Accepting new projects for 2026

Web Design Agency With 30 Years of European Market Experience

We build custom, high-converting websites that your competitors wish they had commissioned first. WCAG 2.1 compliant, Core Web Vitals optimised, fully owned by you — from €4,900.

⭐ 4.9/5 Clutch Founded 1994 Next.js · React · WordPress · Webflow 90-Day Warranty Full Code Ownership
Nearshore USP

30+ years of DACH experience  ·  Western European quality, nearshore price  ·  EU timezone · English-speaking team · GDPR-compliant

Definition

What Is a Custom Web Design Agency — and Why Does It Matter for Your Business?

Quick Answer

A custom web design agency builds websites architected specifically around your business goals, target audience, and conversion objectives — as opposed to template-based builders like Squarespace or Wix, which apply generic layouts regardless of commercial intent. Hawd Design is a custom web design agency based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, delivering bespoke website design and development for businesses in the UK, US, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Australia since 1994. Every build is engineered for measurable outcomes: Core Web Vitals scores in the top tier, WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance, and information architectures designed to guide visitors toward conversion — not just impress them aesthetically.

The Real Problem

Your Website Looks Good. But Is It Actually Working?

The single most common reason businesses fire their web design agency is not poor aesthetics — it is poor performance. "Vibes over conversion" design is the industry's most prevalent failure mode: a website that wins design awards, generates enthusiastic internal feedback, and promptly fails to produce a single qualified enquiry.

The root cause is a fundamental misalignment of priorities. Most agencies design for their own portfolio, not for your revenue funnel. When the brief is "make it look premium," the result is typically a visually sophisticated site with an unclear value proposition, a confusing information hierarchy, underpowered calls to action, and zero SEO infrastructure.

At Hawd Design, every design decision is evaluated against a single question: does this move a visitor closer to a conversion, or further away?

That means we will push back on design requests that compromise user flow. We will challenge hero section copy that fails to communicate business value within three seconds. We will insist on structured information architecture before a single pixel of visual design is produced. And we will deliver analytics-connected, baseline-benchmarked builds so you can measure the commercial impact of your investment from day one.

What We Build

Our Web Design & Development Services

From lead generation sites and enterprise platforms to landing pages and full redesigns — every project engineered for measurable outcomes.

01

Custom Lead Generation Websites

Designed for professional service firms, B2B companies, and established SMEs. We map your audience's decision journey and build page structures that resolve objections before the CTA.

Starter from €4,900 · Business €9,500

View Pricing Details →
02

Enterprise Web Applications & Platforms

SaaS platforms, customer portals, multi-tenant web apps, headless CMS architectures, and API-connected enterprise systems. Tech stack: Next.js, React, Node.js, PHP/Laravel.

from €18,000 · Scoped individually

03

Website Redesigns

Before we redesign anything, we audit: Google Analytics data, Core Web Vitals, SEO footprint, and UX friction points. The redesign brief is built on data, not intuition.

Site Audit available: €490 (credited if you proceed)

04

Landing Page Design

High-intent pages for Google Ads, Meta Ads, product launches, and lead funnels. Built for CRO, with heatmap and scroll-tracking integration to generate post-launch data from day one.

€65–85/hr for standalone pages

05

SEO-First Architecture

Every build ships with on-page SEO, Schema markup, Core Web Vitals optimisation, GA4 + Search Console setup, and XML sitemap — built-in from day one, not bolted on afterward.

Explore SEO services →
06

E-Commerce Development

Shopify and WooCommerce for mid-to-high transaction volume. Robust payment infrastructure, native checkout optimisation, and a large app ecosystem for your growth stack.

Explore E-Commerce →
Technology

The Technology Underpinning Every Build

Western buyers in 2026 are technically literate. They know the difference between a WordPress template and a custom React application. Here is an honest account of what we build in and why.

