Step 1
A short conversation
What the site has to do, who it has to persuade and what already exists. A free 15-minute call is enough to tell whether we are the right fit.
Websites and landing pages · Web designer · Sydney
A web designer for your business, from Sydney
Hiring a web designer is really a decision about who is responsible for your next enquiry. We pair design with the search data, the writing and the imagery behind it, for businesses across Australia and New Zealand.
Grab the snowball. Give it a spin, and watch it grow as you scroll. Just like a site that keeps earning.
4ways to hire a web designer, compared
2business days for a real person to reply
One teamdata, content and design under one roof
One contacta personal point of contact throughout
The short answer
What does a web designer actually do?
A web designer decides how a website is organised, how it looks and how it leads a visitor to act. That covers the structure of the pages, the hierarchy on each one, typography, colour and imagery, how it behaves on a phone, and where the next step sits. Many designers also build what they draw; others hand it to a developer.
The title covers a wide range of people. One designer works mainly in visual identity, another in usability, another assembles sites from themes. None of those is wrong, and each suits a different job, so the useful question is which of them your business needs. A site that has to bring in work needs someone who can connect what buyers look for with what the page says and shows.
That is how we run our website design service. Design sits beside search data, writing, photography and video in one team, so nobody is left to fill the page with generic words and stock images. Because our Snowball SEO platform automates the auditing, the tracking and the reporting other agencies bill by the hour, more of the budget goes into the design and the story.
The difference
Freelancer, studio or full team?
Four routes, each right for somebody. The fair test is how much of the surrounding work you can supply yourself: the words, the images, the search research and the upkeep.
When each route fits
- A do-it-yourself builder suits a brand new venture testing an idea, with more time than budget
- A freelance web designer suits a clear brief, supplied content and a small site, with you managing the pieces
- A small studio suits a business that wants more design depth and can bring its own search and content
- A full team suits a site that has to win work from search and AI answers as well as look right
What gets missed in the comparison
The hourly rate is the least informative number on the page. The larger cost is usually who manages everything else: briefing a writer, finding a photographer, commissioning search research, then reconciling all of it. Someone does that work, and if it is not in the quote it is probably you.
If you have settled on an agency and want the full vetting list, our guide to choosing a web design agency in Sydney goes through it.
The cost
How much does a web designer cost?
It depends far more on what has to exist at the end than on who does it. We quote after seeing the site and the goal, so the scope follows the job rather than a rate card.
A focused site
A clear offer, a handful of pages
Often the right first step: one service or one audience, written and designed properly, with room to grow as the demand shows up.
A site that wins work
Service pages, proof and search structure
Where most established businesses land. Every page earns its place against what buyers look for, and most of the effort goes into content and structure.
A rebuild
Keeping what already works
Replacing the design without losing rankings, addresses or history. The sequencing matters as much as the look, and it is planned before any screen is drawn.
For current Australian ranges and what moves them, see our guide to what a website costs in Australia.
What moves the number
- How many distinct page types the site needs, more than how many pages
- Whether the words, photographs and video already exist in usable form
- How much of the design is bespoke rather than adapted
- What the site has to connect to, such as bookings, a customer system or a store
- Whether existing rankings have to be carried across safely
Questions that make quotes comparable
Two quotes for a website rarely describe the same job. Before comparing them, ask each one who writes the words, who supplies the images, how many rounds of changes are included, and who owns the site and its files when the project ends.
Also ask what happens in the first month after launch. Fixes and small changes always appear once real visitors arrive, and a quote that stops on launch day leaves that gap for you to discover.
The scope
What you get when you work with us
Six parts of one job. The first two are where most of the commercial value is decided, well before anything is drawn.
The evidence first
What your buyers search for and ask, which of those you can credibly win, and which pages that implies.
A structure buyers can follow
Pages and navigation organised around the decisions a buyer is making, rather than around your organisation chart.
Design and build
Layout, typography, colour and interaction, built to work on a phone first and to stay easy to change after launch.
A clear next step on every page
Enquiry paths, proof and calls to action placed where the decision is made, and tested on real devices.
Measurement from day one
Enquiries and calls tracked by page, so the first round of improvements comes from evidence rather than opinion.
