Web designer or conversion specialist: who do you need?

Key takeaways

A web designer makes a website look right and work well. A conversion specialist makes it produce more enquiries or sales from the same traffic, using data, copy and testing. Most small businesses need both skills, but not always two suppliers. The right choice depends on whether your problem is how the site looks and works, or what it achieves.

• Web designer: layout, visuals, build and usability.
• Conversion specialist: data, messaging, friction and measurement.
• Low traffic or broken platform: start with design and build.
• Healthy traffic, weak enquiries: start with conversion.

What does a web designer do?

A web designer plans and creates the look, layout and structure of a website, and often builds it. Good designers also consider usability and accessibility. Their measure of success is usually a site that looks professional, fits the brand and works on every device. That is a good website.

• The difference between a good website and a high-converting website

What does a conversion specialist do?

A conversion specialist, sometimes called a CRO (conversion rate optimisation) specialist, works on turning more visitors into customers. They set up tracking, analyse where visitors drop out, rewrite headlines and calls to action, add proof, reduce friction and test changes. Their measure of success is qualified enquiries or revenue per visitor.

• Run a website conversion audit in one afternoon

How do they compare?

The two roles overlap but start from different questions.

• Starting question: designer asks 'how should this look?'; specialist asks 'why are visitors leaving?'
• Main tools: designer uses design software and code; specialist uses analytics, recordings and copy.
• Output: designer delivers a site; specialist delivers a stream of measured changes.
• Measure: designer judges quality and brand fit; specialist judges enquiries and revenue.
• Timing: designer works in projects; specialist works continuously.

• Website design vs conversion: where the two part ways

Which do you need?

Start with a designer when the site is broken, badly dated, impossible to update or built on an unsupported platform. Start with a conversion specialist when the site works, gets steady traffic and still produces too few enquiries. If you are commissioning a new site, choose a supplier who brings conversion thinking into the design brief from the start.

• Broken, dated or unsupported site: designer and developer first.
• Working site, 1,000+ visits a month, weak enquiries: conversion first.
• New build: a team that does both, or both briefed together.
• Very low traffic: visibility before either.

• Agency, freelancer or website builder?

What does each cost in the UK?

Indicative UK market ranges: a small business website redesign typically costs £3,000 to £12,000, and a rebuild £5,000 to £20,000 or more. Focused conversion work on existing pages typically costs £500 to £3,000 as a project, with ongoing conversion support often priced monthly. Ask any supplier what they will measure and how.

• What conversion improvement work costs in the UK
• how much a business website costs in the UK

What are the risks of choosing the wrong one?

Hiring only a designer to fix a conversion problem often produces a better-looking site with the same enquiry rate. Hiring only a conversion specialist for a broken platform means fighting the technology on every change. Ask candidates for before-and-after numbers, not just portfolios.

• Questions to ask a web design agency before signing

What does this look like in practice?

A UK recruitment agency hired a designer twice to 'fix' low candidate and client enquiries. Each new site looked better and performed about the same. A conversion review found untracked calls, a 14-field client form and job pages with no apply button above the fold. Fixing those on the existing site lifted enquiries more than either redesign.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Choosing checklist

• Decide whether the problem is how the site works or what it achieves.
• Check whether tracking shows enquiries by source.
• Check traffic: over 1,000 visits a month suits conversion work.
• Ask suppliers for before-and-after numbers.
• Ask what they will measure and report.
• For a new build, brief design and conversion together.

Next step

Global Bridge Labs (GBL) brings design, build and conversion together for UK businesses, so the site looks right and earns its keep. If you are unsure which problem you have, we will tell you honestly.