Web Design · Dudley
Web Design Dudley
Websites, e-commerce and business platforms built around how your business actually works.
Professional website design and development for Dudley businesses, built to convert, hosted free for 12 months. You deal with me directly, from the first conversation to long after launch: no account managers and no hand-offs.
- Google Partner
- 17 Years Experience
- 300+ Clients
- 5★ Rated
- Nominet Accredited
Tell me about your project
Prefer to talk? 07853 089988
Start with the problem
What I Can Help With
“I need more enquiries”
SEO, PPC, landing pages and conversion
“I need to sell online”
E-commerce, payments and customer accounts
“My website has become a limitation”
Migration, modernisation and performance
“I'm wasting time doing things by hand”
Automation, integrations and bespoke software
“I want to use AI properly”
Practical AI in real workflows, and agents
“I'm not sure what I need”
Tell me what you're trying to achieve and I'll tell you honestly
Work I've actually done
Recent Website Projects
Tony James Designs
Modernising years of successful international e-commerce without throwing away what worked
Tony James Designs had run its international motorcycle paint-protection store on WooCommerce for years, and it worked. Asked to update the website, I recommended something different: keep the business exactly as it operates, and replace the platform underneath it. The old store was mapped in detail first, including a configurator driven by 610 conditional elements, then rebuilt as a bespoke Next.js and Payload application. Products, customers and order history came across intact, followed by practical improvements: better search, launch-interest capture, built-in shipment tracking and a partner directory.
Read the case study
Plate Studio
Bringing a complicated, compliance-heavy purchase online
Plate Studio needed to bring a complicated, compliance-heavy purchase online without sacrificing either the customer experience or the security of sensitive customer information. I designed and built one platform that does both: a live plate builder that shows customers exactly what they are buying, connected to a secure document and verification workflow that lets the business legally fulfil every order.
High-Performance Training & Resource Ecosystem
Group training bookings that look after themselves
For NeuroDiverse Life (NDL), we moved beyond standard web design to engineer a custom full-stack ecosystem. NDL provides critical training for high-stakes professional sectors, including the police. They required a platform that didn't just look "corporate," but functioned with the precision and security required for large-scale professional coaching and sensitive data handling.
Edwards Jewellery
The brief said e-commerce. The conversation revealed a specialist.
Anne asked for an e-commerce website to replace a perfectly presentable Wix site. Conversations with her uncovered a much stronger proposition: a specialist bench jeweller who works personally with clients to create, restore and transform jewellery, including the inherited pieces people no longer wear. The project became discovery, positioning and content strategy as much as development, and the platform grew to support how the business actually works, from events and wedding fairs to consultations and a private client area.
Starstruck
From a dance-school website to the platform the school runs on
What began as a new website for Starstruck Performing Arts became a closer look at how the school runs online. The result is a bespoke platform that takes a family from first enquiry to the class register: local search, enrolment, term billing, parent and tutor portals, targeted communications, a shop and event tickets, all on infrastructure Starstruck owns. Bringing class management and payments in-house removed around £5,000 a year in platform charges.
Full-stack, end to end
Why You Need a Full-Stack Developer,
Not a “Web Designer”
A website is only the layer your customers see. Behind it sits the system that runs the business, the servers that keep it online and the marketing that brings people in. I build and run all four.
Front end
What customers see
- Websites
- Online shops
- Customer portals
- Booking flows
React, Next.js, WordPress and WooCommerce, including WordPress plugins I build and publish.
Web designer✓Me✓Back end
What makes the business work
- Orders & payments
- Customer accounts
- APIs & integrations
- Automation & AI
Node.js and PHP on MongoDB, MySQL and PostgreSQL, with Stripe, Twilio and AI models wired in.
Web designer–Me✓Servers
What keeps it running
- Hosting
- Security
- Backups
- Domains & email
Director of Host Dada, my own UK hosting company. I run the servers my clients’ sites live on.
Web designer–Me✓Marketing
What brings customers in
- SEO
- Google Ads
- Lead generation
- Content
Google Partner with 17 years of SEO and paid search, and the founder of Lead Stack, a lead-generation business.
Web designer–Me✓
One person across every layer, so nothing falls between the gaps.
How I workWhy work with me
You Deal Directly With Me
Not an account manager, and not a junior developer working from someone else's notes. You work with the person who:
- understands the requirement and the business behind it
- recommends what to build, and what not to
- writes the software
- understands SEO and paid search
- runs the hosting and infrastructure
- is still there afterwards
Darren really took the time to understand my wants, needs and expectations and delivered exactly what was on the brief. He's been there when I wanted changes or when I'd messed up on certain things. Overall his work is the best I've had. Top quality work as always, keep it up!
What clients say
Still There After Launch
We have used Darren Kandekore to create two websites for our business. He is very professional, and his work is always to a high standard. If we ever have any problems, he is easy to get hold of and will quickly resolve the issue to ensure our website is up and running. We would definitely recommend Darren!
I can thoroughly recommend Darren Kandekore. After having big problems with my hosting company I needed help quickly to keep my two businesses running efficiently. Darren understood the problem right away and within a couple of days my two websites and business emails found a new, reliable home.