Real content
Written, photographed and filmed by people who have met your business, so the site could not belong to anyone else.
The return
What good looks like from the brief onwards
Most disappointing websites were briefed on appearance. Changing the brief changes what a designer can do for you, whoever you hire.
Is AI replacing web designers?
It has replaced some of the assembly. A tool can now produce a passable layout and passable words in minutes, which is why passable no longer stands out. What it cannot do is meet your business, decide what is true and worth saying, or take responsibility for the result.
Sydney, or anywhere in Australia and New Zealand
We are based at Barangaroo in Sydney and work with businesses across Australia and New Zealand. Design and build run well at a distance. Being in the room helps most when we are shooting your people, place or products, and we can travel for that.
Technical questions about the build itself are covered in our guide to web development in Sydney.
The process
How we run a design project
You will always know who to call and what is due next. Every brief is reviewed by a real person, who replies within two business days.
Step 2
Read the evidence
Your current site if there is one, what your buyers search for, and who already holds those results.
Step 3
Agree the structure
Pages, navigation and the job of each, agreed before any visual design begins.
Step 4
Write and design together
Real words in real layouts, so nothing is designed around dummy copy and then forced to fit.
Step 5
Build and check
Built, tested on real phones and browsers, and set up to measure enquiries.
Step 6
Launch, then keep improving
We read what visitors actually do and change what the evidence says to change.
The brief
What to ask a web designer before you hire
Four questions worth asking anyone, including us. The answers tell you more than a portfolio does.
Who writes the words, and when?
Layout built before the words exist tends to stay decorative. A good answer names a person and puts the writing early in the schedule.
How will we know whether it worked?
Look for a measure tied to your business, such as enquiries or calls, and an agreement on how it will be tracked from launch.
What happens to our existing rankings?
If you already have a site, ask for the plan for addresses and redirects before the design starts. A beautiful launch can quietly undo years of search history.
Who owns the site when the project ends?
Domain, hosting access, design files and content should be clear in writing, so you are free to move later without starting again.
We are happy to answer all four before you commit, and to say so when a simpler route would serve you better. If the design is sound and the problem is that nobody finds it, our search engine optimisation service is the better place to begin.
Start here
Looking for a web designer who starts with the evidence?
Send us your website address, or a note about the business if you do not have a site yet. A real person reads it and replies within two business days.
- A free digital audit showing where your audience is, with no cost or obligation
- The three fastest moves to start compounding
- A straight answer on whether you need us, a smaller route or just a few fixes
Good questions
Web designer FAQs
What does a web designer do?
A web designer decides how a website is organised, how it looks and how it leads a visitor to act. That includes page structure, hierarchy, typography, colour, imagery and behaviour on a phone. Many also build the site; others work with a developer.
How much does a web designer cost?
It depends on how many page types the site needs, whether the content exists, how bespoke the design is and what it has to connect to. We quote after seeing the job, and our guide to what a website costs in Australia sets out current ranges.
What is the difference between a web designer and a web developer?
A designer decides how the site is organised, looks and guides a visitor. A developer builds the working site and what it connects to. Some people do both, and on a larger project they are usually separate roles that have to plan together.
Should I hire a freelance web designer or a team?
A freelancer suits a clear brief, a small site and content you can supply yourself. A team suits a site that has to win work from search and AI answers, where design, writing, imagery and measurement all need to be managed together.
Do I need a web designer near me?
Not for the design and build, which run well at a distance. Being nearby helps most when someone needs to photograph or film your people, place or products. We are based in Sydney and work with businesses across Australia and New Zealand.
Is AI replacing web designers?
It has replaced some of the assembly, so a passable layout is now easy to produce. It has not replaced knowing your business, deciding what is true and worth saying, or taking responsibility for whether the site brings in work.
Can I design my website for free?
Yes, many builders have a free tier, and for a brand new idea that can be a sensible test. The usual trade-offs are limited control, branding from the builder, and all the structure, words and images still falling to you.
How do I start web design?
Learn the fundamentals of hierarchy, typography, layout and accessible colour, then build small real sites and watch people use them. Real projects and feedback teach more than templates, and a portfolio of them is what clients and employers look at.