Best Web Design Companies for Small Businesses

16 min read

Best Web Design Companies for Small Businesses

The best web design companies include Hibu, Web.com and Madwire. Web design specialists such as these can help you to launch or redesign a professional-looking website, and they have sliding costs to scale to the needs of various businesses.

In this guide, we'll explain more about the merits, costs and specialties of these web design companies and some of their key rivals, as well as the do-it-yourself alternative, website builders.

While website builders keep it simple, only design specialists can supply the craftsmanship and know-how to ensure your website fits in within your industry and your established brand. And, with the pandemic pushing far more people online than ever, your online presence is that much more essential.

If you'd like additional support to find the best company for your business, use our quote-finding form to explore your web design options for free. It only takes around a minute to complete!

Of course, if you're running a business, you may not have the time or expertise to design a website yourself. If you need a great website, fast, the best option is to let the experts build one for you. Here's a quick rundown on the best web design companies to consider.

In This Guide

Best affordable web design companies

What do you look for in a web design company? What types of design is each one best at? It can be tough to tell. After all, their own websites should seem equally well designed! Here's a quick look at the best web design firms out there, along with what you can learn from their backgrounds.

Use the links below to navigate to each review or keep scrolling to see them all in turn.

  • Hibu  — a digital marketing company that can also produce custom-built websites
  • Volusion — a design company that focuses on ecommerce business websites
  • Madwire — a software and service hybrid web design company
  • Mettrr — this web design service promises to build your entire website in under 48 hours
  • Web.com — one of the most experienced web design companies in operation today
  • Adzooma — a Google-certified website-building company focused on conversions
  • Deloitte Digital — a web consultancy that handles audits and marketing as well as branding
  • Otroit Consultancy — a company that specializes in corporate website design

Hibu

Hibu's digital marketing solutions go beyond websites. The business can handle search engine optimization, display advertising, social media marketing, online reviews, and listings management. If you're looking for an all-in-one online marketer, you're in good hands.

The modernized, custom-built websites themselves are still the main product. Hibu promises sites that are secure and easily adjustable, with a responsive design – so they'll look great on mobile. Customer service is a highlight: The company offers a free, no-obligation consultation to potential clients.

Hibu's focus on local businesses in the U.S. has given it experience with hundreds of thousands of business websites, making it a great fit for small business owners trying to scale up their operation.

An all-around great online marketer with a small business focus.

Pros

  • Full Meta ad coverage, including Instagram
  • Free one-on-one consultations and ad optimization
  • 24/7 access to analytics

Cons

  • For small businesses but not large ones
  • Limited social network coverage

Volusion

Operating since 1999, Volusion specializes in building ecommerce business websites. Over 180,000 entrepreneurs have opted for Volusion's services in its more than two decades of trading.

The highly customizable websites from Volusion put all the sensitive decisions in the business owner's hands. You'll get to decide the page layout, employ in-page editing, and include a search box that will turn up results from across your website.

The behind-the-scenes interface lets you “drag & drop” content blocks to quickly reposition social media, videos, or customer testimonials.

Pros

  • Strong site speed performance
  • Pre-designed promotional options

Cons 

  • Overly complicated when it doesn't need to be
  • Worst knowledge center option
  • Restrictive design customization

Madwire

Madwire's two focuses are marketing and design, which is where the “mad” in its name comes from. The Colorado-based web design company launched in 2009, and is devoted to growing small businesses.

As a software and service hybrid, it offers both the initial website design itself and ongoing support.

Advertising is a major focus at Madwire. Its services include top placement ads, retargeted ads, socially targeted ads, and local listings. Madwire owns the software brands Marketing 360 and Websites 360, making it a solid option for a local business owner with little online expertise who's hoping to explore new advertising options as well as burnish their website branding.

Interested in Madwire, but want to keep your options open? Try our free quote comparison tool today.

A full-stack solution for website building and digital marketing.

