01
What does a new website cost?
Cost depends on page types, content, integrations, languages, editorial roles and design depth. A discovery phase maps reusable templates and risks before a fixed proposal is sensible. The long-term cost also includes hosting, licences, security, editing and improvement, so ownership matters as much as launch scope.
A sound proposal states what you own, what remains editable, which third parties are required and what happens after launch. CRM, booking, login and product data each add testing and maintenance. Review our pricing models for the engagement formats rather than relying on an invented headline figure.
02
How to commission a website that works
Discovery connects audiences, questions and desired actions. Sitemap and content modelling then define pages and reusable fields. Wireframes settle hierarchy before visual design introduces typography, imagery and interaction. Development brings semantic HTML, responsive behaviour, CMS, SEO, consent and measurement into one system.
Launch testing covers domains, certificates, forms, email delivery, cookie choices, analytics and redirects. After release, review Search Console, indexing, Core Web Vitals and real journeys. The site succeeds when the intended action works, can be measured and can be improved.
- 01Define audience and action
- 02Map structure
- 03Approve wireframes
- 04Test realistic content
- 05Add SEO and measurement
- 06Launch with redirects
03
Web agency or web designer?
An independent designer can suit a focused site where one strong generalist covers the visual and technical need. An agency is useful when design, development, SEO, analytics, content and migration require coordinated specialists and continuity.
Ask who performs each discipline, how quality is tested, what you own and how post-launch faults are handled. Choose according to complexity and risk rather than the supplier's label.
| Area | Designer | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Contact | Usually one person | Lead plus specialists |
| Breadth | Focused | Multidisciplinary |
| Best for | Contained scope | Complex, critical site |
04
Speed and Core Web Vitals
LCP should be no more than 2.5 seconds, INP no more than 200 milliseconds and CLS no more than 0.1. Improve LCP through correctly sized modern images, font loading and server response. Improve INP by reducing long JavaScript tasks and unnecessary third-party tools. Prevent CLS by reserving space for media, banners and fonts.
Use field data from PageSpeed Insights and Search Console, then prioritise templates and journeys affecting the most users. Performance supports search and conversion, but a useful feature can justify a measured cost. Test before and after each material change.
05
Relaunch without losing rankings
Export current URLs from sitemaps, analytics, Search Console and a crawl. Map each old address to a retained page, a relevant replacement or an intentional removal. Use direct 301 redirects rather than chains or blanket homepage destinations.
Preserve valuable intent, copy, metadata, structured data and internal links. Validate canonical, hreflang, robots and sitemap settings at launch, then monitor indexing, errors, clicks and impressions. A post-launch crawl should expose broken links, redirect chains and missing metadata quickly.
06
AI in web development in 2026
AI can accelerate research, code drafts, test cases and repeated components when requirements and design tokens are explicit. It can also produce invalid code, generic copy or unnecessary dependencies, so human judgement still owns architecture, accessibility, security and final QA.
Use AI for bounded tasks with visible acceptance criteria. Review code, test keyboard access, consent, forms and metadata on mobile and desktop, and keep durable decisions in the design system rather than a chat history. Explore our AI web development and Lovable Website Builder guides for practical applications.