Web Designer in East Lothian

As a freelance web designer I’ve been based in East Lothian since 2003, when I moved down the coast from Edinburgh to Musselburgh, on East Lothian’s seaside.

After a few years commuting, and a rather unpleasant hostile takeover of the agency I worked at, I made the move to freelance web design and development, and have been working from my home office in Musselburgh, East Lothian, since 2006.

I’ve built numerous small business websites for East Lothian start-ups, from psychologists to accountants; taxi and airport transfer firms; university-based autism resources; and local youth football teams and many, many more.

How to choose an East Lothian web designer

When deciding who will design and build your new business website it’s important to get it right. And before appointing anyone you should ask yourself a few questions:

1. Are they established? Web designers come and go. Many see it as a “hobby job”, just a way to make some extra money. This is fine, and they may be cheap, but are they still going to be around when you need them to fix something, or develop your site further in a couple of years? You wouldn’t trust a passing tradesman to build an extension to your house, and if you want your business built on solid foundations, you should apply the same logic to choosing a web designer.
2. What platform will your site be built on? Some developers will suggest Wix or Squarespace as a cheap and inexpensive option to get your business online. This may be true initially, but those monthly fees soon add up. And with Wix and Squarespace still only commanding under 4% of the global market share of content-managed websites can you be sure this is a safe investment? If your developer decides to move on, will you be able to find someone else to help?
3. If you’ve appointed a WordPress developer, well done! But are you getting value for money? WordPress, with by far the largest share of the market (63% in 2024) is undoubtedly the safest and wisest choice for a website, but check your developer isn’t just cobbling together an “off the shelf” website using a free or inexpensive theme. These can be bought for as little as $20 and the downside of this is that your developer has effectively farmed-out the project to a third-party, as your site will depend on some distant development team ensuring the theme is kept secure and up-to-date. A bespoke WordPress theme avoids this, and an established developer / web designer will know their own code, and can address any issues that may arise.
4. Communication is key. Is your web designer actually local? Can you meet them for a coffee? Many web design sites are optimised to make them appear like a local business, but you’ll then find that if you search for “web design Scunthorpe” they show up in those results as well as “web design Musselburgh”. It’s easy to cast a wide net with a bit of dodgy search engine optimisation, and if a business is doing this, it should set alarm bells ringing. You want to be able to meet up with, or at least call, your web designer throughout the life of your project, and beyond, so pay close attention to their location.
5. Agency vs Freelance. Is bigger always better? An agency will usually be looking for a five figure sum, at least, for any business website whereas a freelance web designer is more likely to be four figures at most. The benefits of an agency is that you’ll have a dedicated account manager and designer working on your project, but there’s also the chance that the technical development is outsourced to a freelancer anyway, so if you’re on a budget it could make sense to cut out the middle man and go direct to a freelancer, who will operate as account manager, designer, developer, and tech support department. So you could be getting four staff for the price of one.

Shop local. Choosing a web designer in East Lothian makes sense

By choosing an established East Lothian web designer with a proven track-record and a wealth of client recommendations you can be sure you’re giving your business website the best start possible. I can meet with you to discuss your web design project in full, and I’ll remain contactable not just during the project, but throughout the long life of your successful business.

Since engaging with Craig our website has fluidity, increased functionality and speed. As a complex site with over 5000 pages Craig has worked diligently to our brief, complimenting this with his own creative input. DIGIT /// It has been great working with Craig. The website he has provided us with has been exactly what we were expecting, and it is great to finally have a theme that doesn’t limit us. I would highly recommend Craig to anyone looking to give their website a refresh. SNAPDRAGON /// We have been working with Craig for over ten years and he always provides a fantastic level of service and delivers an end product that is exactly what we want. He not only builds our websites for us but also provides peace of mind with his technical support each year. ESSENTIAL EDINBURGH /// From start to finish Craig was a pleasure to deal with. Incredibly knowledgeable and skilled, and unphased by my requests and questions. The finished website (which was delivered incredibly fast, ahead of schedule!) is professional, attractive and easy to navigate. I would absolutely recommend Craig to anyone looking for a new website. LOTHIAN SEXUAL HEALTH /// Our site needed help in two areas – the design and the technical backend. Craig was enormously helpful on both fronts. We found him to be patient, full of good ideas, and just what we needed. I would highly recommend his services. MILBURN LEWIS /// Craig has developed a modern looking website for us which is a lot easier to navigate and has the added functions we were looking for. Delighted with the outcome and would recommend Craig to anyone who is wishing to develop their website. NHS SMART CENTRE /// Work with Craig was a terrific experience as he was intuitive and thoughtful about how my website would work. The design was great, but also the layout made an immediate difference to my SEO and site useage. The bounce rate almost immediately went from over 60% to just 2% and the page hits rose from 1-2 per visit to over 8. His input on the format for the site was invaluable in achieving this. GLUTEN FREE EDINBURGH

Skills: HTML; CSS; PHP; MySQL; JavaScript; JQuery; WordPress Theme Development; WordPress Plugin Development; WooCommerce; Toolset Types; ACF; PSD to HTML; Copywriting; SEO; WordPress Consultancy.

Qualifications: PGCert Multimedia Design; Google Certified IT Support Professional.

Rate: £50ph (discounts available for charitable organisations).

Call 0778 625 6003 or use the form.