Web design & development
We build websites that turn heads and drive growth. Custom website design, built from the ground up and ready to scale with your business.
Our latest website design projects
ACS Office Cleaning
A website and booking journey for London's award-winning ISO-certified commercial cleaning specialists.
Quel Tap
A rebrand, a rebuilt store and a domain migration that grew organic sessions 28%.
Websites built around your business
Every business is different. We build three types of website, each designed around a specific goal. Find the one that fits yours.
Ecommerce websites
Sell more, retain more and give your customers a store they actually enjoy buying from. Ecommerce is what we’re known for, and it shows in the results.
Ecommerce websites →
Lead generation websites
Get more enquiries and better quality leads with a website that works as hard as your sales team. The right people, finding you, at the right time.
Lead generation websites →
Membership websites
Build a community, grow recurring revenue and keep customers coming back. Ideal for membership and e-learning businesses looking to scale what they’ve built.
Membership websites →
What every designbox website includes
Whatever type of site you need, these come as standard on every project we deliver.
Built to be found
Clean code, fast load times and the right technical foundations for search engines. You won’t need to go back and fix it later.
Looks great on every device
Your customers browse on phones, tablets and desktops. Every site we build works beautifully across all of them, without compromise.
Easy to manage yourself
You shouldn’t need to call us every time something needs updating. Built on WordPress, with a CMS your whole team can use.
Fast. Properly fast.
We host on Google Cloud servers and optimise every site for speed. Fast sites rank better, keep visitors longer and convert more.
Ready for marketing from day one
Whether you run SEO, Google Ads or email campaigns now or later, every site is built with those foundations already in place.
Secure and reliable
SSL certificates, daily backups and enterprise-grade security as standard. Your site and your customers’ data are always protected.
Built on platforms you can trust
Every website we build sits on proven, open technology that you own outright, never a proprietary builder that locks you in.
The platform behind over 40% of the web, and the foundation of everything we build. We’re an Automattic Pro Agency Partner, recognised by the company behind WordPress itself, and paired with our Google Cloud hosting every site is fast, secure, easy to manage and yours to own completely.
WordPress websites →
WordPress’s ecommerce engine, and where most of our online stores live. Ideal for large catalogues and trade areas.
Ecommerce websites →
Fast to launch and simple to run. We design and build Shopify stores that don’t look like a template.
Shopify web design →
How our web design process works
We keep things straightforward and transparent from day one. Here's what working with us looks like.
Discovery
Before anything gets designed, we take the time to properly understand your business, so every decision from here has a purpose.
- Kick-off call to understand your goals, customers and competitors
- Review of your existing site, what’s working and what isn’t
- Sitemap agreed so we know exactly what we’re building
- Project timeline confirmed with clear milestones
Design
We create a design built around your brand and your customers. You'll see and approve everything before we write a single line of code.
- Wireframes to map out the customer journey through your site
- Full visual design created and presented for your feedback
- Two rounds of revisions included as standard
- Final sign-off from you before we move to build
Build
Our developers bring the approved design to life. Every website we build is custom, fast and built to grow with your business.
- Custom build on your preferred platform
- Fully responsive across all devices
- Third party integrations set up
- Tested across browsers and devices before you see it
Handover and training
Before we go live, we make sure you and your team are completely comfortable running the site. No technical knowledge needed.
- Walkthrough of your new site on a staging link before launch
- CMS training so your team can manage content with confidence
- Bespoke training videos provided for future reference
- Any final amends completed before sign-off
Launch and beyond
Go-live is just the beginning. We handle the technical side of the launch and stay on hand to make sure everything runs smoothly.
- Pre-launch checklist completed in full
- Redirects and SEO migration handled to protect your existing rankings
- 30 days of post-launch support included as standard
- Hosting and care plans to keep your site fast, secure and up to date
Real websites, real results
Every one of these started as a website that wasn't pulling its weight. Here's what changed, and what it did for the business.
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfter
Rebuild without losing your rankings
Rebuilds and redesigns make up a large part of our work. We audit what you have, keep what's working and rebuild around it, carefully.
- Full audit of your current site before anything gets designed
- Existing SEO protected with a complete redirect and migration plan
- Zero downtime: your current site stays live until the new one takes over
✓
✓
✓
✓
What our clients say about working with us
Sarah Aspinall
Breaking Ballet
“We have seen great work from the team at designbox. From WordPress development to liaising with our in-house and remote dev teams, to paid search, the results have been great. I would highly recommend them.”
