Freelance web design — UK
Agency websites,without the agency
I'm Tom. I design and build fast, hand-coded sites for small businesses — no templates, no bloat, no account managers. Just careful work from one person who cares how it turns out.
A trusted, experiencedfreelance web designer& developer.
The short version
Eleven years building for the web — first for agencies, now for the small businesses they overlook. The bakery with the brilliant product and the broken website. The joiner whose work deserves better than a Facebook page.
11
years building for the web — zero page builders
Why hand-coded
I write every line myself. It's why my sites load in under a second — and why you deal with me start to finish, not a project manager reading from a ticket.
Off the clock
Walking the dog, fussing over coffee, and telling anyone who'll listen that their site doesn't need a chatbot.
Real reply, within 24 hours.
- Web design
- Development
- Redesigns
- E-commerce
- Care plans
- SEO foundations
- Performance
- Copy polish
- Hosting
- Booking systems
- Branding
- Accessibility
01What I do
Built, rebuilt, or looked after.
- yourbusiness.co.uklive in 3 weeks
New websites
01You need a site and it needs to be good. I take it from blank page to live — structure, design, copy, build — in weeks, not months.
- Design + build, one pair of hands
- Copy and photo guidance
- Launched, indexed, analytics-ready
- yourbusiness.co.ukloads in 0.4s
Redesigns & rebuilds
02Slow, dated, or a bit embarrassing on a phone? I rebuild sites properly — same business, completely different first impression.
- Full performance rebuild
- Rankings kept intact
- Old content migrated for you
- yourbusiness.co.ukbacked up, 2am
Care plans
03Websites need looking after. Updates, tweaks and hosting on one flat monthly plan — you run the business, I'll mind the site.
- Edits and updates handled
- Hosting, backups, monitoring
- A real person on email
Fixed quotes for all three, agreed before any work starts — see what things cost.
02Selected work
What I'd build for you.
Concept builds while the client list fills up — every one designed, written and coded by me, end to end.
Deli & kitchen — concept build
Fern & Forage
A neighbourhood deli that deserved better than a dark, three-year-old menu PDF. Warm, quick, and built to sell weekend brunch.
- Design
- Build
- Copy
View project
Bespoke joinery — concept build
Hartley Joinery
A third-generation workshop, so the site works like one: technical drawings that draw themselves, a live cutting list, and a quote form that logs your job like a ticket.
- Design
- Build
- Branding
View project
Physiotherapy clinic — concept build
Bloom Physio
A clinic site that puts booking front and centre. Calm, clear, and loads before the kettle's even on.
- Design
- Build
- Booking
View project
- Average page load
- 0.6s
- Lighthouse performance
- 100
- Years building for the web
- 11
- Sites shipped
- 40+
- Page builders used. Ever.
- 0
- Reply time, weekdays
- <24h
03How I work
Five steps. No surprises.
The same process every time, because it works. You'll always know what's happening and what comes next.
Chat
30–45 minutes, freeA call or a coffee. You tell me about the business, what's working, what isn't, and what the site needs to do. No jargon, no hard sell — if I'm not the right fit, I'll say so.
Design
1–2 weeksI design the site around your actual content, not a template. You see real pages, on your real phone, and we refine together until it feels right.
Build
1–2 weeksHand-coded from the design, tested on everything with a screen. This is where the speed comes from — no page builder in the world can compete.
Launch
Launch dayDomain, hosting, analytics, search console — all sorted. You get a walkthrough, the keys, and me on email whenever you need a hand.
Aftercare & maintenance
Ongoing — one flat monthly feeThe site stays looked after — hosting, backups, updates and little tweaks, all on one flat plan. You email, I sort it, usually the same day.
04Kind words
Don't take my word for it.
Tom rebuilt our site in three weeks and enquiries doubled the month after. It loads before you've finished clicking.
SPSarah P.Café owner, SheffieldFern & Forage →
“No jargon, no drama, no invoices I didn't understand. He just quietly built the best-looking site in our industry.
JHJames H.Joinery workshop, LeedsHartley Joinery →
“I'd been burned by an agency before. Working with one person who actually built the thing was a completely different experience.
PKPriya K.Physiotherapy clinic, ManchesterBloom Physio →
What's under the bonnet
05Questions
Asked and answered.
One-page sites start from £900, full brochure sites from £2,200, and bigger builds are quoted individually. You'll find honest detail on the pricing page — the number I quote is the number you pay.
Most sites go from first chat to launch in three to five weeks. The usual bottleneck isn't me — it's content. If you've got your text and photos ready, things move quickly.
If you want to, yes — I can wire up a simple editing setup for things like menus, prices and news. Most clients prefer the care plan: email me the change, it's live the same day.
You can, and for some people it's the right call. But builders ship megabytes of code your visitors don't need, rank worse for it, and lock you in. Hand-coded sites are faster, cheaper to run, and completely yours.
The foundations are built into every site: proper structure, fast loading, clean markup, sitemaps — the things Google actually rewards. I don't sell monthly 'SEO magic' retainers, because most of them are exactly that: magic.
We keep whatever's worth keeping. I'll handle the technical shuffling either way — you won't lose your email address, your rankings, or your mind.
Ready when you are
Let's build something.
Tell me about your business and what you need. I'll reply within a working day with honest thoughts and a ballpark price — no pressure, no follow-up sequence.
Prefer email? [email protected]