WordPress powers over 43% of all websites on the internet, and for good reason. At The Web Design Company, we have been building WordPress websites for businesses across Watford, Hertfordshire, and the wider UK for years, helping more than 200 businesses establish a professional online presence that works hard for them around the clock. Our dedicated WordPress team, led by Lasan (our WordPress and technical SEO specialist) and Rakesh (our PHP developer), builds every site using Breakdance, one of the most powerful and performance-focused builders available for WordPress today. Whether you are a local tradesperson, a growing SME, or an established Hertfordshire business ready for a serious digital upgrade, we have the skills and the track record to deliver a WordPress website that looks exceptional and performs even better.
When our clients ask us which platform they should build on, the answer is almost always WordPress. Here is why it remains the dominant choice for serious business websites.
WordPress is used by more than 43% of all websites globally, including major brands, government departments, and news publishers. That dominance is not accidental. It reflects decades of refinement, a massive support community, and a platform that continues to evolve. When you build on WordPress, you are building on infrastructure that is tested, scrutinised, and improved by millions of developers worldwide.
Unlike subscription-based platforms that lock your content into their ecosystem, WordPress is open-source software that you own and control entirely. Your site, your data, your files. If you ever switch hosting providers or agencies, you take everything with you. There are no proprietary export limitations, no sudden pricing hikes, and no risk of a platform discontinuing a feature you depend on.
WordPress can power a five-page brochure site, a 500-product eCommerce store, a membership portal, a booking system, or a multilingual directory, all from the same core installation. With over 59,000 plugins in the official repository alone, almost any feature you can imagine can be added without bespoke coding. And when you do need something truly custom, our PHP developer Rakesh can build it from scratch.
WordPress has a long-standing reputation as an SEO-friendly platform. Clean permalink structures, fast schema integration, image optimisation tools, XML sitemaps, and compatibility with leading SEO plugins make it far easier to rank a WordPress site than a platform with rigid, template-driven URL and metadata constraints. Our technical SEO specialist works directly in the WordPress environment, ensuring your site is set up correctly from day one rather than patched together after launch.
Once your site is live, you will not need to call us every time you want to update a service page or publish a blog post. WordPress has one of the most intuitive content management interfaces available, and we include a training session with every project so you and your team feel confident managing your own content. Businesses that keep their site fresh see measurably better results, and WordPress makes that easy.
We offer a comprehensive range of WordPress services designed to take your project from initial brief through to a high-performing live website. Every engagement is bespoke; we do not use off-the-shelf templates or copy-paste solutions.
Every WordPress website we build starts with a custom design created specifically for your brand. We use Breakdance as our primary builder, which gives us pixel-level design control without the bloat and performance penalties that come with some older page builders. Your site will not look like anyone else’s because it is built entirely around your brand colours, typography, tone of voice, and audience. We wireframe and prototype before building, so you see exactly what you are getting before a single line of code is committed. Take a look at our bespoke web design service for more detail on how we approach fully custom builds.
WordPress plugins are powerful, but poorly chosen or poorly configured plugins are one of the leading causes of slow, insecure, and unstable websites. Our team evaluates every plugin we install for performance impact, update frequency, security history, and compatibility. We integrate booking systems, CRM connectors, live chat, review platforms, form builders, payment gateways, and more, always prioritising lightweight, well-maintained solutions. If a plugin does not exist for what you need, Rakesh can build a custom one.
A slow website loses customers. Research consistently shows that a one-second delay in page load time can reduce conversions by up to 7%, and Google’s Core Web Vitals now factor page speed directly into search rankings. Every WordPress site we build is optimised from the ground up: image compression and next-generation formats, lazy loading, server-side caching, CSS and JavaScript minification, a lean plugin stack, and hosting recommendations tailored to your expected traffic. Our target for every build is a Google PageSpeed Insights score of 90 or above on both mobile and desktop before the site goes live.
Technical SEO is built into our process, not bolted on afterwards. Before launch, we configure your XML sitemap, robots.txt, canonical tags, structured data markup, Open Graph meta tags, and heading hierarchy. We carry out keyword mapping so that each page targets the right search terms, and we set up Google Search Console and Google Analytics so you can track performance from day one. For ongoing SEO support, visit our dedicated search engine optimisation page.
WooCommerce is the world’s most widely used eCommerce platform, installed on over 6.5 million websites. It gives you complete control over your product catalogue, pricing, promotions, inventory, shipping, and checkout experience, with none of the transaction fees that subscription platforms charge. We build WooCommerce stores that are fast, easy to manage, and conversion-optimised, from single-product businesses to large catalogues with multiple categories and variations. Our WooCommerce development service covers everything from initial setup through to custom functionality and payment gateway integration.
We include a one-to-one training session with every WordPress project we complete. We walk you through the WordPress dashboard, show you how to update pages, add blog posts, manage images, and use the specific plugins installed on your site. We also record the session so you have a reference to come back to. Our goal is to make you genuinely independent, not to keep you reliant on us for basic updates. That said, we offer ongoing support retainers for businesses that prefer to hand off all content management to us entirely.
