Pages a graphic designer's website should have

Most graphic designers have a website. Plenty of them don't have one that works. The portfolio is there, and so is a contact form. The rest is guesswork.

So here's the plain version. Ten pages. What each one is for, and what goes on it, plus what to leave off. You won't need all of them on day one, and at the end there's a sensible order to build them in. Only make the pages that match what you really do. Skip the rest.

Purpose: Tell a visitor in a few seconds who you are, what you make and who you make it for.

Start with one clear sentence at the top. Something like: "Brand and print design for small businesses." Plain. Specific. No clever wordplay that makes people stop and decode it.

Under that, show two or three pieces of your best work. Real ones. Each should link through to the full project on your portfolio page. Then give a short list of what you offer, with links to the Services page, so a visitor can see the range at a glance.

Add one line about who you work with. If your clients are mostly small businesses, say so. A café owner reading it should think, "that's me."

Put one obvious next step on the page. A button saying "Start a project" or "Get in touch" does the job. Place it near the top and again at the bottom, so nobody has to hunt for it.

Keep your name or studio name, and a way to reach you, visible without scrolling. If you're a limited company, the legal details can sit in the footer (more on that under Contact).

Avoid long welcome speeches, a slideshow that moves before anyone has read it, vague claims like "creative solutions for every need", and burying your best work three clicks deep. Avoid stuffing the page with every service you've ever touched. The home page is a signpost, not a filing cabinet.

Purpose: Show exactly what you do, so the right people recognise themselves and the wrong ones move on.

List only what you genuinely offer. For most designers working with small businesses, that means some mix of logos, branding, packaging, print and social media graphics. If you do three of those five, list three.

Give each service its own short section. Say what it is, who it suits, and what the client ends up with. For a logo, that might be the final files in the formats they'll need and a short note on how to use them. For packaging, it might be print-ready artwork prepared for the printer. Describe the result, not the process; the process has its own page.

Be honest about the edges. If you design print artwork but don't manage the printing, say so. If you do social graphics but not running the accounts, say so. Clear limits save everyone an awkward email later.

Link each service to a relevant piece of your work. It proves you've done it, and it saves the visitor a search.

If you do offer several services, you may be tempted to build a separate page for each one. That's fine, but each page needs to carry something different: its own examples, its own explanation, its own answers. Google's spam policies treat many near-duplicate pages, made mainly to manipulate rankings, as spam. So don't copy one page ten times and swap a word.

Avoid listing services you'd merely like to offer one day. Avoid jargon the client won't know, and avoid a wall of bullet points with no explanation. A list of nouns tells people nothing about how you'd help them.

Purpose: Prove you can do the work, using real projects, and show how you think.

This is the page most visitors came for. Treat it that way.

Pick your best work, not all of it. Six strong projects beat thirty mixed ones. Choose pieces that match the work you want more of. If you want more packaging jobs, lead with packaging.

For each project, a good case study answers three things. What was the brief? What did you do? What came out of it? Keep each answer to a few lines. Say who the client was and what they needed, such as a new look for a small bakery, or a set of labels for a product launch. Then show the finished work, ideally in use: the sign on the shop, the box on the shelf, the post on the feed.

If you can describe the thinking behind a choice, do. Why that colour? Why that layout? A sentence or two is enough. It shows a prospective client you make decisions for reasons, not on a whim.

Before you publish anything, check the client agrees to the work being shown, and check who owns the rights to it. Do this for every project, and keep the agreement in writing. If you're unsure where you stand, ask the relevant professional body or take advice. Don't guess.

Avoid showing unfinished or unapproved work, or work you only did a small part of without saying so. Avoid huge image files that take ages to load on a phone. And avoid captions that say nothing, like "Logo design, 2024". Tell the story in a few lines instead.

Purpose: Show a nervous first-time client how a project runs, so they know what to expect and what you'll need from them.

They don't know what happens after they say yes. This page takes the fear out of that.

Lay it out as simple steps. For example: an introductory chat, a written quote, a deposit if you take one, first ideas, feedback, changes, final files, handover. Use your own steps, in your own order. If you work differently, write it differently.