Technology When We Use It Why
Next.js Performance-critical sites, headless CMS builds, international SEO Server-side rendering (SSR) and static generation (SSG) for exceptional Core Web Vitals; built-in hreflang support for multilingual architectures
React B2B SaaS platforms, interactive web applications, complex UI Component architecture scales cleanly; integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, and enterprise APIs
WordPress Content-heavy sites, editorial teams, marketing-managed CMS Mature ecosystem, familiar editorial interface, strong plugin infrastructure for SEO (Yoast, RankMath)
Webflow Design-led marketing sites, rapid delivery, Webflow-familiar teams Visual builder with clean semantic HTML output; Figma-to-Webflow handoff reduces iteration time
Shopify E-commerce with mid-to-high transaction volume Robust payment infrastructure, native checkout optimisation, large app ecosystem
Custom PHP / Laravel Bespoke web applications, API gateways, enterprise backends Maximum architectural control; ideal for proprietary business logic and complex data models
Our Position on AI Website Builders

We do not use AI website builders (Squarespace AI, Wix ADI, Framer AI) as the primary development vehicle for client projects. We leverage AI tooling to accelerate prototyping and wireframing phases — reducing early-stage conceptual costs — but all production code is architected and written by senior engineers. AI-generated codebases frequently fail Core Web Vitals benchmarks, introduce accessibility violations, and produce unmaintainable code that costs clients significantly more in the long run.

Quality Standards

The Standards Every Hawd Design Build Must Meet

Performance, accessibility, and security are not add-ons. They are baseline requirements baked into every project from day one.

CWV

Core Web Vitals

Every build is engineered to hit three targets before launch: LCP under 2.5s (how quickly main content loads), INP under 200ms (responsiveness to user input), and CLS under 0.1 (layout stability). Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights benchmarks run at the end of every development sprint — not just pre-launch.

A11Y

WCAG 2.1 AA Accessibility

All builds meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA as a non-negotiable baseline. In the US alone, thousands of ADA accessibility lawsuits are filed annually. Our accessibility checklist covers: 4.5:1 colour contrast, full keyboard navigation, ARIA landmark labelling, descriptive alt text, video captions, and focus indicator visibility across all interactive elements.

M1ST

Mobile-First Architecture

Over 60% of web traffic arrives from mobile devices. Every build is architected mobile-first: layout, typography, touch target sizing (minimum 44×44px per WCAG guidance), and navigation patterns are designed for small screen first. We never design desktop-first and shrink it down — that approach produces the pinch-to-zoom experiences that drive users to competitors.

SEC

Security & GDPR Compliance

Production builds receive SSL/TLS configuration, HTTP security headers (CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, Referrer-Policy), and protection against OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities. WordPress builds receive hardened configuration. Healthcare and legal clients can scope additional HIPAA-aware data handling. All builds are GDPR-compliant by default.

SEO

On-Page SEO Foundation

Title tags, meta descriptions, structured H1/H2 hierarchy, Schema markup (JSON-LD), XML sitemap, robots.txt, canonical tags, and Google Analytics 4 + Search Console setup — included in every package. Nearshore builds also receive full hreflang implementation for multilingual SEO.

OWN

Full Code Ownership

You receive full repository access at project kickoff and complete ownership of all code, design files, and assets upon completion. No proprietary lock-ins, no hosting ransom fees, no recurring licence costs tied to the codebase. You are free to move to any hosting provider or hand the project to any developer at any time.

How It Works

How a Web Design Project Works at Hawd Design

A five-phase process that eliminates the two most common causes of failed projects: scope creep and communication breakdown.

Week 1–2

Discovery & Strategy

90-minute Discovery Workshop covering business objectives, target audience, and conversion goals. We audit analytics, benchmark Core Web Vitals, and produce a written Discovery Brief — the contractual foundation for the project.

Week 2–3

Information Architecture & Wireframing

Content inventory, page hierarchy, internal linking, and user flow mapping in low-fidelity wireframes. All feedback via Markup.io — phase-locked to prevent disorganised revision cycles. Wireframe sign-off required before Phase 3.

Week 3–5

Visual Design & Prototype

High-fidelity mockups in Figma delivered as interactive prototypes showing hover states, micro-interactions, and responsive breakpoints. You review a working prototype, not static screenshots. Design approval is contractually gated.

Week 5–9

Development & QA

Approved design built in agreed tech stack. QA covers: cross-browser testing (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge), cross-device iOS and Android testing, Core Web Vitals benchmarking, WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility audit, and form and integration testing.

Week 9–10

Launch, Handover & SLA

Production deployment, DNS, and SSL managed by us. You receive: full GitHub repository access, GA4 + Search Console setup, XML sitemap submission, and a written Post-Launch Handover Document with the 90-day bug-fix warranty terms.

