Web designer in Ely, Cambridgeshire

Web design in Ely that turns visitors into enquiries, at a fixed price.

I’ve been designing websites since 2001, more than 1,200 of them, and I still build every one myself from a studio just outside Ely. Most brochure sites land under £6,500 and take four to six weeks from our first call to going live, and it’s me who designs, writes, builds and launches it, at a fixed price agreed in writing before any work starts.

Book a 20-minute call Email me

Smaller sites from £1,700 Most land under £6,500 Larger bespoke sites quoted to scope One fixed price, in writing, before any work begins.

The Old Warehouse, Ely: website by Lord Knows

Flora Laura Flowers, Ely: website and online shop by Lord Knows

Windmill Cottage, Ely: website by Lord Knows

Three Ely sites: The Old Warehouse, Flora Laura Flowers and Windmill Cottage.

Three things you can count on

The person you brief is the person who designs and builds it.
Fast, built for the phone first, easy to update yourself.
You own everything: domain, hosting, code, the lot.

Ely

A cathedral city where most customers still start with a search.

Ely is small enough that people still ask a neighbour for a recommendation, and big enough that the neighbour usually says “have a look at their website” first.

I work from a studio in Littleport, ten minutes up the road from Ely, and most of the sites I’ve built over the years are for businesses within a short drive of the cathedral: holiday lets by the river like The Old Warehouse and Windmill Cottage, a florist with an online shop in Flora Laura Flowers, Ely Rowing Club, Elyte Chauffeurs, and Woodlands Farm Units on the edge of Littleport. When someone in Ely searches for a plumber, a florist or somewhere to stay, they are not comparing you with the whole country. They are comparing you with the four or five businesses on the first page, and that’s a contest a well-built site can win.

Ely searches are mostly local ones, which means Google’s map results and your Google Business Profile do a lot of the work, and I set both up properly as part of the build rather than leaving them for later. Cambridge, twenty-five minutes down the A10, is a different game with bigger competitors, and there’s a separate page on web design in Cambridge if that’s where your customers are.

If you would rather talk than type, I’ll come to you, or we can meet for a coffee in Ely. Plenty of my clients I’ve only ever met on Zoom, and the work is no different either way.

What you get

Everything a website needs to actually launch, in one fixed price.

A website is only useful once it’s live, found and easy for you to change. So the price covers the whole job, not just the design.

If something is missing from this list, ask. If it belongs in the build, it goes in the quote.

i.A proper conversation firstBefore anything is designed we talk about your business, your customers and what a good result looks like for you. The site gets built around that, not around a template.

ii.Bespoke designNo theme pulled off the shelf. A layout, look and tone of voice designed for your business and the people you want to reach, so it looks like you rather than everyone else.

iii.CopywritingIf you want it written, I write it. If you would rather write it yourself, I edit it so it sounds like you and reads well on a phone.

iv.SEO from day oneTechnical setup, on-page work, schema, sitemap, local search and your Google Business Profile, done as part of the build rather than bolted on later.

v.Built for the phone firstMost of your visitors are on a phone, so that’s the version I design first. Desktop follows, and both load fast.

vi.Training and handoverA 30-minute walk-through of the editor and a short written guide for the things you’ll change most: opening hours, prices, photos, news.

vii.A care plan, if you want oneHosting, daily backups, security, updates and a monthly report from £37 a month. Monthly rolling, and you keep everything if you ever leave.

Recent websites

Three sites built the way yours would be.

Different businesses, same approach: one person, a fixed price, and a site the owner can look after themselves.

“Outstanding service. Always there when you need a little help getting to know the ins and outs of your website.”Keith Wilson, The Old Warehouse, Ely

The Old WarehouseEly

Brand, website and SEO for holiday apartments by the river.

Flora Laura FlowersEly

A florist’s website and online shop, with a flower trug where the basket would normally be.

Woodlands Farm UnitsLittleport

Commercial units and storage to let ten minutes from Ely, with a brand, site and photography to match.

See the full portfolio

How it works

Four steps from first call to launch day.

Fixed price, agreed launch date, both in writing before we start. You always know what is happening and what comes next.

Most brochure sites go live four to six weeks after kick-off.

Discover

20 minutes, free

One call, you and me. We talk about your business, your customers, who you’re up against and what a good result looks like. No pitch deck, no homework.

ii.

Plan

Week 1

A written proposal: fixed price, launch date, a page plan, and the points where I’ll need something from you. Sign it or sleep on it, there’s no obligation.

iii.

Build

Weeks 2 to 5

Design, words, development and SEO setup, with a check-in every week so you’re never left wondering. You see real pages as they take shape.

iv.

Launch and care

Week 6 onwards

We go live together and I show you round the editor. From here on I’m the person you email, and you get a reply the same day, Monday to Friday.

Common questions

Before you ask.

The questions that come up on almost every first call about a new website. If yours isn’t here, send it across and I’ll answer plainly.

Still not sure? Drop me a line at enquiries@lordknows.co.uk. I usually reply the same day.

How much does a website cost?

Smaller brochure sites start at £1,700 and most business sites land under £6,500. Online shops start at £4,800, and larger bespoke sites, with more pages, integrations or custom functionality, are quoted to scope. Whatever the size, it’s one fixed price in writing after our first call, and that’s the price you pay however long the work takes me.

How long does it take?

A standard brochure site takes four to six weeks from kick-off to going live. Online shops usually run eight to ten weeks. We agree the launch date in week one and work backwards from it.

Do I need to write the words and take the photos?

Only if you want to. Copywriting can be included in the price, and photography can be arranged with a Cambridgeshire photographer I work with. Most clients write a rough first draft and I tidy it; some hand the whole thing over.

Can I update the site myself afterwards?

Yes. Sites are built on WordPress with a clean, simple editor. You get a 30-minute training session at handover and a short written guide for the things you’ll change most often: opening hours, prices, photos, news.

Will the site show up on Google?

Every site I build has SEO set up from day one: the technical side, the on-page work, local schema and your Google Business Profile. Rankings are earned over months rather than weeks, so the build gets you started and ongoing SEO keeps you moving if you want it.

Do you work with businesses outside Cambridgeshire?

Yes. Most projects run remotely with calls on Zoom, and I’ve clients across the UK. If you’re near Ely we can meet for a coffee, and there are separate pages on web design in Cambridge and web design in Newmarket if one of those is closer to home. Everyone else gets exactly the same standard of work.

Are you actually based in Ely?

Near enough to walk the dog by the river. The studio is at E-Space North on the Wisbech Road in Littleport, CB6 1RA, about ten minutes from the cathedral. Most of my clients are in and around Ely, Cambridge and Newmarket, and a fair few are further afield. If you would rather meet than Zoom, say so and I’ll come to you.

Which Ely businesses have you built websites for?

The Old Warehouse and Windmill Cottage (holiday lets by the river), Flora Laura Flowers (a florist with an online shop), Ely Rowing Club, Elyte Chauffeurs and Woodlands Farm Units in Littleport, among others. They are all in the portfolio, and I’m happy to put you in touch with any of them.

Do I’ve to use WordPress?

No, but for most Ely businesses it’s the right answer: you can edit it yourself, it isn’t tied to any one designer or host, and it doesn’t charge you a slice of every sale the way some shop platforms do. If your job needs something else, I’ll say so on the first call.

Get in touch

Tell me about your website.

Twenty minutes on a call, or a few lines in the form. Tell me what isn’t working and where you would like to be. If I can help, I’ll say how and what it costs: a fixed price, in writing. If I’m not the right fit, I’ll say that too.