We want to give you an honest picture of how WordPress compares to the other major website platforms. Every platform has its place, but for most business websites, the comparison is fairly clear.
| Feature | WordPress | Wix | Squarespace | Shopify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You own the website | Yes, fully | No, platform-dependent | No, platform-dependent | No, platform-dependent |
| Monthly fees after build | Hosting only (from ~£5/mo) | Required subscription | Required subscription | Required subscription from £25/mo |
| Transaction fees on sales | None (WooCommerce) | Up to 3% on lower plans | Up to 3% on lower plans | 0.5 to 2% unless using Shopify Payments |
| Design flexibility | Unlimited | Moderate, template-based | Good within templates | Limited to theme structures |
| SEO capability | Excellent | Basic | Moderate | Good for product pages |
| Plugin ecosystem | 59,000+ plugins | Limited app market | Limited extensions | Strong but eCommerce-focused |
| Custom functionality | Yes, via PHP development | Very limited | Very limited | Moderate via Liquid templates |
| Content portability | Full export at any time | Difficult to migrate | Difficult to migrate | Product data exportable, design is not |
| Best suited for | All business types | Simple personal sites | Portfolio and lifestyle brands | Pure eCommerce businesses |
Wix and Squarespace are fine for individuals who want to put something basic online quickly. For a business serious about growth, SEO, and long-term digital investment, WordPress is the platform with the least compromise. And if eCommerce is your primary focus, WooCommerce on WordPress gives you more control and lower ongoing costs than most dedicated eCommerce platforms.
We follow a structured six-step process for every WordPress project. This keeps your build on time, on budget, and aligned with your goals at every stage.
We start with a detailed conversation about your business, your target audience, your competitors, and what you want your website to achieve. We ask about your existing brand assets, any pages or content you want to carry over, and any specific functionality requirements. This discovery stage shapes everything that follows, so we take our time here. You will leave this meeting with a clear scope of work and a project timeline.
Before any design work begins, Nish and Lasan map out the keyword strategy for your site. We identify the search terms your target customers are using, assess the competitive landscape, and plan your site architecture around pages that have the best chance of ranking and converting. This step ensures that SEO is baked into the structure of your site from the very beginning, not added as an afterthought.
We create wireframes for the key pages of your site before moving into full visual design. Wireframes let us agree on layout, content hierarchy, and user flow without getting distracted by colours and fonts. Once wireframes are signed off, we move into full design, presenting you with a homepage mockup that establishes the visual direction for the entire project. We do not build until you are happy with how it looks.
With designs approved, Lasan and Rakesh build the site on a private staging environment. We use Breakdance to construct each page with precision, integrate all required plugins, set up your forms and integrations, and populate the site with your content. At this stage we are also configuring technical SEO settings, image optimisation, and caching. You have access to the staging site throughout the build so you can review progress in real time.
Before launch, every page goes through a rigorous quality assurance checklist. We test across Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. We test on mobile, tablet, and desktop viewports. We run PageSpeed Insights on all key pages and resolve any score below 90. We check every form submission, every link, every image, every redirect. We also run a full technical SEO audit to catch any indexing or crawlability issues before they become live problems.
We manage the launch process entirely, including DNS changes if required, SSL certificate setup, and submission to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Once live, we run your training session and hand over all access credentials securely. We then monitor the site for 48 hours after launch to catch any unexpected issues. You receive a full handover document with everything you need to manage and grow your site going forward.
Here are three examples of WordPress websites we have delivered for clients across Hertfordshire and beyond. Full case studies are available on request.
A sole trader with no web presence approached us needing a professional website that would help them compete for plumbing and heating work across Watford and the surrounding towns. We built a five-page WordPress site using Breakdance, focused on local SEO from the ground up. Pages were built around specific service and location keywords, with a Google review widget integrated to build trust immediately. Within four months of launch, the site was ranking on page one for the client’s primary target keywords, and the owner reported that over 60% of new enquiries were now coming through the website rather than word of mouth alone.
A small accountancy practice with an outdated and slow website needed a complete rebuild that would reflect their professional credentials and attract new business clients. We redesigned and rebuilt their site on WordPress, replacing a bloated legacy theme with a clean Breakdance build that loaded in under two seconds on mobile. We set up a blog section with pillar content targeting business accounting search terms, and integrated a contact form with automated email notifications. The practice saw a 40% increase in website enquiries in the six months following launch compared to the same period the previous year.
A specialist product retailer needed to move from a subscription eCommerce platform to a solution they fully owned and controlled. We migrated their entire product catalogue to WooCommerce on WordPress, setting up structured product categories, a streamlined checkout flow, and integration with their existing payment processor. We also resolved a number of technical SEO issues that had been suppressing their organic visibility. Post-migration, their PageSpeed score improved from 54 to 91 on mobile, and organic traffic increased by 28% within three months as previously suppressed pages began to rank. For more on what we can do with WooCommerce, see our WooCommerce development service.
