Web design for London businesses that actually works.
I'm Chris Allen, a freelance web designer based in Essex. I've spent years building websites for businesses across London, from a specialist gallery in Highgate to a gilding firm in Kensington, with no agency overhead, no offshore developers, and no templates dressed up as bespoke work.
Working with London businesses · 5-star rated on Google · Projects from £899
I won't pretend I've got an office in London
Search for "web design London" and you'll find thousands of agencies, most run from a shared office block with an account manager between you and whoever actually builds the site. I'm not going to claim to be down the road when I'm not, I'm based in Essex, about an hour to ninety minutes away depending on where in London you are.
What I can offer instead is real, ongoing work with London businesses: a specialist gilding firm in Kensington, an art gallery in Highgate, engineering and healthcare clients across East London and the Havering and Redbridge borders. London is a more competitive market than Essex, and I build sites accordingly, proper SEO foundations, real content, nothing generic.
I'm not the cheapest option, and I won't pretend to be. But if you want someone who answers the phone directly and is still around in five years to keep your site running, this is probably worth a conversation.
Recent projects across London
Kensington Gilders
Portfolio website and PPC campaign for a specialist gold leaf gilding firm in Kensington, built to convert high-value enquiries.
Harold Wood, HaveringEye Clinic Opticians
Elegant, user-friendly website with store locator for a 5-branch opticians group on the edge of East London.
London-wideRailings London
Dedicated lead-generation microsite targeting metal railings installation and repair searches across London, built for Waltham Forest Engineering.
Everything a London small business needs
Bespoke design
A site designed around your business, not a template with your logo dropped in. Fast, accessible, and reflects your brand properly.
Local SEO that works
Built from day one to rank for your London keywords, a genuinely competitive market. Schema, structured local content, and the foundations Google rewards.
Astro static performance
Most of my sites score 95+ on Google PageSpeed. Static HTML, no WordPress bloat, instant page loads. Visitors don't bounce.
No plugin time-bombs
WordPress sites break when plugins update. Static sites don't. You get a site that just works, month after month, without surprise downtime.
Real direct contact
Call 01206 355 833 and you get me. Email and you get me. No support ticket queue, no offshore call centre, no chatbot.
Proven in London
From a Kensington gilding specialist to East London engineering and healthcare clients, I've built for London businesses before and can do it for yours.
Serving London and the surrounding boroughs
I work with businesses across London, from Kensington to Highgate to the East London boroughs bordering Essex, alongside my regular client base across Essex. Most projects run over call, email and video, with in-person meetings when they're useful.
Common questions
Questions worth asking
Are you based in London?
Not physically, no. I'm based in Essex near Colchester, about an hour to ninety minutes from most of London depending on traffic. What I do have is ongoing work with London businesses, including a gilding specialist in Kensington and engineering and clinic clients across East London, a direct phone number that reaches me and not a call centre, and I'm happy to meet in person when it's useful or run the whole project by call, email and video when that's easier.
Do you know the London market?
I've built and managed websites for London businesses for years, from a specialist gilding firm in Kensington to engineering and healthcare clients across East London and the Havering/Redbridge borders. London is a more competitive market than Essex, especially for search rankings, and that's exactly the kind of project I enjoy: proper SEO foundations, real content, no shortcuts.
How much does a website cost?
Brochure sites start from £899, e-commerce from £2,999. Everything is fixed price. You get a written quote before any work starts, and there are no hourly bills or surprise extras. The services page has the full tiered breakdown.
What areas do you cover?
I'm based near Colchester and work with small businesses across Essex and into East London, including Maldon, Tiptree, West Mersea, Braintree, Halstead, Witham, Chelmsford, Clacton and Frinton. I've also built and continue to manage sites for clients in Loughton and Harold Wood, and regularly work with businesses across Romford, Brentwood and the wider Havering area. Everything's handled remotely, video calls and screen shares, so location is never really a barrier, it just helps to know the area.
How long does it take to build?
A typical small business site takes 3 to 5 weeks once we agree the brief. E-commerce and larger projects take 6 to 10 weeks. I work in stages and share progress along the way, so you are not waiting in the dark for six weeks while I disappear.
Do I own the site once it launches?
Yes. The code, the design, the domain, and the content are all yours. If you ever want to move to a different developer or self-host, I will hand everything over with no fuss. No vendor lock-in.
See your new website
before you commit
I'll design a custom homepage for your London business, free, before any conversation about money. Keep it whether we work together or not.
No payment required · 3 working days · Keep the design either way