever built “with SEO”, and any web design company that offers that is outright lying. You can tell them we said so! More importantly, SEO is not enough in this day and age, and you need to focus on Search Everywhere. You need to tackle AI search results, natural search engines, and other digital platforms to compete. We offer SEO, AEO, and GEO services, and we can discuss these with you and create a customised solution based on your business. Prices for these services are already available to view on our website. Step 1 is getting a website live, then step 2 is tackling marketing it.
Q What e-commerce platforms do you support for online stores?
A We love WooCommerce and OpenCart.
Q How do you handle website security and SSL certificates?
A Consider it done if your website is hosted with us. All our core website design packages include hosting, domain, and email services, and SSL is part of this solution.
Q Who provides the content, copywriting, and images for the website?
A Our clients provide all the content in a ready to use state. We do assist in mapping out what is needed in our easy-to-use briefing documents (you can find these on our Client Zone), and we also cover the requirements in our briefing consultation, which takes place before we get started. Clients love getting to meet their designer in our first Zoom session. If a client would like us to create and provide copy (text), images, videos, or other website content, we provide these services too, and prices are available on our website.
Q What kind of training or support do you provide after the website launches?
A We love empowering website owners to manage their own websites. Gone are the days when you need a website designer to manage small changes. Within our packages, we provide backend access, manuals, and videos to help clients update their own content. Clients can also book training sessions if they wish and prices for these training courses can be viewed on our website.
Q Do you offer ongoing website maintenance and support plans?
A We are always available and offer a very quick response time (within 8 working hours) to concerns related to hosting, email, and domain support through our exclusive hosting division (www.websitehosting.co.za).
For development support, we offer assistance at our hourly rate, three-month support contracts, or our Designer-on-Demand service. Our clients also love our Client Zone, which includes helpful videos, manuals, and updates. Learn more about our maintenance options.
Q Can you integrate third-party tools, like CRMs, email marketing, or booking software?
A Absolutely. There isn’t a technical add-on service we have been asked to help with that we have had to decline. We have very experienced, skilled and friendly designers and developers, and we love challenges. Bring it on!
Q What is your experience designing websites for my specific industry?
A We passed 15000 completed projects several years ago, and we have worked in just about every imaginable industry, from retail and manufacturing to mining, law, travel, and so much more. We have worked with small, medium-sized, and large businesses. Let us know what type of company you run, and we can offer immediate tips on how we might approach your website design. You can also view our social media pages for recently completed projects and visit our website portfolio on our main website www.websitedesign.co.za.
Q How does payment work?
A Our payment terms are covered in our formal quotations. However, for the vast majority of projects, we ask for a 50% deposit (by EFT) to activate the project, with the balance payable before we go live and complete our quality-control checks. For certain services like training, SEO and a few others, clients can pay online using our e-commerce service shop.
Q Do I get to meet my designer in person?
A You can, but it is not required. We conduct our business online and make extensive use of WhatsApp and Zoom. If asked, and a designer has to travel to attend an in-person meeting, this time will be billed at our hourly rate and travel fee.
Q Where are you based?
A We operate nationally, with staff in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg. We do clients world-wide.
Q Do you also offer graphic design?
A Yes, we offer logo design, corporate identity design, and other services to create custom images, videos, and text for our clients. These services are all available to view on our website.
Q Do you use AI to build websites?
A This is another question we love. For template websites, we do use AI. For industry-specific websites, we collaborate with AI, while for custom projects, we mainly use it as a supportive tool. The big difference between us and other website design companies is the human touch. We believe you need to feel that you are receiving personal care and attention from a human. Even when we use AI, you will never lose that sense of human involvement. The truth of the matter is websitedesign.co.za and websitehosting.co.za is an SME – and we don’t treat clients as a number, everyone is extremely important to us.
Q How do you communicate with us?
A We operate standard South Africa working hours, and are available via WhatsApp message, email and e-form. We also have digital support ticket logging, and designers and clients have direct access to one another via WhatsApp and Zoom. Our response time is extremely good and generally within 4 working hours, but we promise 8 working hours.