Next to each step, say what the client does. This part matters most. Do they send a brief? Collect their thoughts on a form? Give feedback by a certain point? Supply their own text and images? Say it plainly, so there are no surprises halfway through.

Add a line on how many rounds of changes are included and what happens if they want more. Add a line on how long projects usually take, if you can give a fair general idea. Be careful with promises. A realistic range is better than a hard date you can't always meet.

Tell them how you'll keep in touch, too. Email? A call? A shared folder? A small detail, but clients like knowing.

Avoid turning this into a long technical diagram or using studio slang such as "discovery sprint" or "iteration cycles". Avoid steps you don't actually follow. And avoid making it sound like a rigid set of rules. It should read like a helpful friend explaining the route.

Purpose: Explain how you quote, so people can judge whether you're a fit before they get in touch.

You don't have to publish a price list. Plenty of designers don't, because every project differs. But you do need to say something. A page that dodges the topic entirely leaves visitors guessing.

Explain how you work out a quote. Is it a fixed price per project? A day rate? A package for common jobs? Say which. Then say what shapes the cost: how many pieces are involved and how much research is needed, how many rounds of changes you expect, and how soon it's needed. Add how much text and imagery you're handing over versus creating.

Say what's included as standard and what counts as extra. Printing costs, stock images, fonts and extra revisions are common examples. If they're charged separately, say so up front.

Say how payment works. A deposit? Stages? Payment on delivery? State the terms plainly.

Then tell people how to get a quote and what to send you. A short brief, a rough budget, a deadline. That gives them a clear next step, and it helps you reply with something useful.

If you do want to mention a figure, only do it if it's real and you're willing to stand behind it. Leave it out otherwise.

Avoid made-up "from" prices you wouldn't honour. Avoid hidden extras that appear later. Avoid vague lines like "competitive rates", which say nothing at all. And avoid apologising for being paid. Explain your approach with confidence.

Purpose: Make it easy for a good prospect to tell you what they need, so your first reply can be a proper one.

This is different from the Contact page. Contact is for anyone, about anything. The enquiry page is for someone who wants to hire you, and it asks the right questions.

Keep the form short. Name, email, business name, what they need, rough deadline, rough budget. A box for anything else. Every extra field puts someone off, so ask only what you'll actually use.

Add a line above the form saying what happens next. For example: "You'll hear back from me within two working days." Only promise what you can keep. Then keep it.

If you'd like people to attach a brief or sample files, say so. If there are jobs you don't take on, a short line near the top can help people self-select, such as "I work with small businesses and sole traders."

Let people know how their details will be used. Link to your privacy page if you have one. If you're unsure what you need to say, check with the relevant regulator.

Once someone sends the form, show a confirmation message. Better still, send an automatic email confirming it arrived. Nobody likes wondering whether it went through.

Avoid long forms that feel like an exam, compulsory fields you don't need, and a bare "Submit" button with no confirmation. Avoid a confusing CAPTCHA that makes real people give up. And avoid sending the form to an inbox you never check.

Purpose: Let past clients say, in their own words, what it was like to work with you.

Use only real ones, from real clients, with their permission. That's the whole rule. Don't write them yourself or tidy them into something they didn't say. And don't borrow them from elsewhere.

Ask for a few lines after a project finishes, while it's fresh. Make it easy: send a couple of simple questions. What was the job? What was it like working together? Would they suggest you to a friend? Then ask whether you can publish their answer, and in what form.

Show who said it. A name and business is best, as long as they're happy with that. If they'd rather not be named, a first name and the type of business is the next best thing. If they won't be identified at all, think hard about whether to use it.

Place short quotes where they help: a line or two on the home page, a fuller set here, and one beside the relevant project in your portfolio. Linking a quote to the work it's about makes both stronger.

Keep them current. A page of praise from several years back, with nothing recent, looks neglected.

Avoid invented quotes or invented names. Avoid fake star ratings and badges you haven't earned. Avoid pasting in comments from other people's websites without permission. Avoid cramming in so many that nobody reads them. A handful of genuine ones beat a wall of generic praise.

Purpose: Let people get to know the person or team behind the work, and see why you're worth hiring.

People hire people. Small business owners especially want to know who they're dealing with.