How I work
How a Project Runs
The first stage is understanding the business, before anyone chooses a technology.
Consult & Plan
We start with a proper conversation about your business, your goals, and your audience. A strategic brief is agreed before any design work begins.
Design & Develop
Visually-led design that fits your brand, then custom development using best-practice code. You approve designs before anything is built.
Launch & Support
Rigorous cross-device testing, then 12 months of hosting, SSL, email, updates and support so your site stays performing.
Web Design
What's Included
Responsive Design
Pixel-perfect on every device. Every layout is tested across mobile, tablet and desktop before launch.
12 Months Free Hosting
Included via Host Dada: Nominet-accredited, 99% uptime, UK-managed servers, full cPanel access, SSH, daily backups.
Free SSL Certificate
Every site includes a free SSL certificate. Secure from day one, no extras to purchase.
Domain Registration
Your .co.uk or .com registered and managed. Nominet-accredited through Host Dada, so your domain is always yours.
Page Speed Optimisation
Optimised assets, caching and clean code. Fast loading directly improves your search rankings and conversions.
Professional Email Setup
Business email addresses configured and ready. MS365 integration available on request.
12 Months Support
After launch, I'm still here. Security updates, tweaks, and troubleshooting included for a full year.
On-Page SEO
Meta titles, descriptions, schema markup and site structure set up correctly from day one for better visibility.
Plugin Licences Included
Key premium plugins required for your site are included, no surprise licence fees on top.
Web Design for Dudley Businesses
If your website isn't generating enquiries, it's costing you money. As a Birmingham-based web designer with 17 years of commercial experience and 300+ clients served, I build websites for Dudley businesses that are fast, mobile-optimised and designed around your specific business goals, not off-the-shelf templates. Every project includes 12 months of free hosting through Host Dada, my own Nominet-accredited hosting company with 99% uptime, daily backups and full cPanel access. You get domain registration, SSL certificate, professional email setup and 12 months of post-launch support, all in one fixed price. No hidden extras, no surprise hosting bills.
Dudley's mix of established manufacturing businesses and growing professional services firms creates particular demand for digital marketing that reaches both B2B and local consumer audiences.
About Dudley's business landscape
Dudley is the capital of the Black Country, carrying a proud manufacturing legacy from the industrial revolution that has evolved into a modern economy of engineering firms, professional services and independent retail. The town is home to Dudley College of Technology, which feeds a skilled workforce into the local economy. As regeneration schemes continue across the borough, local businesses are increasingly looking to digital channels to capture customers searching online rather than walking the high street.
Black Country hub, 320,000+ borough population
- Engineering & Manufacturing
- Professional Services
- Retail & Hospitality
- Construction & Trades
- Education & Training
Questions Businesses Ask
How much does a website cost?
- It depends on the scope. A brochure site, an online shop and a bespoke booking system are very different projects, so I don't publish a set price. Every build is planned around a return on your investment: the enquiries, sales or time saved it needs to deliver to pay for itself. Design, development, 12 months of hosting, SSL, email setup and support after launch are included. You get a fixed, written quote after a free first conversation, so there are no surprises.
How long does it take to build a website?
- Typically 4 to 8 weeks for a standard business website, and up to 12 weeks for e-commerce or more complex custom projects. The biggest factor is usually content: having your text and photos ready keeps things moving. You get a clear timeline after the first consultation.
What's included in the price?
- Design, development, mobile optimisation, on-page SEO, 12 months of hosting through Host Dada, an SSL certificate, business email setup and 12 months of support after launch. Premium plugin licences the site needs are included too, so there are no surprise fees on top.
Do I own my website and domain name?
- Yes. Your domain is registered in your name and the website is yours. If you ever decide to move it elsewhere, I help you do that rather than hold it hostage.
Will my website work on mobile phones?
- Yes. Every site is built mobile-first and tested on phones, tablets and desktops before launch. Most visitors arrive on a phone, and Google ranks sites on their mobile version.
Will my website rank on Google?
- Every site launches with the technical foundations in place: correct titles and descriptions, structured data, a clean URL structure, fast loading and mobile optimisation. Ranking for competitive searches takes ongoing work over time, which I also offer as a dedicated SEO service.
Can I update the website myself?
- Yes. Sites are built so you can edit pages, products, posts and images yourself, and I show you how. You are not dependent on me for routine changes, though I am here when you need help.
Should my website be WordPress or custom-built?
- It depends on what the site has to do. WordPress suits most brochure sites and shops, and is easy to manage. If the site needs bookings, customer portals, complex pricing or integrations with your other systems, a custom build in React and Node.js is often faster and cheaper to run in the long term. I recommend whichever fits, and explain why.
Can you redesign my existing website?
- Yes. Whether it needs a visual refresh, a speed and SEO overhaul or a full rebuild, I assess what you have first and recommend the most cost-effective route, keeping what already works and your existing search rankings.
What happens after my website launches?
- 12 months of hosting and support are included: security updates, backups, fixes and small changes. After that you can continue with hosting and support, or take the site elsewhere. You always deal with me directly.
Start a conversation
Tell Me What You're Trying to Achieve
You don't need to know whether the answer is a website, software, AI or marketing. Tell me what you want to improve and I'll tell you honestly what I'd do.