Web design studio: what you get, how it differs from a freelancer or an agency, and how to choose one
What a web design studio does, how it compares with a freelancer, template or agency, how to choose one, what a proposal lists, timing and red flags.
Part of the guide: How to build a business website, step by step
A web design studio is a small team that plans, designs, writes and builds a website from the first brief to launch, and usually looks after it afterwards. Unlike a freelancer, it has several people in different roles; unlike a large agency, the person who presents the work is usually the person who does it. To choose one, check four things: live sites they have built, a written process, who writes the words, and who owns the code, domain and accounts at the end. Compare prices only once every proposal lists the same items.
This article is about choosing who builds the site. The questions before that, what the site needs to do and on which platform, are covered in our guide to building a business website, and the money side in how much a business website costs.
Studio, freelancer, template or agency
| Template site | Freelancer | Studio | Large agency | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | You, on a platform such as Wix or Shopify | One person, sometimes with subcontractors | A standing team: design, development, content, project lead | Departments, sometimes with outside developers |
| Design | An existing template with your colours and logo | Depends on the person: from full design to adjusting a template | Designed for the business, usually on its own component system | Full design, often as part of a campaign or rebrand |
| Copy and images | Yours | Usually yours | Often included or offered as a line item | Included, at agency rates |
| Who answers when it breaks | The platform’s support | The person, when available | The studio, under a maintenance agreement | An account manager, under contract |
| Fits | A business starting out on a small budget | A simple site with a clear brief | A business whose website is a core working tool | A large brand with a media budget, the site one part of it |
There is no single right answer. A template site with good copy and good photographs beats a designed site with weak copy. But once a site has to bring enquiries, sell, work in two languages and meet accessibility rules, the work splits across several disciplines, and that is where a studio earns its place: one party responsible for all of it.
What a web design studio actually does
- Discovery. What the site must achieve, who it speaks to, which pages it has, and the one action each page leads to.
- Structure and content. A sitemap, the order of sections on each page, and the words themselves. A good studio writes before it designs, because the design is built around the words.
- Design. A home page and a template for each type of page, on desktop and phone, in more than one language if needed.
- Development. Built on a platform or in code, with forms and connections to a CRM, payments or bookings.
- Accessibility, speed and search. Built to WCAG, images at the right size, titles and descriptions for every page, structured data for Google.
- Launch and handover. Moving to the domain, redirects from the old site, analytics, training, and handing every login to the owner.
- Maintenance. Updates, backups, fixes and small changes after launch; see website maintenance.
How to choose a web design studio
Live sites, not just images
Ask for links to sites the studio built that are still online. Open them on a phone, fill in a form, switch language and back. A screenshot shows design; a live site shows whether it loads quickly, works on a phone and is still maintained. If some of the portfolio is concept work, that is fine, as long as it says so.
A written process
A serious studio can describe its stages, what you approve at each one, how many revision rounds there are, and what happens when something changes midway. If the answer is “we’ll start and see”, there is no process.
Who writes the words
This is the question most businesses forget to ask. If the copy is yours, plan the time it takes; in most delayed projects, what holds things up is content rather than design. Ask the proposal to state who writes, who translates and who supplies the images.
Who owns the code, domain and accounts
The domain, hosting, Google Analytics, Search Console, the Google Business Profile and the platform account should be registered to the business, with the studio given access. Not the other way round. In many countries, including Israel, copyright in commissioned work belongs to its creator unless agreed otherwise, and a transfer has to be in writing; in Israel these are sections 35 and 37 of the Copyright Act (in Hebrew). So ask for the contract to assign the rights in the design and custom code, and to list third-party components and licences. This is not legal advice.
Accessibility
Many countries require websites that serve the public to meet accessibility rules, most based on WCAG. In Israel, regulation 35 of the accessibility regulations requires Israeli Standard 5568 at level AA (summary from Access Israel, in Hebrew). Ask how the studio tests: keyboard navigation, screen readers, contrast, forms, an accessibility statement. If the only answer is a plugin with an accessibility button, that is not an answer. More in our website accessibility guide.
Speed
Google defines three Core Web Vitals: the largest content on the page loaded within 2.5 seconds, a response to interaction within 200 milliseconds, and layout shift of 0.1 or less, measured at the 75th percentile of visits. Ask the studio to show these numbers for sites it has already built, not just to promise them.
What happens after launch
Ask who updates the site, what it costs, how fast a fault is fixed, and what happens if you want to move to another supplier. A studio that builds a site only it can edit creates dependence, even without meaning to.
