Whether you’re looking for a brand-new website or to update an existing one, we’ve put together this Insight to help guide your decision-making process.
Because your website is more than just an online presence – it’s your brand’s first step in building customer trust, your most powerful sales tool and – if it’s working like it should – a done deal digital handshake!
A poorly designed website risks losing visitors in seconds, while a bespoke website design ensures a seamless user experience that keeps them engaged.
At HeightOn, we create websites that don’t just look good. We build websites that perform.
Whether you’re launching a new site or refining an existing one, our expert web designers develop tailored websites that leverage UX and UI techniques to drive business growth while also enhancing brand credibility, increasing visibility and driving leads.
First things first: you need a website. That’s a given in today’s digital world.
But getting one built cheaply or off-the-shelf website design can be a false economy. There are too many things that can go wrong, preventing your site from doing what it needs to do. And if your site is not managed correctly, you won’t know where the issues are, never mind how to solve them.
We’ve been designing websites since they came online – that’s more than 30 years ago! And our knowledge and expertise has kept pace with the rapid evolution of trends and technology essential to creating consumer journeys that help businesses to thrive.
Building websites that excite and delight are what drives our design and digital ethos.
What can a good web design do for your business?
A well-designed website is more than just a digital storefront – it’s a critical tool that can significantly impact your brand success.
Whatever sector or market you operate in, and whatever you need your website to do, your website serves as the cornerstone of your online presence, influencing how potential customers perceive your brand, enabling them to interact with your services, and ultimately helping them decide to do business with you.
There are many ways a good website can transform your business, from enhancing credibility to driving sales and supporting your overall marketing strategy – here are our top seven:
1. Enhance brand credibility
We design websites that build brands by building trust through credibility, creating positive first impressions and impressing potential customers with excellent user experiences.
2. Increase visibility and reach
Along with effective SEO and mobile optimisation, a good website improves your visibility in search engine results, helping you reach a wider audience. Done right, it’s a virtuous circle that builds business momentum. But higher visibility doesn’t always guarantee clicks – especially in AI-led search. Learn why in our guide to the Crocodile Effect in SEO.
Read more about Local SEO, On Page SEO and Technical SEO to see how they can be implemented to better your website performance and online presence.
Our intuitive, user-friendly websites encourage visitors to interact with your brand. Features like blogs, interactive content and social media integration are also great ways to keep users engaged, increasing conversion potential.
4. Generate leads and sales
Attracting visitors is just the first step – turning them into customers is where we make the real impact. We optimise user experience by refining navigation, streamlining conversion funnels, and implementing smart, data-driven design principles that encourage action. Our web development expertise ensures every touchpoint, from call-to-action (CTA) placements to lead capture forms, is frictionless and optimised for conversions.
5. Improve customer service
We easily integrate features like FAQs, live chat, and detailed service or product information so your website becomes a 24/7 customer service hub – a great way to enhance satisfaction. And, taking it even further to make better, we can integrate with your CRM platform to streamline the lead to sales process – freeing up your sales and support team.
Your website should be the pivot for all your digital marketing efforts, supporting email campaigns, social media marketing and paid ads by providing a destination for traffic and a platform for conversions.
7. Provide valuable insights
We use advanced tools to track visitor behaviour, preferences, and trends. These insights help you refine your marketing strategies and improve your overall business performance.
On the right platform: WordPress, Custom, or Shopify?
Your website design is the foundation of your online presence, and choosing the right platform is crucial. Whether you need a sleek content-driven site, a high-performance business application, or a scalable eCommerce solution, the right choice depends on your business goals, complexity, and future growth plans.
WordPress suits content-driven sites, while custom builds offer greater flexibility, security, and performance for specialised needs.
WordPress
Is perfect for businesses needing an easy-to-update, cost-effective SEO-friendly website with plugin options. You get bespoke web design AND streamlined development time on a manageable budget.
Custom Build
Is a fully tailored solution using tech stacks like Laravel, React, and Next.js, ideal for businesses needing advanced security, deep integrations, or high scalability. Built from the ground up, it can create complex workflows, dynamic user experiences, or unique functionality.
WordPress is one of the most powerful and widely used CMS platforms, making it an excellent choice for businesses looking for a flexible, easy-to-manage solution.
Whether you need a bespoke web design with integrated CMS functionality, or a fully optimised site for SEO and content marketing, WordPress delivers.
For both, we designed for speed, SEO and a seamless user experience.
But while WordPress is excellent for content-rich business websites, it does have limitations for companies that require advanced security, deeper integrations, or large-scale customisation.
On Custom Builds: the power of tailored web development
If you need a completely custom, scalable and secure digital platform, a custom-built website is often the best solution.
We combine a proven project management approach with technologies like Laravel, React, and Next.js, to develop high-performance platforms that go beyond WordPress capabilities.
Dynamic scalability, adapting as your business grows
Take the website we designed & built for Arnold & Baldwin for example. It’s more than a website: it’s a platform for business growth that incorporates a business application, and it’s all built for security, user experience and seamless integrations.
With separate desktop and mobile versions, this fully custom-built platform offers far more flexibility than a standard website and app development project.
While a custom-developed website requires a higher initial investment, the long-term scalability, security, and advanced features far outweigh those of a templated solution.
On Shopify: the ultimate eCommerce powerhouse
For transaction-based, shopping cart style businesses, Shopify’s streamlined, all-in-one eCommerce platform is perfect for small retailers and growing online stores. Their built-in tools make selling online easier than ever.
Why Shopify?
