Website Design
I design and build custom WordPress websites for individuals, small businesses, and startups who want a professional online presence without sacrificing personality. Whether you need a personal blog, a portfolio, or a business site, I’ll help you bring it to life with a design that feels uniquely yours.
Freelance Custom Web Design:
Hi! I’m a freelance WordPress Web Developer based in the Midlands trying to fill a niche for customised, beautiful, and functional websites.
Have you ever seen a website that suffered from bad spacing, layout, or colour themes, and felt forgettable, lacking any sense of balance or personality?
I’ve seen it too, and wanted to do things differently. Your website is more than just an online presence – it’s your first impression. It should reflect your uniqueness and leave a lasting impact, for all the right reasons.
I create websites that are visually striking, thoughtfully designed, and full of character – because authenticity builds trust. Don’t settle for another forgettable, second-rate design. Let’s make something better.
💡 Stand out. Be memorable. Get in touch today.
- Beautiful
- Responsive
- Friendly
What You Get:
I’m passionate about helping individuals and small businesses stand out in a world increasingly dominated by mega-corporations. Too often, the web becomes a bland space, where creativity and individuality are lost in a sea of cookie-cutter designs and mass-produced products.
But I believe every business and personal brand has something unique to offer. When you work with me, you’re not just getting a website designer; you’re getting a partner who genuinely cares about helping you bring your vision to life.
If you want a website with character, a true reflection of your identity and brand, then I’d love to work with you.
- Custom design
- Speed Optimised Site
- SEO-ready Website
- A Partner Eager To Help
- A Strong Digital Presence
- Total Ownership of Your Own Site
- A Site that will grow with you
Plans and Pricing
I create sleek, responsive, and beautiful websites tailored to your needs – whether for a small business, freelancer, personal brand, blogger or writer.
Starter
From £500
A basic one-page static site for those needing an online presence with minimal complexity: a CV, portfolio, landing page, etc.
✅ Up to 5 sections (extra sections at £50 each)
✅ Fully responsive (Mobile, Tablet, and PC)
✅ Custom design tailored to your brand
✅ Choice of colour scheme
✅ Social media links
✅ Google Maps integration
✅ Up to 3 revisions (minor tweaks like font styling, images, etc.)
✅ Contact Form (+£30)
🔄 Hosting renewal: £90/year
🔧 Optional Retainer Subscription: £30/month for maintenance, security and performance updates optimisations, up to 2 hours of small adjustments.
🔼 Additional work charged at £20/hour.*
Rush Service: £100 for 4 Day Delivery
Copywriting Service: £60 Per Page
Blogger
From £650
For individuals who want a bespoke custom blog for their hobbies or interests, where the focus is on content, not commerce or clients.
✅ Full WordPress blog setup
✅ Fully custom website design.
✅ Up to 5 page website (extra at £100 each)
✅ Social sharing buttons
✅ Custom category and tagging system
✅ Contact form
✅ Social Media Feed Integration
✅ Basic On-Page SEO*
✅ Speed Optimisation*
✅ Basic Google Analytics Setup (+£50)
✅ Google Search Console Setup (+50)
✅ Mailing List Integration (+£50)
🔄 Hosting Renewal: £150/year
🔧 Optional Retainer Subscription: £45/month for maintenance, security updates, up to 2 hours of small adjustments, performance optimisations.
🔼 Additional work charged at £20/hour.*
Are you broke (perhaps a student) but just want a blog for your hobbies? See my FAQs.
Rush Service: £250 for 1.5 Week Delivery
Copywriting Service: £60 Per Page
Buisness
From £1,000
Ideal for blogs or businesses that need more functionality, with a focus on lead generation, services, and conversion.
✅ SEO-optimised design
✅ SEO Tools Installed and Setup
✅ Mobile-friendly
✅ Google Analytics and Search Console
✅ Up to 5 page website (extra at £100 each)
✅ Blog setup & integration
✅ Social media feed integration
✅ Contact form
✅ Custom design & layout
✅ Mailing list integration (£100 extra)
✅ Basic eCommerce store (£500 extra).
🔄 Hosting renewal: £200/year
🔧 Optional Retainer Subscription: £75/month for maintenance, security updates, shop edits, new listings, up to 3 hours of small adjustments, performance optimisations, and priority support.
