Hi, I'm Stu.
Nice to meet you.
I'm a freelance website designer in Stoke on Trent with 15 years in the industry. After years of running my own agency, I now work one to one with local businesses who want a website that actually brings in work, without the agency price tag or the jargon.
experience
director
Website design that actually works for small businesses.
I've been designing websites for 15 years - and for 5 of those I ran my own web design agency in Stoke on Trent. I loved it, but I noticed something: the clients who benefited most weren't the big companies with big budgets. They were the plumbers, the café owners, the one-man bands who needed a site that would actually bring them business.
So I went solo. By cutting out the overheads (the office, the account managers, the layers of staff) I can charge a fraction of what an agency would and still deliver better, faster work. You deal directly with me from day one to launch day. No handoffs, no miscommunication.
I'm based in Stoke on Trent and most of my clients are local, which I love. There's something brilliant about building a website for a business you can walk past on the high street.
With the advances in ai technology I can now work faster, smarter and cleaner to bring website designs to life in a fraction of the time, and therefore offer them at a much lower price than many other website design companies in Stoke on Trent can.
Skills & services.
Everything under one roof, no need to manage multiple suppliers for your website, SEO, and email marketing.
Custom designed websites built to convert visitors into enquiries and customers. Mobile responsive, fast loading, and built to last.
Monthly search optimisation to improve your Google rankings locally. Google Maps optimisation, backlinks, content - the full picture.
Keep your customers coming back with a weekly branded email. Platform setup, template design, list management, and weekly sending.
15 years in the making.
Started in web design
Completed foundation degree from Lancaster University
Launched web agency
After working locally I decided to start my own website design agency. This ran for 5 years and we worked with hundreds of clients across Stoke on Trent and UK.
Launched Own E-Commerce Brand
Stepped away from the web agency life and setup my own e-commerce business. Generating over £5m in revenue over 6 years.
Launched Designed By Stu
Went solo to focus entirely on helping small businesses get affordable, high quality websites. Less overhead, more attention, better results.
Why freelance over agency?
You deal directly with me
No account managers, no junior staff passing messages. Every email, call, and design decision goes through one person - me.
No office overheads = lower prices
Agencies charge for their rent, their staff count, their brand. I don't have any of that, so you pay for the work, not the furniture.
I can actually move fast
No approval chains, no project manager bottlenecks. When you need something changed, it gets changed same day, usually.
Trusted local knowledge
I know Stoke on Trent. I know the market, the kinds of businesses here, and what local customers look for online.
Sound like
the right fit?
Or call 07305 968973
Let's get your
website live.
Fill in the form and I'll get back to you usually within the hour. No sales pitch, just a straightforward conversation about what your business needs.
Send a message
Fill in what you can, even a rough idea of what you need is enough to start.