01 · Website development · UK

Website development for UK businesses.

Fast, accessible, search-ready websites and web applications, designed and built by a London software company for businesses across the UK.

Discuss your project Read the FAQs
Two developers collaborating at a desk with laptops and monitors 01 / 05

What does website development include?

Website development covers planning, design, build, content management, testing and launch of a website or web application. For UK businesses it should also include UK GDPR and cookie compliance, accessibility to WCAG 2.2 AA, fast performance on mobile, and a technical foundation that search engines can crawl and rank.

What we deliver

Website Development
services we offer.

  1. Responsive Design

    Layouts that work on every screen, from small phones to 4K displays, tested across real breakpoints rather than a single desktop view.

  2. E-commerce Solutions

    Online shops with a UK-ready checkout: VAT-inclusive pricing for consumers, delivery options and integration with established payment providers.

  3. CMS Integration

    Content management that lets your team update pages, news and products without waiting for a developer.

  4. Performance Optimisation

    Fast load times and strong Core Web Vitals, which help both conversion rates and search rankings.

Specialist website services

Find the right
website service.

How we work

How we deliver
website development.

  1. Discover

    We agree goals, audiences, must-have features and how success will be measured.

  2. Plan and design

    Site structure, content plan, wireframes and visual design, reviewed with you before build starts.

  3. Build

    Development, content management and integrations, with progress you can see as it happens.

  4. Test

    Checks across devices and browsers, accessibility, performance, security and search readiness.

  5. Launch and improve

    Go-live, redirects from any old site, search engine submission, then ongoing support and improvement.

Built for the UK

UK requirements for
website development.

  1. UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018

    Contact forms, accounts and analytics all process personal data. Your site needs a clear privacy notice, a lawful basis for each use and secure handling of what it collects.

  2. Cookies and PECR

    Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, non-essential cookies such as most analytics and advertising tags need consent before they are set. We can build sites that need no cookie banner at all.

  3. Accessibility

    The Equality Act 2010 expects reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and WCAG 2.2 AA is the standard most UK organisations work to. Public sector bodies have specific accessibility regulations.

  4. Selling online

    E-commerce sites must meet consumer law, including the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (pre-contract information and the 14-day cancellation right) and showing consumers VAT-inclusive prices.

  5. Company details

    UK companies must show their registered name, company number, registered office and place of registration on their website. We build this into the footer and legal pages.

Pricing

What affects
the cost?

Website costs vary widely, so we scope before we quote. These are the factors that make the biggest difference:

  1. Number of pages and unique templates
  2. Custom design versus adapting an existing design system
  3. E-commerce, bookings or customer accounts
  4. Integrations with CRM, ERP, payment or marketing tools
  5. Who writes the content and supplies imagery
  6. Hosting, support and ongoing improvement
Ask for a scoped estimate

FAQ

Website Development
questions, answered.

How much does a website cost in the UK?

It depends on scope: a focused small business website costs far less than an e-commerce platform or a bespoke web application. Pages, design, functionality and integrations drive the price. After an initial conversation we set out a scoped estimate in pounds, with VAT shown separately.

How long does it take to build a website?

As a rough guide, a small business website takes around 4–8 weeks, while a complex e-commerce site or web application can take 3–6 months or more. Scope, content readiness and integrations are the main factors, and we agree a timeline once requirements are clear.

Will my new website be optimised for Google?

Yes. Every site we build is fast, mobile-friendly and crawlable, with clean URLs, structured data, a sitemap and correct metadata. For ongoing rankings work, our SEO service covers content, local search and authority building.

Do I need a cookie banner on my website?

Only if your site sets non-essential cookies or similar storage, such as most analytics and advertising tools. Under PECR these need consent first. Sites that use only strictly necessary cookies, or none at all, do not need a consent banner.

Can you redesign my website without losing search rankings?

Yes. A redesign protects rankings by mapping every old URL to its new equivalent with 301 redirects, preserving valuable content and metadata, and monitoring Search Console after launch so any issues are fixed quickly.

Will I be able to update the website myself?

Yes. We include a content management system suited to your team, so you can edit pages, publish news and manage products without technical knowledge.

Related services

Start a conversation

Planning a new website?

Talk to our London team about what you need. Email operations@freehandhq.com or call 0113 320 2301.

Start a Conversation