Pros

  • Includes marketing
  • Good themes
  • Responsive staff

Cons

  • Multiple points of contact can be frustrating for customers

Mettrr

Are you particularly strapped for time? Mettrr just asks for a single phone call to figure out your needs, and will then build an entire website for your small business within the next 48 hours. And, after the site is finished, clients can request unlimited additional tweaks.

Unlike DIY web design companies that expect you to have a hand in the initial layout decisions (such as Volusion, above), Mettrr does it all itself.

You could have a fully modernized web presence within a couple working days, all while focusing on doing what you do best – running the rest of your business.

A lightning-fast web designer for businesses in a rush.

Pros

  • Creates a website in 48 hours
  • Includes unlimited design tweaks
  • No hidden fees

Cons

  • Limited templates
  • Not for hands-on business owners

Web.com

Web.com has served millions of customers over the past two decades, making it one of the most experienced web design companies still in operation.

It offers three different website options.

  • You can have Web.com make you a site from scratch, complete with mobile-friendly design and copywriting optimized for online searches
  • You can do it yourself with Web.com's support, thanks to a website coach who can walk you through the process
  • Or, you can opt for a customized WordPress site, which runs on the separate WordPress platform that's familar to many.

In all options, you might include a custom domain, hosting, and email for a complete website package. This helpful range of services makes Web.com a strong choice, since it has something to appeal to all sorts of business owners with different amounts of web design experience and time to invest.

An experienced service with a wide range of plans

Pros

  • Has something for everyone
  • Simple and easy
  • Good customer service

Cons

  • Interface isn't intuitive
  • Support team's live chat option is buggy

Adzooma

This advertising agency's website-building services focus on customer conversions. This business-minded approach makes Adzooma one of the best web design options for owners who know they have a large potential audience base, and want a funnel sophisticated enough to pull them in.

Adzooma builds the website itself, plus offers ongoing maintenance and updates to cut down even further on the effort you need to put in.

The company has a Google Partner badge, a sign that it's certified in Google AdWords. This means your website should be poised to capture plenty of Google traffic.

A website builder aimed at delivering customers to businesses.

Pros

  • Includes ongoing maintenance
  • Certified in Google AdWords

Cons

  • Some features are still being developed

Deloitte Digital

Deloitte Digital builds business websites, but this global consultancy offers a lot more than that. It conducts audits and builds entire marketing strategies and social campaign tie-ins alongside digital and mobile branding.

Add in the service's dominance — it has studios in over 30 countries — and you've got a real contender.

Google My Business agrees: Deloitte Digital holds a 4.7 star rating out of a possible five, making it one of Google's top-rated web design services.

All-in-one service for website design, marketing, and social

Pros

  • Mobile and SEO friendly
  • Global customer service
  • Popular

Cons

  • May not be cost-effective for small businesses

Otroit Consultancy

This company, also operating out of the UK, is a smart option for corporations. One of its focuses is corporate website design, along with a raft of additional types, from static and dynamic to custom and template.

The CMS range doesn't stop at WordPress, either. The Otroit team can design for Joomla, Magento, Drupal, Shopify, and Opencart, as well.

Graphic design is another area that Otroit handles with experience. The website touts “clear and fixed pricing,” so you shouldn't be caught off-guard by unexpected hidden fees.

A UK-based option best for corporate website design.

Pros

  • Designs for a wide range of CMS
  • No hidden fees
  • Good at graphic design

Why You Need a Web Designer

A big part of scaling up your business is simply being attractive to your target audience. Updating an existing website or creating a whole new site is one of the best ways to turn a functioning business into a thriving one.

Online interest translates into converting customers, including in the offline world. By one count, an impressive 91 percent of customers wound up visiting a store due to an online experience. Even if your business is online-only, having a slick, professional website is key to convincing potential customers that you know what you're talking about.

Today's web-savvy consumers can instinctively recognize a high-quality business from first impressions alone. An out-of-date website could turn away potential clients and customers immediately.

How to Choose a Web Designer

When looking for the web design company that's right for you, consider the three value-adds that you're paying for: A suitable design, the functions you needs, and the size of the site.

How complicated is the design?

