WordPress Web Design: Companies, Tutorials & Tools I Love

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So you want your website built on the most popular CMS in the world, but you need some help designing and developing it? I've been there.

I built nearly all of my business sites on WordPress myself using themes. But when you've got big dreams, complex features, and a decent budget, working with WordPress website designers is a compelling option.

To help you decide which route to take, I've compiled a list of the best WordPress web design companies along with estimates of how much they cost. I've also included tutorials and software so you can learn more about WordPress web design.

Table of Contents

• Best WordPress Web Design Companies
• WordPress Web Design Pricing
• Learning WordPress Web Design
• WordPress Web Design Software
• Ready to Design Your WordPress Website?

Best WordPress Web Design Companies

To curate this list of the best WordPress web design companies, I consulted customer reviews from the HubSpot Directory, G2, Reddit, and more, perused company websites, and analyzed their work.

Here are my recommendations for website designers for WordPress:

1. Torro Media

I'm drawn to Torro Media, and not just because the agency has a clever catchphrase (the "matadors of marketing!"). Its WordPress web design work is top-notch.

Torro offers custom WordPress website development, but it doesn't just stop there: It's also a HubSpot Certified Partner, so the agency is adept at building business websites on the leading customer platform, HubSpot.

Torro also offers web hosting for all the WordPress sites it builds. So if you want your website design, development, and hosting all in one place, Torro is a great option.

My favorite website built by Torro

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Kasada's website is clean, bold, and beautiful. It's also a fantastic example of a WordPress site that uses the HubSpot plugin to level up. The HubSpot plugin powers the email collection form in the footer and the chatbot popup on the right.

So, let's say your website is built on WordPress, but your marketing team likes to use HubSpot for email, analytics, and lead gen. You can have the best of both worlds by installing the HubSpot WordPress plugin to power your website's marketing.

Pricing

To get an exact quote from Torro, you'll need to book a free consultation. However, its website says that most of its sites range from $25,000 to upwards of $150,000.

If you do hire Torro to design and build your website, the agency requires a 50% deposit, 25% at the mid-way point when it starts development, and 25% when your website launches.

Specialties/Services

• WordPress and HubSpot web design and development
• WordPress hosting
• Marketing automation
• SEO
• Custom UX prototypes

2. Codeable

Whenever I read subreddits regarding WordPress, Codeable comes up time and time again as the leading expert in WordPress.

Codeable is not an agency; it's really a freelancer marketplace that connects clients with vetted freelance web designers/developers who are experts in WordPress.

From my Reddit perusals, two things are clear:

1. Codeable devs are good at what they do: building on WordPress.
2. Codeable devs are not cheap.

My favorite website built by a Codeable freelancer

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This WordPress website built by Codeable freelancer Nikola Stulic of Liondev wowed me. It's a custom design with a hotel booking system.

Pricing

Codeable's freelancers charge anywhere from $80-$120 per hour and will provide an estimate based on your project.

There's also a handy pricing guide where you can get an estimate based on complexity, urgency, and project scope.

Specialties/Services

• Custom WordPress development
• Design
• Theme development and customization
• Ecommerce development
• Troubleshooting
• Maintenance
• Business owners
• Agencies
• Freelancers

3. SmartSites

Since its founding in 2011, SmartSites has built over 900 websites across several sectors, including education, automotive, and nonprofit organizations. This is a great WordPress web design company to work with if you value experience across a breadth of industries. My jaw dropped at how many diverse companies it has in its portfolio.

SmartSites is a HubSpot Certified Partner with a 5-star review in our directory. It's also a top-ranked web design agency by G2, Upcity, and BestFirms. Its clients have included Harvard University, car brands, doctors, plumbers, lawyers, nonprofits, and small businesses.

This New Jersey-based agency specializes in building custom websites from the ground up. It provides custom web development, logo and graphic design, content writing, and SEO strategies.