Easily manage products, inventory, and orders
Built-in marketing and SEO tools for organic growth
Secure payment gateways for a seamless checkout experience
A vast library of plugins to enhance functionality
The Shopify eCommerce stores we’ve built, designed and launched for clients such as Staunton Park and MetalCraft, give them and their customers a fast, user-friendly, and conversion-focused online presence.
For brands with complex product ranges, multi-language requirements, or highly customised sales funnels, a fully custom-built eCommerce solution may be the better fit.
On our approach: how we design websites for success
A high-performing website isn’t just about looking good – it needs to drive business growth, integrate seamlessly with your systems, and remain secure, scalable, and optimised over time.
At HeightOn, we follow a proven nine-step process to create tailored web solutions that work harder for your business.
Whether it’s a bespoke WordPress website design, a fully custom platform, or a high-performance eCommerce store, our structured approach ensures that your digital presence is built to last.
Step 1 – Discovery: understanding the solution
Before we start designing, we immerse ourselves in your business to understand your objectives, audience, and challenges. That all includes:
Discovery to define your website’s purpose, functionality & goals
Identifying the right platform & tech stack (WordPress, Shopify, Laravel, React, etc.)
Outlining scalability, security, and third-party integrations
This step ensures we choose the best-fit technology to support your long-term business growth.
Live deployment with full monitoring & post-launch support
We don’t just launch your website – we make sure it’s secure, stable, and high-performing from day one.
Step 9 – Ongoing support, maintenance & digital marketing retainers
A website isn’t a one-time project. It’s an evolving business tool. That’s why we provide ongoing support, maintenance & digital marketing services to keep your website performing at its best.
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) – Many of our clients have critical online operations, and we support them on a monthly contract for website maintenance, performance monitoring, and security updates.
Creative Digital marketing – Helping businesses generate leads through SEO strategies, PPC advertising (Google Ads, social media ads), and ongoing conversion rate optimisation.
Performance tracking & analytics – Using Google tools and advanced digital marketing software to fine-tune the website for continuous improvement.
With our proactive support & creative digital marketing expertise, we ensure your website remains a powerful, lead-generating asset for years to come.
At HeightOn, we don’t just build websites – we create long-term digital solutions that enhance brand credibility, drive revenue, and support business growth.
There are key considerations that are fundamental to great website design that aren’t always obvious to the untrained eye!
These considerations are baked into our process and inform decision-making at every step.
Want to know what they are? Read on…
Crafting first impressions that count
If your website is the first place that customers meet you, excellent design lays the foundation to build your brand’s reputation. That’s why we work meticulously to design websites that not only look stunning but deliver an incredible user experience…
Feel good – and functional
Visual appeal is important. But functionality is the heartbeat of any website. So, we set out to ensure that every click drives your business forward with custom, user-friendly websites that impress and engage with a seamless experience.
Mobile first web design
Why do you need to be mobile first? Because your customers are. More than half of web traffic comes from mobile devices and more than half (53%) of those abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load. Our mobile-first design approach ensures your site is responsive AND can be viewed optimally across all devices. That’s good for both user satisfaction and SEO.
Investing in excellence
Investing in top-notch web design goes beyond being a business cost. It’s an investment in an asset that grows and adapts with your success. That’s why we partner you throughout the process and ensure you get a website that delivers real results.
We’ve worked with Arnold & Baldwin for more than 10 years, building their brand and their website, tripling their client instructions within a year, streamlining their lead management and significantly reducing admin time – amongst other things!
“Digital marketing is now a central part of any marketing strategy, while print remains a valuable complementary marketing asset, getting your brand right into people’s homes and hands. We can help you with both.”
Domonique HeightOn
“We’ve collaborated with Chris Heighton and The Heighton Agency for over a decade, and their impact on my business has been monumental. Their skill in understanding the intricacies of the Chartered Surveyor sector has been invaluable. The recent rebrand they executed for us was not just aesthetically pleasing but strategically designed to resonate with our target audience. From our business stationery and marketing collateral to the specialist interior decor elements like wallpaper and window art in our new head office – every detail reflects our brand ethos and sets us apart in the market. Their expertise doesn’t stop at branding; they have overhauled our website to make it a business-lead-generating tool. They manage our digital & marketing strategy including Google Ads, ensuring we stay ahead in search rankings & online advertising, which has been a major factor in tripling our client instructions over the past year.”
“Chris and his team at The Heighton Agency have provided my company with various creative & technical services over the last 15 years. From brand development, photography to technical data sheets, website design and development, posters and exhibitions. They never fail to deliver under such short and demanding time-frames. A highly recommended organisation with fantastic communications and a proactive approach.”
Anonymous, Sales Director
On Building a B2B business
Randoll Industrial, a team of local dynamic and ambitious industrial electrical engineers, asked us to design their website. Our strategy, build and design increased key commercial contracts by 7! Plus we generated a 100% increase in website lead conversion.
“We kind of knew we needed a website design and marketing support but once we got talking to Chris, he understood exactly what we needed and how to implement it all as effectively as possible. The brand development work has given us all a renewed clarity about what we do and what we do well and made us look much more like the professional team that we are. The idea for a brochure is a stroke of genius and I can see how it will really add value to our business in the long term.”
Joel Randoll, Director
Want to improve your brand and customer experience with a new website design that’s built to suit your business and your budget?
Whether you want a new website, a rebrand, or a comprehensive digital strategy, we can help you identify exactly what you need.
Need a more in-depth solution? Check out how our bespoke web and app development can enhance security, scalability and integrations for start-ups, SMEs and established brands.
