When you're looking for someone to create a new website, your choices are almost endless. A quick search for "web designer near me" or "local web designer" will probably bring up freelancers, agencies, DIY website builders and website companies from across the UK.
With websites able to be designed remotely, does it really matter where your web designer is based?
For many small and medium-sized businesses, I believe it does.
Working with a local web designer gives you more than geographical convenience. You can benefit from local knowledge, a personal point of contact and someone who takes the time to understand your business, your customers and the area you operate in.
Here are seven reasons why choosing a local website designer could be the right decision for your business.
1. A local web designer understands your market
A website shouldn't just look good. It needs to appeal to the people you want to turn into customers.
For many small businesses, those customers are predominantly local.
An electrician in Watford, an accountant in St Albans or an independent business in Rickmansworth may all have very different target customers, but they share one thing – they need to be visible and relevant to people searching for their services locally.
A web designer who knows Watford, Hertfordshire and the surrounding area will have a better understanding of the locations you're targeting and the competitive local marketplace.
That local knowledge can influence the structure, content and messaging of your website and help make it more relevant to the customers you want to attract.
2. You have a local point of contact
One of the biggest advantages of choosing a local web designer is knowing who you're dealing with.
Website design can involve lots of questions and decisions – particularly if it's your first business website or you're replacing a website you've had for several years.
Having someone you can call or email directly can make the whole process considerably easier.
It also means your web designer gets to know you and your business.
At it'seeze Watford, for example, I act as the local point of contact throughout the process, while our wider team provides the specialist design, development and technical expertise behind the website.
For a small business, this can provide the best of both worlds: personal local service backed by a professional web design team.
3. You can meet face-to-face when you want to
Most website projects can now be handled perfectly well by phone, email or online meetings.
However, sometimes you just can't beat sitting down and having a conversation.
This can be particularly helpful at the beginning of a website project when you're discussing your business, objectives, target customers, competitors and ideas for the new website.
A face-to-face meeting can also be useful if you're not particularly comfortable with technology or would simply prefer someone to talk you through the process.
Choosing a web designer near you gives you that flexibility.
You may conduct most of the project remotely, but there's reassurance in knowing that a face-to-face meeting is available when you need one.
4. A local web designer can help with local SEO
Having a great-looking website isn't much use if your potential customers can't find it.
That's where search engine optimisation (SEO) becomes important.
For businesses serving a defined geographic area, local SEO can help Google understand what your business does and the locations you serve.
For example, potential customers might search for:
• Web designer Watford
• Electrician near me
• Accountant in Hemel Hempstead
• Dentist in St Albans
• Plumber in Rickmansworth
A web designer with an understanding of local SEO can help structure your website around the services you provide and the locations where you want to generate business.
This doesn't mean repeatedly filling pages with town names. Effective local SEO should combine useful content, appropriate website structure, relevant page titles and headings, internal links and a properly optimised Google Business Profile.
Your website and local Google presence should complement each other.
5. Local reputation matters
When you choose someone locally, reputation becomes particularly important.
A local web designer is much more likely to depend on recommendations, networking and positive reviews from businesses within the area.
That gives you plenty of opportunities to check them out before making a decision.
Look at their:
• Google reviews
• Customer testimonials
• Website portfolio
• Case studies
• Trustpilot or other independent reviews
• Local business connections
You can also ask other local business owners whether they've worked with the designer or heard of them.
Don't simply concentrate on the number of reviews. Look at what customers actually say.
Do reviews mention communication, reliability, ongoing support and customer service, as well as the finished website?
These can tell you a great deal about what the experience of working with that particular web designer will actually be like.
6. You can build a long-term relationship
A common mistake when choosing a web designer is to think only about getting the website built.
But what happens afterwards?
Your business will change.
You may introduce new services, employ additional people, change prices, move premises, target new areas or want to publish blogs, case studies and customer testimonials.
Your website should be able to evolve with you.
That's why I'd recommend looking for a web designer who is interested in an ongoing relationship rather than simply completing the project and disappearing.
Ask potential designers:
Who do I contact if I need help after launch?
Can I make changes myself?
Will you show me how to update the website?
Who looks after hosting, security and technical maintenance?
What happens if I want to expand the website in the future?
At it'seeze Watford, ongoing website support is an important part of what we provide. Our clients can also update their own content using our website editor, with training and help available when required.
That means you're not left on your own once your new website goes live.
7. Local service doesn't have to mean limited resources
One potential concern about choosing a local website provider is whether you'll have access to the same expertise and technology offered by a larger agency.
The two don't have to be mutually exclusive.
A model where you have a dedicated local consultant backed by a wider team means you can benefit from personal service alongside specialist website designers, developers and technical expertise.
It also provides greater continuity.
If you need technical assistance, SEO advice or want to develop your website further, you're not reliant on one individual having all the answers.
For a small business, that combination can be particularly valuable – you have someone locally who understands your business, backed by a team with the expertise to support it.
What does "web designer near me" really mean?
When people search Google for a "web designer near me", it's tempting to assume that the closest web designer must be the best choice.
But proximity alone isn't a good reason to choose someone.
I'd look for a local web designer who can demonstrate:
• Experience working with small businesses
• A strong portfolio of completed websites
• Genuine customer reviews
• Knowledge of SEO
• A clear website design process
• Straightforward pricing
• Ongoing website support
• Someone you can actually talk to
Ideally, they should also be interested in understanding what you want your website to achieve, rather than simply asking what you want it to look like.
A website is ultimately a business and marketing tool. Its job should be to help attract, inform and convert potential customers.
Do I really need a local web designer?
Not necessarily.
There are some excellent web designers throughout the UK, and modern technology means there's no technical reason why your website designer needs to be based around the corner.
The question is more about the type of relationship and service you want.
If you value being able to speak to someone who knows your business, understands your local marketplace and is available to meet when necessary, choosing locally makes a lot of sense.
For businesses serving Watford, Abbots Langley, Bushey, Rickmansworth, Hemel Hempstead, St Albans and surrounding areas of Hertfordshire, working with someone who understands the area can be an additional advantage.
Choosing a local web designer doesn't mean compromising on website technology.
Our latest websites are built using the it'seeze Lightning platform, centred around three important principles – Faster, Safer and Easier.
Faster – Lightning is designed to deliver excellent website speed and performance, helping create a better experience for visitors and supporting your website's SEO.
Safer – Security, hosting and technical maintenance are professionally managed, helping keep your website secure, reliable and up to date.
Easier – Our user-friendly website editor makes changing your own website content straightforward. Full training and ongoing support are available whenever you need them.
Combined with a local point of contact, it means you benefit from modern website technology without losing the personal service many small businesses value.
Choosing the right local web designer
There's much more to choosing a web designer than finding the cheapest quote or the company geographically closest to you.
Look for someone who understands your business, can demonstrate the quality of their work, knows how SEO fits into the website design process and, importantly, will still be there when you need help in the future.
I've spent almost 10 years helping businesses across Watford, Hertfordshire and North London improve their online presence through professional website design and ongoing support.
If you're looking for a local web designer in Watford or Hertfordshire, I'm always happy to have an informal conversation about what you're trying to achieve and whether we can help.
Still deciding what to look for in a website provider? Read our complete guide to How to Choose the Best Web Designer for Your Small Business in Watford, covering website costs, SEO, support, questions to ask and how to get the best value for your budget.
Alternatively, if you already have a website and aren't sure how well it's performing, request a free website audit and we'll take a look at where improvements could be made.
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