My favorite website built by SmartSites

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SmartSites built this simple and intuitive WordPress website for nonprofit Hudson Milestones. I like the graphic design and the way it's easy to navigate and makes it clear what the organization does for the community.

Pricing

SmartSites does not list pricing on its website because it prices each project based on the scope. It does offer a free consultation, after which you will receive a proposal with a flat fee. Clients pay 50% upfront and the rest when the website launches.

Specialties:

• Home services
• Medical
• B2B
• Small business
• Automotive
• Legal
• Hospitality
• Nonprofit
• Retail
• Education
• Industrial
• Offers ongoing support plans for hands-off support
• Beyond WordPress, SmartSites is an expert in HubSpot, Magento, and Shopify
• Handles web development too

4. The Free Website Guys

The Free Website Guys have designed WordPress websites for over 30,000 entrepreneurs-for free. My first reaction to that was, "What's the catch?"

Well, it turns out they're able to build websites without charging because:

• According to their website, they require clients to buy web hosting through their Bluehost affiliate link, which provides them with a commission.
• Each commission is probably $65-$100 based on Bluehost's affiliate webpage. That is not enough to make The Free Website Guys' work profitable.
  But their goal is to build connections with business owners who might hire them for larger projects later on, once they have more budget and resources.

The Free Website Guys specialize in building simple WordPress websites fast (no more than three weeks to completion). You just have to apply, and they say they accept two out of every five applicants.

What I also like about The Free Website guys is that they offer a la carte paid add-ons, including custom development (billed at $50/hour), business email account setup, lead magnet setup, and a monthly maintenance package.

My favorite website built by The Free Website Guys

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The Free Website Guys built this website for hiring agency Optimate, and I'm impressed. It features eye-catching, bright graphics, playful use of motion, and is just so easy to navigate.

Pricing

If you apply and get accepted, The Free Website Guys do not charge you to build a website based on one of its WordPress themes. They do have optional add-ons that come at a price, including custom development.

Specialties

• Solopreneurs
• Service providers
• Lead magnet setup
• App development
• Custom website
• Custom development work
• Monthly maintenance packages

5. htmlBurger

Founded in 2007, htmlBurger is a highly experienced professional in custom WordPress and HubSpot development.

What's unique about htmlBurger is it offers a risk-free pilot run, where the agency will do hours of coding and let you test it out before deciding to commit to the full project scope. If you're unhappy with the pilot, you get a full refund.

My favorite website designed by htmlBurger

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Okay, Lookback's website is actually built on HubSpot, not WordPress, but I still think it speaks to htmlBurger's web design prowess. It features beautiful graphics, videos, and powerful lead generation.

Pricing

htmlBurger also offers an interactive, detailed pricing table. Adjust the parameters based on your unique needs, and you'll get an estimate. Then, you can contact htmlBurger for an exact quote.

Based on this pricing table, a WordPress website with low complexity, low urgency, and basic project scope runs at about $1,940, while a WordPress website with high complexity, high urgency, and advanced project scope will cost around $12,240.

Specialties/Services

• WordPress and HubSpot web design and development
• Website maintenance
• Web app development
• Ecommerce websites

6. HTMLPanda

HTMLPanda has built a whopping 15,000+ projects for its clients worldwide. It focuses heavily on the web development part, going so far as to share the HTML source code and CSS of some of its projects in its portfolio.

HTMLPanda offers a solution I hadn't seen before: design-to-code conversion services. So, if you don't know how to code but you have a design mockup in, say, Photoshop or Figma, you can place an order to have HTMLPanda write the code for you and turn it into a WordPress theme.

From there, all you'd have to do is upload the ZIP file to WordPress to get that custom design on your site.

My favorite website built by HTMLPanda

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This Cooper Design Builders website is the result of HTMLPanda's PSD-to-HTML conversion service.

Pricing

HTMLPanda does not list its web development prices on its website. So you'll need to contact the company for a quote.

