Website Design
Custom websites for South African businesses
Quick-loading websites built around your brand and your customers, designed to turn visitors into enquiries. Live in 3-4 weeks.
In short
WeMakeSites builds custom websites for South African businesses. Every site is designed for phones first, tuned to pass Google's Core Web Vitals speed thresholds, set up to be found on Google, and delivered with 30 days of support after launch. A standard 5-8 page website goes live in 3-4 weeks from kick-off; a single landing page ships in under two weeks. Speed matters more than most owners realise: Google's own research found that 53% of mobile visitors abandon a page that takes longer than three seconds to load. Since 2024 the studio has shipped ten projects across seven sectors, and every build is handed over with its source code, so you own it outright. An optional care plan covers hosting, security updates, daily backups, uptime monitoring and content edits. Pricing is the same wherever you are, Sandton, Cape Town, Polokwane or Mahikeng.
Why it matters
Most small business websites in South Africa are built on cheap drag-and-drop templates. They look acceptable, but they load slowly, they don't show up well on Google, and they lose visitors on a phone before anyone sees what you offer. We build differently. Every site we deliver is custom-built to load fast, with images and text kept light so pages open quickly even on a slower connection.
This matters because Google rewards fast, well-built sites with better visibility in search. Google's page experience systems measure every site against its Core Web Vitals thresholds, the main content visible within 2.5 seconds, response to taps within 200 milliseconds, and no layout jumping around, and its research with SOASTA found the chance of a visitor leaving rises 32% as load time stretches from one second to three. A site that clears those thresholds and is set up properly can outrank competitors who have been around for years on older, slower websites.
It also matters because most people in South Africa browse on their phones, often on patchy signal. A heavy homepage that takes eight seconds to load on mobile loses you customers before they ever see your offering. We build for the real-world conditions your visitors actually have.
On design, we work in your brand. You give us your logo, colours and the feel you want, and we create a custom design (never a template) that fits. Two rounds of changes are included, though most clients only need one.
What's included
Everything in the box.
- Custom design tailored to your brand
- Built to look great on phones, tablets and desktops
- Set up to be found on Google
- Fast loading, even on a phone
- Easy-to-update content system (where useful)
- Analytics so you can see your visitors
- Security certificate and search-engine basics
- 30 days of support after launch
- Optional care plan for ongoing peace of mind
How we work
Brief & quote
A free 30-minute chat to understand what you need. We send a fixed-price quote within 24 hours covering what you get, the timeline and payment terms.
Design
We design your homepage and one inner page for you to review. You give feedback, we refine. Two rounds of changes included.
Build
Your approved design becomes a real website on a private preview link. Built to work well on phones and to load fast.
Content & SEO
We add your final words and images, set the site up to be found on Google, and connect your visitor analytics.
Launch
A final check, you sign off, and we go live. We handle your domain and email setup. Then 30 days of support begins.
Best for
FAQs
Website Design, questions we get.
How much does a website cost in South Africa?
Every project is quoted in writing after a quick chat, so you know the full cost up front with no surprises. A standard 5-8 page business site is more affordable than most agency quotes, the difference is our lower overheads, not lower quality. Larger sites with custom features are priced per project.
How long will my website take?
A standard 5-8 page website goes live in 3-4 weeks from kick-off, and a single landing page in under 2 weeks. What usually slows things down is waiting on content and feedback, so clients who send their words, images and branding early tend to launch fastest.
Do I own my website?
Yes. You own your domain, your content and the site itself. We hand over everything, including all the files and logins, at launch. If you ever stop working with us, you keep it all.
What if I need changes after launch?
Every build includes 30 days of free support after launch for fixes and small tweaks. After that, a care plan covers ongoing edits, updates and support, or you can pay as you go for occasional changes.
Will my site rank on Google?
We build every site to pass Google's Core Web Vitals thresholds, with all the technical basics in place: clean structure, fast loading, proper page titles and descriptions, and structured data so Google understands what each page is about. That is the foundation, but competing for top spots on tough search terms takes ongoing SEO work like fresh content and local optimisation. We offer that separately for clients who want to compete hard.
Do you build on off-the-shelf platforms?
By default we build on modern, reliable technology that is faster, more secure and easier to look after than a typical off-the-shelf website builder. We build on an off-the-shelf platform when you specifically want it, usually for content-heavy sites where your team prefers familiar tools.
Related
E-Commerce
Custom online stores for South African businesses. Local payment methods, local couriers, built to grow with you.
→Web Applications
When off-the-shelf software doesn't fit your business, we build software that does. Customer portals, internal tools, online platforms and marketplaces.
→SEO
We help South African businesses show up on Google, with the technical fixes, better pages, helpful content and quality links that move rankings.
→Care Plans
Three care plans, Essential, Growth and Pro. Hosting, security, backups and ongoing support, all taken care of.
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