We believe in transparent, straightforward pricing with no hidden costs and no ongoing agency fees attached to a platform subscription you cannot escape. Our WordPress web design projects start from £950 as a one-off investment, with no VAT charged.
Ideal for sole traders and small businesses that need a professional five-page website with a clear focus on generating enquiries. Includes custom Breakdance design, mobile optimisation, contact form setup, basic SEO configuration, Google Analytics integration, and a training session. Hosting and domain are not included but we can advise on appropriate options for your budget and traffic expectations.
Suited to established businesses that need a larger site with more pages, richer content, and additional functionality. This tier typically covers 8 to 15 pages, a blog setup, advanced local SEO configuration, plugin integrations (such as booking systems or CRM connectors), custom post types if required, and a more extensive training session covering content management for the whole team.
A full WooCommerce build including product catalogue setup, payment gateway integration, shipping configuration, inventory management, and conversion-focused product and checkout page design. Pricing scales based on catalogue size, the complexity of product variations, and any custom functionality requirements. See our dedicated WooCommerce developers page for full details.
Membership sites, directory platforms, custom web applications, and other projects with significant bespoke development requirements are quoted individually after a detailed discovery conversation. Visit our bespoke web design page to learn more, or contact us directly to discuss your requirements. There is no obligation and no charge for an initial conversation.
All projects are priced as a single one-off investment. Once the site is live, your only ongoing costs are hosting (typically £5 to £20 per month depending on your requirements) and any optional support retainer you choose to add. We do not charge monthly agency fees simply to keep your site accessible, unlike some platforms that hold your website hostage behind a subscription.
We are happy to discuss phased payment arrangements for larger projects. Call us on 01923 883936 or use our contact form to get a tailored quote.
A standard five-page WordPress site typically takes three to four weeks from brief to launch. Larger sites with more pages or custom functionality usually take six to ten weeks. The timeline depends largely on how quickly we receive your content and feedback at each stage. We will give you a realistic project schedule at the outset and keep you updated throughout.
No. WordPress is designed to be managed by non-technical users, and we build our sites with that in mind. We include a training session with every project, walking you through exactly how to update your pages, add blog posts, manage images, and handle any routine tasks. If you can use Microsoft Word, you can manage a WordPress website.
Yes, every site we build is fully responsive and tested across multiple devices and screen sizes before launch. Mobile performance is a priority for us, both because more than half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices and because Google uses mobile performance as a primary ranking signal. We aim for a PageSpeed score of 90 or above on mobile for every project.
WordPress core is highly secure when kept up to date, but websites can become vulnerable if plugins are not updated regularly, if weak passwords are used, or if security best practices are not followed during setup. We configure every site with security hardening measures as standard, including login protection, file permission settings, and regular update schedules. We also recommend a reliable managed hosting provider with automated backups.
Yes. We take on existing WordPress sites for redesigns, speed optimisation, SEO work, or ongoing maintenance. Before taking over any site, we carry out a technical review to assess its current state and flag any issues that need addressing. This gives you a clear picture of what you are working with and what the path forward looks like.
We can, yes. Copywriting is available as an add-on to any WordPress project. Our content is written with both search engines and real people in mind, targeting the keywords identified during our strategy phase while speaking clearly and compellingly to your target audience. Many clients provide their own content to keep costs down, and we are happy to work with either approach.
Yes. We offer optional support retainers that cover WordPress core updates, plugin updates, security monitoring, uptime monitoring, and a set number of content update hours each month. This is particularly popular with businesses that want complete peace of mind without needing to think about website maintenance at all. Retainer pricing is discussed after project completion based on your site’s complexity and your anticipated needs.
Absolutely. Your WordPress website is yours entirely. You can move to any hosting provider you choose at any time, and we will assist with the migration if needed. This is one of the key advantages of building on WordPress: you are never locked into a specific provider or agency. We can recommend hosting providers suited to your budget and traffic requirements, but the choice is entirely yours.
WordPress.com is a hosted subscription service with significant limitations on customisation and plugin installation. WordPress.org is the open-source software that you install on your own hosting, giving you complete control over your site. When we talk about building WordPress websites, we always mean WordPress.org. This is the version used by the vast majority of professional businesses and agencies worldwide.
Yes, and this is one of our key strengths. Every WordPress site we build is technically optimised for search engines from the ground up. We also carry out keyword research and site architecture planning before the build begins, so every page is set up to target the right search terms. For businesses that want to go further with ongoing SEO, we offer a dedicated search engine optimisation service that builds on the technical foundation established during the website build.
Whether you are starting from scratch or looking to replace an underperforming site, our WordPress team in Watford is ready to help. We build websites that look the part, load fast, rank well, and bring in real enquiries from real customers. With more than 200 businesses already trusting us with their online presence across Hertfordshire and beyond, you are in good hands.
Prices start from £950 as a one-off investment with no ongoing agency fees. Call us on 01923 883936 to talk through your project, or use the form below to request a free quote. We will get back to you within one working day.
You can also explore our web design services in Watford or learn more about our approach to bespoke web design if you have a more complex requirement in mind.
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