Specialties/Services

• Agencies
• Startups
• Enterprise
• WordPress web development
• Ecommerce development
• Design-to-HTML conversion services

7. PHRUTOS

PHRUTOS offers web design services for multiple platforms, including WordPress and HubSpot. This boutique agency specializes in creating websites for startups and other growing companies.

My favorite website built by PHRUTOS

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B2B SaaS company Koncert hired PHRUTOS to rebrand its UI for better user retention. I was really impressed with the results: a bold, clean UI that looks easy to navigate.

Pricing

According to the HubSpot Solutions Directory, PHRUTOS works with budgets from $5,000 and up. However, it doesn't list exact pricing on its website, so you'll need to book a free call to get a quote.

Specialties/Services

• B2B SaaS
• Custom web design for WordPress and HubSpot
• Marketing workflows
• Integrated marketing campaigns

8. JSL Marketing & Web Design

JSL Marketing & Website Design aims to be a one-stop shop for a business' complete marketing and design needs. It offers a wide variety of services including website design, SEO strategy and management, content marketing and email marketing.

This Dallas-based agency specializes in creating responsive WordPress websites for small to mid-market businesses.

My favorite website built by JSL Marketing & Web Design

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When I visited the WordPress website of Marvis H Neptune, a young adult book series, I actually said out loud: "This is probably the coolest website I've ever seen."

JSL knew its audience well and made the site dreamy, creative, and playful. A seagull takes flight across the screen, while a boat bobs in the waves. The agency took pre-existing artist illustrations and integrated them into the site, retaining the feel of paper in a digital format.

I enjoyed the interactivity of the website, including this ship where you can hover over each part to learn the terminology.

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Pricing

Pricing depends on your website's size and complexity, but JSL gives a ballpark estimate of $3,000-$30,000 on its website. For a custom quote, contact JSL Marketing & Web Design directly.

Specialties/Services

• Custom web development
• Dedicated hosting
• Maintenance packages, including phone and email support
• Digital marketing
• SEO strategy
• Copywriting and photography

WordPress Web Design Pricing

According to OuterBox, the pricing of WordPress agencies typically ranges between $1,000 and $10,000 for design alone. Custom development will run at upwards of $25,000.

However, the actual cost of hiring a WordPress web design company depends on a variety of factors, including:

• The number of pages on your site
• The type of site (small business, ecommerce, etc.)
• Whether you want special design elements, like animations
• Whether you use a custom theme or pre-designed template
• Whether you need custom functionality
• Additional services, like SEO planning and content writing

It's understandable if you're intimidated by the ballpark estimate above. The good news is that pricing should be discussed at multiple points during your working relationship with a design agency.

First, you can get a quote from an agency before making any commitment. That way, you have a clearer understanding of how much you'll actually be spending and can use pricing to narrow down agencies you're deciding between.

During this evaluation phase, you can also ask agencies to submit a web design proposal. These proposals will clearly lay out the objective of your website design or redesign, costs, timeline, and any terms and conditions.

Here's an example of the introduction to a WordPress website design proposal. You can also see the other sections included in the table of contents in the left sidebar.

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Learning WordPress Web Design

If you don't have the budget or time to work with a WordPress web design company, then you can try your hand at designing your own website.

While you can get started immediately by browsing themes and plugins, it would be useful to have some WordPress web design knowledge.

The good news? There are hundreds of resources available for beginners and developers.

WordPress Web Design Tutorials

WordPress web design tutorials will help you pick and customize your theme and decide what plugins are essential for extending the functionality of your WordPress site.

Let's take a look at some tutorials that might help you in the design process.

1. How to Make a WordPress Site Look Professional, HubSpot

When opting to create a WordPress site yourself instead of hiring a professional, you might be concerned that it won't look professional. But don't fret. This blog post will walk you through seven ways you can make a professional-looking WordPress website, from choosing a theme to customizing your website footer.

