Costs & pricing · 7 min read
How to compare web design agencies in Huddersfield (honestly)
There are four realistic options in Huddersfield: DIY builders, freelancers, small studios and full agencies. Builders suit testing an idea, freelancers suit a single simple site, small studios suit businesses that need the site plus ongoing SEO or social, and agencies suit budgets above roughly £5,000. Match the option to the job, not to the brochure.
By Raja Wahab, Co-founder, Fixby Studios · Updated
DIY builders (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy)
Genuinely the right answer if you're testing an idea or need something online this weekend. Cheap monthly cost, no dependency on anyone. The costs show up later: your evenings, a template that looks like everyone else's, and performance problems that are hard to fix from inside the platform.
Freelancers
Often excellent value, and Huddersfield has good ones. Best for a single, well-defined site. The risks are availability — a freelancer with a full-time job answers at 9pm — and continuity if they move on. Ask what happens in month six when you need a change.
Small studios
The middle option: more capacity and continuity than a freelancer, far lower overheads than an agency, and usually able to handle the site plus SEO or social together. This is what Fixby Studios is, so treat this paragraph accordingly — but the category is real, and it's where most owner-managed businesses land.
Full agencies
Proper strategy, brand, research and paid media capability, with the account management structure to match. If you have a budget of several thousand upwards and multiple stakeholders, this is where you should be. Below that, you'll be the smallest client on the list.
Questions worth asking whoever you choose
- Who owns the site and domain when we're done — and can I leave with them?
- What is the total first-year cost including hosting, domain and any licences?
- Can I see a site you built that's more than a year old, and how is it performing?
- What's included after launch, and what's charged?
- Will you set up Google Search Console and analytics, and will I have access?
A note on price
Our own published prices are £350, £700 and £950 depending on scope. Quotes far above that aren't automatically overpriced — they usually include strategy, copywriting, photography or custom functionality. What matters is that the quote lists what you're getting, in writing, before anyone starts.
The longer version, with the warning signs.
Raja Wahab is co-founder of Fixby Studios, a Huddersfield studio building websites, SEO, social media and business software for small, owner-managed businesses across West Yorkshire.
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Fixby Studios builds websites, runs SEO and manages social media for small businesses across Huddersfield and West Yorkshire.