Kim Waller
Lick Library
“I have been working with designbox for the past two years and have always had exceptional customer service and support. We used them initially to redesign our website. The work is always delivered to the highest standard and the team are fantastic. Highly recommend.”
Emily Bryant
Amberjack
Nicole Osborne
Wunderstars
“Great hands-on service from start to finish. From idea generation, logo and branding through to a functioning website, the team were always on hand with suggestions and high quality implementation. Would happily recommend to all.”
Richard Combs
Intrinsic Capital
“designbox have been brilliant in supporting us in both marketing and web development. The team have been reliable and efficient in everything they have done for us.”
Esther Smith
Battlesbridge Horse & Country
Tommie Hession-Harris
Player Path
“designbox have been a huge support for me and my business for the past five years. Their up-to-date knowledge of digital design, marketing and the tech industry itself is fantastic, and I would recommend them to anyone.”
Samantha Wells
Tern Heads
“We are absolutely delighted with the service we receive from designbox, who manage my website and SEO among other things. They have helped us to grow the business over the last few years with a website to be proud of and a steady stream of new clients. Would highly recommend.”
Penny Hawker
CHC Aesthetics
Dale Harris
Greenoak Concept & Design
“Very helpful and professional company with some of the most friendly and talented staff I’ve met. They made us a beautiful website and have been cooperative with any assistance that we’ve needed since. Would highly recommend!”
Danny Whitefoord
Chiltern Co
“We have been working with Brandon and the team for the last few years and are very happy with their work. Brandon is very responsive and easy to work with.”
Tom Billings
Beach Equity
Kirsty Pile
KA Naturals
“Excellent service, highly professional staff who are all more than happy to give an extensive insight into online marketing campaigns in a digestible, understandable presentation. We have since moved all of my online marketing over to designbox across multiple companies.”
Robert Foster-Jones
Sunshine Co
“designbox completely saved my website and have created a completely unique website tailored to my needs. The support is second to none, nothing is ever too much to ask, and they go above and beyond to provide solutions or meet my design requirements. I have had nothing but great feedback from customers and the team are always at the end of the phone if we have any queries.”
Daisy Lethbridge
Mermaids Swimwear
Why businesses choose designbox
A few honest reasons clients choose us, and stay with us.
We build websites that actually perform
A good-looking site that doesn’t load fast, rank on Google or convert visitors isn’t doing its job. We think about performance from day one, not as an afterthought.
You talk to the people doing the work
No account managers in the middle. From your first call to your launch day, you deal directly with the designers and developers building your site.
We’re built for the long run
Most of our clients have been with us for years. We offer hosting, care plans and ongoing support so your website grows with your business rather than holding it back.
Web design is what we do
It’s not a side service. It’s what we’ve built our reputation on and what our clients come to us for time and again.
The people behind your website
We’re a small, close-knit team based in Southend-on-Sea. You’ll speak to us directly from day one, and that’s exactly the point.
See what AI has to say about us
Don't take our word for it. Ask the machines. Each button opens a live AI with a pre-filled question about our web design, so you can sanity-check everything on this page yourself.
A website is just the start
The best websites are launched, then grown. Because everything at designbox is in-house, the team that built your site can also fill it with visitors.
SEO
Get found on Google. Technical SEO, content and local search that grow your rankings month after month.
AI search optimisation
Show up when customers ask ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI who to work with. The next frontier of being found.
Google Ads
Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns that catch buyers at the exact moment they’re looking, managed by a Google Partner.
Meta ads
Facebook and Instagram campaigns that put your business in front of the people most likely to buy.
Email marketing
Automated flows and campaigns that turn one-time visitors and buyers into regulars.
Hosting and website care
Google Cloud hosting, updates, security, backups and a team on call. Care plans that keep your site fast, safe and up to date.
Web design FAQs
Can't see yours? Ask us anything on a quick call, no obligation.
How much does a website cost?
How long does a website take to build?
Do you work with businesses that already have a website?
Will my website rank on Google?
Do you offer support after the website goes live?
Can you help with branding as well as the website?
Do you work with businesses outside of Essex?
Why choose designbox for web design?
How should we compare web design agencies?
Web design at designbox
Ready for a website that works as hard as you do?
Tell us about your business and we'll come back with honest advice and a realistic figure, usually within one working day.