90-Day Bug-Fix Warranty

The warranty activates from launch day. Any bug — defined as behaviour not present in the approved prototype — is fixed at no charge within 4 business hours of reporting during overlapping working hours. No small print, no exceptions.

Packages

Web Design Packages — Fixed Prices, No Surprises

Save 40% vs. Western European agencies. Three packages for three stages of growth — all with fixed prices agreed upfront, everything included.

Starter
€4,900
Best for professional service firms, sole traders, and small businesses launching their first professional web presence.
Delivery · 6–8 weeks
  • Discovery workshop (60 min)
  • Custom Figma design (up to 5 pages)
  • Responsive mobile-first build
  • CMS setup (WordPress or Webflow)
  • On-page SEO foundation
  • Contact form + spam protection
  • GA4 + Search Console setup
  • WCAG 2.1 AA baseline
  • 90-day bug-fix warranty
  • Full codebase handover
Enterprise
€18,000+
Best for organisations with complex technical requirements: SaaS platforms, customer portals, headless e-commerce, multi-language enterprise sites, CRM-integrated systems.
Delivery · 12–20 weeks (scoped)
  • Paid Discovery & Scoping Phase (€1,200, credited)
  • Full technical specification + architecture diagram
  • Next.js / React / Laravel / headless CMS
  • Complex API integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce, ERP)
  • Multi-language, multi-tenant architecture
  • Dedicated project manager
  • Fixed price agreed before development begins
All prices in EUR · Save 40% vs. Western European agencies

Need standalone work? Hourly rate: €65–85/hr (audits, fixes, accessibility remediations, CRO iterations). Minimum 4 hours.

Full Pricing Breakdown
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Five questions we hear from UK, US, and Australian clients before starting a project.

How much does a custom website cost at Hawd Design?

Hawd Design offers three fixed-price packages: Starter from €4,900 (up to 5 pages, responsive, SEO-ready), Business at €9,500 (full custom UI/UX, up to 10 pages, CMS training, ADA compliance setup), and Enterprise from €18,000 (headless architecture, complex API integrations, bespoke development). All packages include a 90-day bug-free warranty and full codebase handover. Prices are 30–40% below comparable UK or US onshore agency rates.

What technologies does Hawd Design use?

Hawd Design builds in the tech stack best suited to each project: Next.js and React for performance-critical applications and headless architectures; WordPress and Webflow for content-managed sites requiring in-house editorial control; Shopify and WooCommerce for e-commerce; and custom PHP/Laravel for bespoke web applications. All builds target Core Web Vitals scores of LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, and CLS under 0.1.

Do you build ADA and WCAG-compliant websites?

Yes. All Hawd Design builds are engineered to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards as a baseline. This includes a minimum 4.5:1 colour contrast ratio for text, full keyboard navigability, clear focus indicators, descriptive alt text for all informative images, and screen-reader compatibility. For US healthcare, legal, and government clients, we can scope builds to full ADA Section 508 compliance.

How long does it take to build a website?

A Starter Website (up to 5 pages) typically takes 6–8 weeks from brief to launch. A Business Website (up to 10 pages with full custom UI/UX) takes 8–12 weeks. Enterprise and web application projects are scoped individually but typically run 12–20 weeks. All timelines include structured discovery, design approval, development, QA, and launch phases.

Why should I choose Hawd Design over a local UK or US agency?

Three reasons. First, cost: our nearshore pricing delivers mid-to-senior UK agency quality at 30–40% below onshore rates — not because we cut corners, but because our operational costs in Sarajevo are lower. Second, experience: 30 years of active DACH market delivery means we have solved the technical, legal, and communication challenges of cross-border agency work that junior offshore teams encounter for the first time on your project. Third, accountability: a 90-day bug-fix warranty, full codebase ownership, and a formalised SLA shift the risk away from you. EU timezone, English-speaking team, GDPR-compliant by default.

Ready to Start?

Ready to Build a Website That Actually Works?

Tell us about your project. We'll review your current digital presence, identify the specific conversion barriers on your existing site, and give you an honest project assessment — no obligation, no sales script.

Response within 4 business hours · English, German, Arabic · +387 60 353 02 21

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