Elements of a website might fade in and out as a user scrolls downward, or other elements might be triggered by a mouse scrolling over them. The site might use a dropdown menu to show users all the different webpages available, or might use a streamlined approach with no menus.

Trends matter, too: Ten years ago, beautiful stock images were common site illustrations, but these days the trend is 2D cartoons and animations. More complex designs require better designers, since it takes skill to reduce visual clutter.

What functionality will the site need to have?

You'll want your website to use a responsive design that can handle all the major operating systems, devices, and browsers. But your business may have more specific needs as well: Perhaps you have to host an archive of blog posts or press releases, a calendar for scheduling future appointments, or an ecommerce store that handles orders, gift cards, or marketing lists.

Volusion's specialty is ecommerce sites, while Otroit Consultancy is best for large corporations that need features like press kits and response forms.

A business website example, from Web.com

And how many webpages in total will the site hold?

More webpages means more work. Ensure that the design company you're interested in has done similar websites in the past, and has the expertise you need. The right company should be your partner in designing the site. They'll need to listen to your input, and you'll need to consider their expertise.

Above all, be prepared to spend a little time clearly explaining your needs and ambitions for your website.

A good web designer will take the time to understand your business, and you as a client. That way, you can be sure they'll deliver you a website that achieves exactly what you need it to.

Check out our “What Makes a Good Website” article to learn what structure and design principles are essential.

Finding an Affordable Web Design Service

A website is like your store front – if you just pick the cheapest option, you'll turn customers away and lose money in the long run.

The price for designing your site should never be “off the shelf.” A quality web design company will always give you a bespoke quote for your exact needs.

However, a few ballpark prices are industry-average. For example, if you just need a simple brochure-style site with just a handful of pages, don't expect to pay more than $500. If you need a website with advanced ecommerce functions such as the ability to track customer orders or additional support features, you might pay as much as $5,000.

Visit our “How Much Does a Website Designer Cost?” page for a more detailed look at the most common types of website designs and their pricing ranges.

If you've read this far, you have the information you need to settle on one or two of the best web design companies for your unique business needs.

The next step? Getting a quote that's right for you. Save time using Tech.co's web design quote finder: a fast path to comparing the best design companies' pricing – and for free!

The Alternative Website Builders

With the costs for contracting a web designer ranging from $500 to thousands more, depending on the needs of your website, you might be interested in an alternative to a custom-designed site. Enter the website builder. With a website builder, you get:

  • Sleek, modern, professional-looking templates to which you can add your own imagery and text
  • Fast build times – simply answer a few questions and a draft site can be built for you in minutes
  • Simple drag and drop design editors that even non-experts can use with ease
  • Low ongoing costs, from under $100 per year to launch and maintain a site

We've listed our top website builders below, based on our extensive independent testing:

Verdict: Which Web Design Service Is for You? Small businesses that need both a website and a marketing campaign are best off with Hibu, while those who just want a quality ecommerce site should opt for Volusion.

Madwire is another good pick for small companies that need a strong focus on advertising. In the end, though, all three web design services will serve you well.

You've seen what you need. Now, start collecting and comparing the best personalized quotes against each other: take a minute to use our free, quick and easy web designer price comparison today – start by hitting the ‘Compare Web Design Prices' button below.

Which company is best for web designing? Our top pick for a web design service is Hibu, due to custom websites that are secure, responsive, and modern, as well as a wide breadth of marketing benefits that go beyond the site itself, such as SEO, social, and display advertising. How much does it cost to have a website designed? A simple website with a few pages and nothing else might cost $500, while an ecommerce website with all the bells and whistles could be $4,000 or $5,000. Check out our full article on web design costs for an in-depth explanation. How many developers do you need to create a website? Typically, a service that crafts custom websites will have an entire team of developers working across multiple projects. However, if you use one of these web design agencies or services to create your website, you will only need one point of contact.

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Darren Rowse 2
Darren Rowse is an Australian blogger, speaker, consultant and founder of several blogs and blog networks, including ProBlogger.net and digital-photography-scho...
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