2. The Ultimate Guide to WordPress Themes, HubSpot

Picking a theme is arguably the most important design choice you'll make when going down the DIY route. This guide will walk you through how to pick a WordPress theme, then offer a brief overview of some of the best free and premium themes.

3. WordPress Complete Website MasterClass, Udemy

When creating a WordPress website, there's a lot to do: purchasing a domain, installing plugins, optimizing your content for SEO, setting up forms, and so much more.

This 6.5-hour class covers it all. You can go through the course from the beginning, or skip around to the parts you're most interested in, like homepage design or establishing an ecommerce store.

4. Winning the Battle of Design & Function by Focusing on User Experience, WordPress.tv

When designing a website, user experience should be a top priority. This presentation offers a broad overview of why UX matters and some actionable takeaways you can implement in your WordPress website design.

5. How to Set Up Your WordPress Menus (In 3 Steps), DreamHost

Navigation menus are an essential part of your website's design, especially considering that bad navigation is a top reason visitors leave a website.

This tutorial will walk you through how to create well-organized and prominent menus on your WordPress website in three easy steps.

6. WordPress: Custom Post Types and Taxonomies, LinkedIn Learning

In WordPress, there are seven default post types (posts, pages, attachments, revisions, navigation menus, custom CSS, changesets) and three default taxonomies (categories, tags, and post formats). But you can display different types of content according to your own rules by creating custom post types and taxonomies. This course shows you how.

7. 11 WordPress Web Design Trends to Pay Attention to, TorqueMag

Whether you're designing or redesigning your WordPress website, you want to know about the latest trends. Otherwise, you risk creating an outdated design. This article walks through over 10 trends that can help you create a stylish site.

WordPress Web Design Software

One of the biggest advantages of building a site on WordPress is the vast collection of third-party plugins and tools you can use to extend the platform's functionality without knowing how to code.

The tools below will help you enhance your website's design - whether you've built it from scratch or worked with an agency.

HubSpot WordPress Plugin

You can easily create forms, popups, and live chat using HubSpot's WordPress plugin. This plugin also lets you adjust colors, stylings, and more to match your brand and provide a seamless experience for visitors.

Atarim

Atarim is a platform for web design and development agencies, which enables teams to manage internal operations, production funnels, client communication, and much more.

Essentially, Atarim is a project delivery system that has helped thousands of agencies bring their efficiency and productivity to a whole new level.

Elementor

Elementor is a drag-and-drop page builder plugin that helps you create stunning pages without any coding. This plugin has a free and pro version with several great modules and design options.

Ultimatum

Ultimatum is a premium tool for creating a one-of-a-kind theme. You can use its drag-and-drop builder to insert headers, footers, menus, and other widgets exactly where you want in the layout.

Monarch

Monarch is a premium WordPress plugin that lets you create a custom set of social media share buttons and social media follow buttons. With this plugin, you have control over what social networks and profiles you display and the placement and design of your buttons.

Envira

Envira is a premium WordPress plugin that makes it easy to create beautiful photo and video galleries in just a few minutes.

With Envira, you can customize built-in gallery templates, enable full-screen lightbox mode to showcase individual images, and share photos on social media.

CSS Hero

Want full control over your site's appearance but don't know how to code? CSS Hero is designed for users like you. With this plugin, you just have to mouse over the element you want to customize and adjust the settings in the left sidebar.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a popular ecommerce WordPress plugin. This free plugin comes with all the basic features you need to turn your WordPress website into a fully functional ecommerce site.

Ready to Design Your WordPress Website?

If you're interested in designing a WordPress website, there are plenty of resources available to help.

You can hire one of the WordPress web design companies listed above, check out some DIY tutorials, and use a range of plugins and other tools to help simplify the design process.

I've always gone the DIY route, but if I had the resources, I'd love to work with website designers who specialize in WordPress to build something custom for me.

In the end, it depends on your budget, timeline, and website complexity.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Topics: Website Design

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