What the proposal should include
- A list of pages and templates, and what each includes.
- Who writes the copy, who translates, and who supplies or produces images.
- The number of design directions and revision rounds at each stage.
- Platform or technology, and why.
- Languages, and if there is a second one, whether it is a separate site or a translation; see bilingual websites.
- Integrations: forms, CRM, payments, bookings, email.
- Accessibility: to which standard, what is tested, who writes the statement.
- Search basics: titles, descriptions, sitemap, redirects from the old site.
- A schedule with approval dates, and what happens if an approval is late.
- Ownership: domain, accounts, code, design files.
- Yearly cost: hosting, licences, maintenance, and what counts as paid change.
A proposal that lists all of this lets you compare studios. One that says only “business website, 8 pages” leaves most decisions for after signing. To get precise proposals, send a proper brief; we wrote up how to brief a studio.
Process and timeline
7 steps
Brief and proposal
You send what you need; the studio replies with a direction, a price and a date.
Discovery
Sitemap, page structure and the main action on each page.
Content
Copy and images, or at least a real draft of them.
Design
The home page and one page of each type, on phone and desktop, with revision rounds.
Development
Build, forms and integrations, on a staging address.
Testing
Browsers, phones, accessibility, speed, forms, redirects.
Launch
Move to the domain, analytics, Search Console, and handing over access.
A business website usually takes six weeks to three months; a store or a site with bookings takes longer. What sets the time is mainly the number of templates, who writes the content, the number of languages and integrations, and how quickly the business approves each stage. A single landing page can be ready in a few weeks.
Red flags
- No live sites to show, only images or templates.
- The domain or hosting is registered to the studio, and there is “no need” for you to have access.
- A final price with no questions, before anyone understood what the site has to do.
- “Unlimited revisions”. Sounds generous; usually signals a process with no approval points.
- Accessibility means a plugin, with no word on testing the code and content.
- Nothing about content. The silent assumption is that you write it all.
- Nothing about life after launch, or a monthly retainer with no list of what it covers.
How pricing is structured
A studio’s price comes from the scope of work, not from the page count alone: how many distinct templates, who produces the content, how many languages, which integrations, and what level of accessibility and testing. On top come yearly costs: domain, hosting, licences and maintenance. Ranges by type of site, and what moves them, are in how much a business website costs. Ask every supplier to price the same list of items, and only then compare.
Examples from the studio
A few of our projects show the difference between types of site. The Névé clinic website is a business site with treatment pages, a team page, FAQs and an enquiry form. The OVELLE jewellery store is a full store with product pages, a bag and checkout. The SKYLARK platform, pictured at the top of this page, books private flights, with one side for the client and one for the operator. These are concepts we built with fictional businesses, to show the work.
Web design at Libra
We plan, write, design and build websites, landing pages and stores, in Hebrew and English, to Israeli Standard 5568, with the domain and accounts registered to the business. The work is described on websites, landing pages and stores. If you are choosing a studio for your site, send a brief with what the site needs to do and what already exists. We reply by email with a direction, a written price and a date.
No term matches.
Questions
What is the difference between a web design studio and a freelancer?
A freelancer is one person who does most of the work alone, and the copy and images are usually yours. A studio has a team with separate roles, design, development, content and project management, and one party responsible for all of it, including maintenance after launch.
How do I choose a web design studio?
Look at live sites they built, on a phone and a computer; ask for a written process; ask who writes the copy; make sure the domain and accounts are in the business’s name; and ask how they meet accessibility requirements and what happens after launch.
How long does a web design studio take to build a site?
A business website usually takes six weeks to three months, and a store or booking system longer. It depends on the number of templates, languages and integrations, who writes the content, and how quickly each stage is approved.
What should a website proposal include?
Pages and templates, who writes and who supplies images, revision rounds, platform, languages, integrations, accessibility, search basics, a schedule, ownership of the domain and code, and the yearly cost.
Who owns the website after I pay the studio?
In many countries, including Israel, copyright in commissioned work stays with its creator unless agreed otherwise, and a transfer must be in writing. So the contract should assign the rights, and the domain and accounts should be registered to the business from the start.
How much does a web design studio charge?
The price is set by scope: templates, content, languages, integrations and accessibility, plus yearly costs for hosting, licences and maintenance. Ranges by type of site are in our article on how much a business website costs.
Getting started
Want this for your business?
Send a short brief: three required questions, the rest only if you like. We reply by email with a direction, a written price and a date.