🔼 Additional work charged at £20/hour.*
Rush Service: £400 for 2 Week Delivery
Copywriting Service: £60 Per Page
*Speed Optimisation includes correct image sizing, compression, serving in modern formats like WebP, etc.
*Basic On-Page SEO includes urls, meta-tags, focus keywords, titles, and descriptions. This sets you up to rank in Google but does not guarantee that you will – that takes ongoing work. I just lay the foundations while I build the site.
*Additional work is taken to mean work beyond the scope outline in the project. E.G. adding a Mailing List to ‘Blogger’ would still only cost £50, but asking for edits beyond the 2 hours a month in the retainer will mean the extra time is billed at £20/hour. Likewise if you haven’t purchased the Retainer, all hours will be charged at £20/hour.
FAQ
I'm a Broke Hobbyist, but I Really Want a Blog. Can You Help?
I understand not everyone can afford professional prices – I was you, not long ago. I wanted a blog I loved, and owned, but had no money as a broke university student.
I went for DIY building my own website (this one you’re on now) but it took me months to learn how to do things. Broadly, I enjoyed the challenge, but if you are not techy, or interested in websites, this will be a slog.
I don’t want to outprice you, but neither do I want to work for less than minimum wage, so I’d like to offer you a compromise. I’ll give you a site based off a template with basic edits included, like fonts, brand colours, and your own text and images – of course. But I will not do advanced customisations like in my other offerings. In return for this, I leave my brand in the footer of your site (Made by Ephemeral Dawn), giving the potential for me to gain a new client from your audience, allowing me to charge £399 instead of £600.
You still fully own your site, and any add-ons or customisations you’d like to make later, I’ll be happy to assist with at my standard rates. This option allows you to grow your site at a pace that suits your budget, without being locked into a platform like Wix, where you don’t truly own your site and can’t fully customise it. With this deal, you retain control, flexibility, and the freedom to expand as your needs and budget evolve.
So, to summarise the offer:
✅ Template-based design.
✅ Minor customisations only – colours, fonts, text and images.
✅ 3-Page site (Home, Blog, Contact)
✅ Fully functional WordPress blog, with categories as needed.
✅ Cheaper hosting than going alone.
✅ You completely own your website.
✅ There is always the option to upgrade design or add features later, at my standard rates.
ℹ️ My Brand in your Website Footer
ℹ️ Just £399 instead of £600+
Renews at £15 a month for hosting and plugin/site updates, including up to 1 hour of minor edits (changing a bit of text, swapping an image, etc) in that month.
Will I Need to Send Resources?
Yes! To build your website, I’ll need:
Your brand images (photos of your business, products, or services)
The text you’d like on your site (e.g., about your business, services, contact details)
Your logo (if you have one)
Any videos you’d like to include
If you’re missing any of these, I can help:
I can source high-quality stock images, though custom photos always create a more authentic feel.
If you need a logo, I can design one for an additional fee.
If you’re unsure about the website text, I offer copywriting services to craft engaging, professional content.
Let me know what you need, and we’ll find the best solution for your site!
How Does Payment Work?
A 50% deposit is required upfront before work begins.
The final 50% is due upon approval of the completed website. Once paid, the site is handed over, and you fully own it.
You can choose to keep it hosted and maintained with me for a monthly or yearly fee, or take it elsewhere—it’s entirely up to you.
✅ No work begins until we’ve discussed and agreed on your exact requirements.
✅ I provide an upfront final price—no hidden fees. If you request additional features later, we’ll discuss pricing before proceeding.
✅ Invoices are sent via Stripe for easy, secure payment.
💡 For larger projects, I may offer flexible payment plans—just ask!
How Will We Communicate?
I primarily communicate via email, as it keeps a clear, trackable record of our discussions, protecting both of us and ensuring all expectations and requirements are documented.
If you prefer to discuss something over the phone, I’m happy to arrange a call—just let me know. After the call, I’ll send a summary email to confirm what we discussed for your records.
💡 All initial contact will be handled via email.
With the exception of peak/busy periods where I may take a little longer, I endeavour to respond to all emails within 48 hours. Typically, this will include weekends too.
Why should I not just use Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify?
