Sector guides for UK businesses
Web Design by Industry
Web design by industry starts from a simple observation: a solicitor, a plumber and a primary school need very different websites. Each sector has its own customer questions, its own must-have features and, often, its own rules about what a website must show. These guides set out what each sector needs, so you can brief a designer properly or check whether your current site is doing its job.
Why sector matters for a website
Customers arrive with different questions depending on what they're buying. Someone looking for an emergency plumber wants a phone number and an arrival time. Someone choosing a solicitor wants to understand fees and who will handle their case. A parent visiting a school website wants term dates and the latest letters. When a website answers its visitors' first question immediately, more of them get in touch.
Rules that apply to websites in some sectors
Some regulators set out what must appear online. Solicitors must publish price and service information for certain services. Dentists and other CQC-registered providers must display their inspection rating. Maintained schools must publish specific statutory information. Estate agents must include material information in property listings. Mortgage advisers must follow financial promotion rules. Each sector guide explains what applies and links to the regulator.
Trust signals by sector
What persuades someone to choose you depends on the sector. Trades win trust with recognised accreditations and photos of real jobs. Health practices win it with registration numbers, qualifications and clear fees. Manufacturers and IT firms win it with case studies and certifications. Charities win it with transparency about where donations go.
Choosing a designer who understands your sector
Ask a designer what they would put on your home page and why. If they mention your sector's rules and your customers' first questions without prompting, that's a good sign. Ask to see sites they've built in similar sectors, and check those sites on your phone.
Web Design for E-commerce
E-commerce web design in the UK has to do two jobs at once: sell products persuasively and meet the legal requirements for selling at a distance.
Web Design for Small Businesses
Web design for small businesses works best when it's simple.
Web Design for Law Firms
Web design for law firms has a regulatory dimension most businesses don't face.
Web Design for Trades
Web design for trades is about proving you're not a cowboy.
Web Design for Charities
Web design for charities has to stretch a limited budget a long way.
Web Design for Construction Companies
Web design for construction companies is mostly about winning business from other organisations.
Web Design for Schools
Web design for schools has to satisfy two audiences: inspectors and the Department for Education, who expect specific statutory information, and parents, who mostly want term dates, letters and news on their phones.
Web Design for Plumbers
Web design for plumbers has to cope with two very different kinds of customer.
Web Design for Estate Agents
Web design for estate agents sits in the shadow of the property portals.
Web Design for Manufacturers
Web design for manufacturers has to explain complex capabilities to buyers who are often engineers.
Web Design for Electricians
Web design for electricians works best when it's organised around the specific jobs people search for: EICRs, rewires, consumer unit upgrades, EV chargers and fault-finding.
Web Design for Restaurants
Web design for restaurants comes down to answering four questions fast: what's on the menu, when are you open, where are you and can I book?
Web Design for Startups
Web design for startups is a balancing act between launching quickly and building something that can grow.
Web Design for Therapists
Web design for therapists has to make a difficult first step feel easier.
Web Design for Accountants
Web design for accountants has a timely opportunity.
Web Design for Recruitment Agencies
Web design for recruitment agencies has to serve two audiences with opposite needs.
Web Design for Churches
Web design for churches is often a volunteer project, which makes simplicity essential.
Web Design for Gyms
Web design for gyms needs to turn browsers into members quickly.
Web Design for Roofers
Web design for roofers has to overcome one of the strongest fears in home improvement: being ripped off by a cowboy roofer.
Web Design for Builders
Web design for builders is about reassuring people before one of the biggest purchases they'll make.
Web Design for Dentists
Web design for dentists combines patient reassurance with specific regulatory requirements.
Web Design for IT Companies
Web design for IT companies faces a translation problem.
Web Design for Chiropractors
Web design for chiropractors comes with a particular constraint: advertising rules limit which health claims chiropractors can make, and the Advertising Standards Authority has ruled against many clinic websites.
Web Design for Mortgage Brokers
Web design for mortgage brokers has to satisfy the FCA as well as potential clients.
Web Design for Personal Trainers
Web design for personal trainers often starts with a question: do I need a website if I'm on Instagram?
Web Design for Engineering Companies
Web design for engineering companies means building websites that help precision engineers, machine shops, fabricators and aerospace subcontractors win work from buyers who compare suppliers online.
Good to know
Your questions, answered.
Do I need a specialist designer for my industry?+
Not necessarily, but your designer should understand your customers and any rules your sector has. The sector guides here give you a checklist to brief any designer.
Can one website template work for any business?+
Templates can be a starting point, but most sectors need adapted page structures, features and compliance content to work well.
Is my industry covered?+
These guides cover the sectors we're asked about most. If yours isn't here, the small business guide covers the essentials that apply to almost everyone.
Related guides
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