How to design a website from scratch

Your website is your brand's digital shop window. But most brands share that shop window with thousands of others without realising it. How? Ready-made themes.

Slogans like "Build a site in 5 minutes" look tempting. But the real question is this: is your goal simply "I want a website", or is it "I want my website to make me money"?

I've worked as a freelance graphic designer for 11 years, and I design and code websites from scratch with no ready-made theme. In this article I explain why designing a website from scratch is more effective and how the process works.

The 3 hidden costs of ready-made themes

1. Loss of speed and performance

Ready-made themes carry hundreds of unnecessary features you don't use, and they slow your site down. A slow site = a lost customer. According to Google, when page load time increases by 1 second, the conversion rate drops by 7%. When a site is designed from scratch, only the code you need is written, which means a fast, smooth experience.

2. Brand identity mismatch

With ready-made setups, you have to make your brand fit the theme. But it should be the other way round: the site should fit your brand. When you start from scratch, every pixel is designed around your brand's DNA.

3. Security and update stress

Popular themes are hackers' favourite targets. With a site built from scratch, the code structure is unique to you. Security holes are kept to a minimum, and you're fully in control of updates.

My 4-step process for designing a website from scratch

Step 1. Strategy and user experience (UX)

Before writing any code, I plan the user journey. I produce a sitemap and wireframes. For an e-commerce site, I optimise every step, from the product page to the basket and from the basket to checkout.

Step 2. Original interface design (UI)

Staying 100% true to your brand identity, I draw up a design made just for you. A clear typographic hierarchy, colour consistent with the brand, clean use of white space, custom photography or 3D visualisation. On product pages, 360° packaging presentations and micro-animations that guide the user.

Step 3. Coding and development from scratch

Without hitting the limits of ready-made tools, I develop your site with custom code: clean code (maximum speed), flexibility (you can add any feature you want) and custom functions (e.g. custom filtering systems).

Step 4. SEO and speed optimisation

Because I write the code from scratch, its structure is clean, and Google loves fast, clean sites. The heading hierarchy is set up correctly, meta tags are optimised, alt text is added to images, and image compression and lazy loading are applied.

How does web design affect sales?

Your website is your best salesperson, working 24/7. The statistics show that 75% of users judge a company's credibility by its website design, 88% won't return to a complicated site, 94% of first impressions are related to design, and users decide whether to stay on a site within 3 seconds.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to design a website from scratch? On average 4 to 8 weeks, and 10 to 12 weeks for complex e-commerce projects.

Is it more expensive than a ready-made theme? At first, yes, but it's more economical in the long run. No rebuild costs, high performance and more sales.

Will it be mobile-friendly? Absolutely. I design mobile-first.

Is it SEO-friendly? Yes. The heading hierarchy, meta tags and fast loading are set up correctly from the start.

In short, be an owner, not a tenant

A site built on a ready-made theme is like renovating a rented flat. Designing a website from scratch, on the other hand, is building exactly the house you've dreamed of, on your own land. Make your website your biggest investment, not an expense.