GetOnWeb
When you start looking for help with a website, you'll quickly run into two job titles: web designer and web developer. They sound similar, they often overlap, and plenty of people call themselves both. But they're not the same thing - and knowing the difference can save a small business from paying for skills it doesn't need, or hiring someone who can't deliver what it does.
What a web designer does
A web designer is responsible for how your website looks and how easy it is to use. That includes:
- The layout of each page and where things go
- Colours, fonts and how your brand comes across
- Making the site work well on phones as well as computers
- Guiding visitors towards calling, booking or buying
Many designers also build the site themselves, using tools like WordPress, Webflow or a website builder. For a typical small business site, a good designer can often handle everything from start to finish.
What a web developer does
A web developer writes the code that makes a website work. Developers are needed when a site has to do something beyond showing information, for example:
- Custom booking or quoting systems
- Online shops with unusual rules, stock systems or integrations
- Customer logins, member areas or dashboards
- Connecting the website to other software you use
Developers are sometimes split into "front-end" (the parts you see in the browser) and "back-end" (servers, databases and the logic behind the scenes). A "full-stack" developer does both.
The difference in one sentence
A designer decides what your website should look like and how it should feel to use; a developer makes it do things. On many small projects, one person or one company does both.
| Web designer | Web developer | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Look, layout, ease of use | Code, features, integrations |
| Typical small business job | Brochure site, local business site | Custom systems, complex shops, apps |
| Usually needed when | Almost always | Only for custom features |
Which one does a small business need?
For most small businesses - trades, salons, cafés, consultants, shops with a handful of products - the answer is a web designer, or a service that covers design, content and hosting together. Your site needs to explain what you do, show your work, and make it easy to get in touch. That doesn't require custom code.
You need a web developer when your website has to do something unusual that existing tools can't. If you're not sure, ask yourself: "Is there a ready-made tool that does this?" Online booking, simple shops, contact forms and maps all have good off-the-shelf options. If the answer is yes, you probably don't need custom development yet.
Worth knowing: small business web development in the UK is often sold as a bigger job than it needs to be. Custom code means custom maintenance - every change later needs a developer too. Start simple and add complexity only when your business needs it.
What they typically cost
Rates vary widely across the UK. As a rough guide, freelance designers and developers often charge by the day or by the project, and custom development work usually costs more than design because it takes longer and needs ongoing upkeep. For a full price breakdown, see how much a website costs in the UK.
Design, content and hosting in one
No need to hire a designer, a copywriter and a developer separately. We do it all for £39.99/mo, with no setup fee.
See what's included →The third role nobody mentions: content
Designers and developers both need words and pictures to work with. Who writes the text about your services, your areas and your prices? Many projects stall here, because neither the designer nor the developer does it. Whoever you hire, ask who's responsible for the content - our list of questions to ask before you pay covers this and more.
The bottom line
If you need a clear, professional website that brings in enquiries, you need good design and good content - not custom development. Save developers for the day your business genuinely needs something bespoke. Until then, a designer or an all-in-one website service will get you further, faster and for less.