Start with who you are and what you do, in a couple of sentences. Add a clear photo of you, or of the team. A real one, not a stock image. Then say a little about how you got into design and what you like working on. Keep it relevant: a line about your background helps, a full life story doesn't.

Say who you work with and why you enjoy it. If you're drawn to helping small, independent businesses look as good as bigger ones, say that. It tells the right clients they've found the right person.

Mention anything that sets how you work apart, such as keeping the number of clients small so each gets proper attention. Only say it if it's true.

If you're a UK limited company, you need to show your registered company name, registered number, registered office address and where you're registered on your website (GOV.UK). The About or Contact page, or the footer, is the usual home for this. Check it's all correct and matches the official record.

End with a clear next step: a link to see your work, or to get in touch.

Avoid writing in a stiff, corporate voice that doesn't sound like you. Avoid a long list of software you use; clients care about results. And avoid listing awards or memberships you can't back up.

Purpose: Give people every sensible way to reach you, in one obvious place.

Keep it simple and complete. An email address and a short line on when you reply. A phone number too, if you want calls. If you prefer email to phone, say so, and nobody will feel awkward about it.

Include your working hours and your usual response time, so expectations are clear. If you're away, update this. Out-of-date information is worse than none.

If you meet clients at an address, show it, with a map or short directions. If you work from home and don't meet clients there, don't print your home address. Show the area you cover, or say you work remotely, instead.

If you're a limited company, remember the legal details mentioned above: registered company name, registered number, registered office address and where registered. Many designers put these in the footer of every page, which covers it neatly.

Add links to the social profiles you actually use and keep up. If you don't post there, don't link to it.

Make sure the page works well on a phone. Many people will tap your number or email straight from their screen, so make those easy to tap.

Finally, test it. Send yourself a message through every route on the page, and check it arrives.

Avoid hiding your details behind a form alone, using an email address you rarely check, or listing a phone number you won't answer. Avoid a contact page with no address, no hours and no sign of a real person. And avoid leaving old details up after you've moved or changed number.

Purpose: Help local people find you, and give them the right details at a glance. Only worth doing if you serve people locally.

If your clients are mostly in your area, a Google Business Profile is worth setting up. If you work with anyone, anywhere, it matters less. Think about where your clients actually are before you decide.

Use the real-world business name, the one shown on your shopfront, website and stationery. Don't add keywords to the name. Google's guidelines say not to, and it can cause trouble. You also cannot pay for a better local ranking, so ignore anyone who says otherwise.

Keep your opening hours up to date, including holiday hours. Check them before every bank holiday and over Christmas. Wrong hours frustrate people and waste their time.

If you work from home and don't meet clients at the address, you can hide the address on your profile and set a service area instead. Google's guidelines allow up to 20 areas. Pick the places you genuinely serve, not every town you can think of.

Add the basics: a clear description of what you do, a link to your website, your contact details, and some photos of your work or workspace. Make sure the details match what's on your site. A mismatch makes you look careless.

On search volume, here are some UK monthly estimates from DataForSEO, dated 18 October 2026. "Graphic designer near me" is about 880. "Graphic designer website" is about 140. "Graphic designer marketing" is about 30. These are national monthly estimates, not per town, so treat them as a rough guide only. They suggest people do look for designers nearby, but they don't tell you how many would find you.

Avoid stuffing the name with extra words, listing service areas you don't cover, or leaving old hours up. Avoid asking friends to write reviews they didn't earn. And avoid setting it up and forgetting it.

If you're starting from scratch, build in this order:

1. Home page: one clear sentence about what you do, a few real pieces of work, and a button to get in touch.
2. Portfolio and case studies: your best real projects, shown with permission, with the brief and what you did.
3. Services: only what you genuinely offer, each with a short plain explanation.
4. Enquiry page: a short form that tells you what the client needs and when.
5. Contact: your email, phone, hours and legal details if you're a limited company.

The rest (process, pricing approach, testimonials, about and Google Business Profile) can follow once those five are solid. Add them as you go. A smaller site that's accurate and current beats a bigger one that's patchy.

Seracu offers a free snapshot that shows which topics your site lacks compared with your competitors. It's a quick way to see where the gaps are before you decide what to build next.