Website builders are great for getting started on a budget, but they are not without limitations. They don’t offer very veep customisation, which can result in sites looking very generic – or even unprofessional. Advanced features often come at a premium, which often has the material effect of punishing your growth with more fees. And lastly, you never truly own your own website – always at the mercy of your provider, and that’s not a sensible position to leave your blog or business in, for both commercial and ethical reasons.
Between major limitations in design, functionality, and ownership. You’ll always be tied to their platform, meaning your business depends on them. A custom website gives you full control, true ownership, and unlimited scalability.
What Tools do You Use?
I work with WordPress and Elementor, and if you have a store added I’ll use WooCommerce. These are all dominant and well-established tools in the field and get regular updates, making them efficient and safe ways to build websites that last.
I sometimes use Figma for design prototyping too; if your requirements are quite complex I may design the site here for you to see before I start building, as it is easier to make edits here during the consulation process.
Do You Offer Advanced SEO?
At the moment, no, I don’t! I can do basic SEO on your site pages (and help with blog posts for an added fee) but I don’t yet offer advanced SEO. Your site will be ready, functionally, but I cannot rank it for you – this depends on variables out of my control, such as content, domain authority, backlinks, etc.
I am not an SEO specialist or content strategist: I just build websites that are ready to go. If you require help with these services, I advise seeking an SEO specialist. Platforms like Fiverr or Upwork may have someone who can help there.
I would like to branch into these in the future, but not before I feel ready, in order to maintain a high standard of service.
Why are the Monthly Fees and Annual Renewals Priced so Differently?
This has been a hard thing to try and gauge right to balance profitability with reasonable and appealing prices, especially as I worry people are used to paying £9.99 a month for ‘all you can consume’ services like Spotify and Netflix, making £20+ per month feel steep.
At present, though, many website development tools cost around 20/month each. Plus my time to do the work, you actually get a good deal even on the highest price band I charge – it is still cheaper than if you were to do all of this yourself. I charge monthly because these tools charge montly, so it keeps cashflow simple. It makes it easier for clients to pay, too, as many would not like to pay the whole year in advance – the sum would be offputting.
By its nature, some of the work with websites is also ongoing. It doesn’t matter how well built a car is, if you don’t maintain it it will break down. The same is so with websites, and SEO, security and performance are those areas that require regular attention, hence a recurring cost for doing so.
Retainer subscriptions go up in cost because more complex sites are harder to maintain – there’s more things to go wrong, meaning the task is both harder, and takes longer.
I Want an addon from one of the other tiers, but I'm not interested in the rest of that tier's features.
That’s okay! I am happy to mix and match – for example if you wanted a mailing list integrated with a single page site, or a basic e-commerce store setting up on a blog. This will incur an extra charge but I am happy to do it for you. The tiers aren’t meant to be restricting in that way, I was just trying to target certain users and tailor the plans to their (presumed/likely) individual needs as best I could.
Ready to Start?
- Custom design
- Speed Optimised Site
- SEO-ready Website
- A Partner Eager To Help
- A Strong Digital Presence
- Total Ownership of Your Own Site
- A Site that will grow with you
Who Is This For?
- Bloggers & Writers – You want a space to share your thoughts, free from ads and distractions.
- Creatives & Hobbyists – Whether you’re an artist, photographer, or collector, you need a site that showcases your work.
- Freelancers & Personal Brands – Stand out with a site that makes a strong first impression.
- Small Businesses – Professional, effective, and designed to grow with you.
- Anyone Who Wants Control – No reliance on third-party platforms. Your site, your rules.
1️⃣ Consultation – We discuss your needs, goals, and design preferences.
2️⃣ Proposal & Quote – I send you a detailed plan and price breakdown.
3️⃣ Design & Development – I create the site, with your feedback along the way.
4️⃣ Launch & Training – Once approved, I launch the site and show you how to use it.
5️⃣ Ongoing Support – Optional maintenance to keep your site running smoothly.
The Problem:
Websites that are ‘too artistic’ often suffer for this. Bounce rates will be high if people can’t work out what the site is doing, the more fancy effects there are to load the slower the site will be, and the harder it is to make it mobile friendly as phones have neither the power nor the space for this.
On the flipside, a website that is too generic struggles to leave an impression on, or make a connection with an audience. In extremes, both are unappealing to visitors. The trick is in finding a balance. That is a challenge I’m happy to help you with.