FAQs
How do I start a website project with Studio Illicit?
The first thing to do is to get in touch with us – you can drop us a message, email us at info@studioillicit.com or give us a call on +44 (0)1392 757 007. We’ll arrange a discovery session either at our Exeter studio or over video.
The first meeting is all about getting to know your business properly. We’ll talk through what you do, where you want to go, who you’re trying to reach, and what your current website is or isn’t doing. From there, we’ll shape a proposal with clear pricing, realistic timescales, and a plan that makes sense for your business. Once everything’s agreed, we’ll get started.
What is your web design and development process?
Every project starts with deep-dive. Before we think about design, we spend time understanding your business, audience, competitors, and goals properly. We want to know how your business works, what makes it different, and what the website actually needs to achieve.
From there, we move into UX planning and conversion thinking. We map out how people will move through the website, where key actions should happen, how content should be structured, and how we can make the experience feel intuitive while still driving enquiries or sales.
Next comes sitemap planning and architecture. We organise the pages, navigation, hierarchy, and content structure so the website feels clear, scalable, and easy to use. This stage also helps lay strong SEO foundations before design begins.
Once the structure is in place, we move into design. Every website is designed from scratch around your brand, audience, and goals. We focus heavily on balance between aesthetics, usability, clarity, and performance so the final result not only looks great but genuinely works for the business.
After designs are approved, development begins. Everything is built in-house by our team, with a strong focus on speed, responsiveness, accessibility, and clean development practices. We test thoroughly across devices and browsers before launch to make sure everything works exactly as it should.
Once the website is live, the project keeps evolving. We continue working with many of our clients through SEO, digital marketing, paid campaigns, landing pages, content improvements, analytics, and ongoing optimisation to keep the site performing long-term.
Do you work with businesses outside Exeter and Devon?
Absolutely. While we’re based in Devon, we work with businesses all over the UK and internationally. Most projects run smoothly through video calls, email, and shared planning tools, so location has never been a barrier.
How long does it take to design and build a website?
It is possible to complete a project in as little as four weeks, but turnaround depends on the size and complexity of the project.
Smaller brochure and ecommerce websites can move quickly, while larger custom builds or complex online stores naturally take longer. A major factor is usually content and feedback. The quicker we receive approvals, copy, and imagery, the quicker we can keep things moving.
If you’re in a hurry, we will respect your deadlines and work to meet them.
Can you help with website content, branding and photography?
A lot of clients come to us without everything prepared, so we can help shape the wider picture too. That might include copywriting, branding, photography, video, product imagery, or helping refine the tone of voice across the site. We have an excellent team of content creators and our designers specialise in brand design as well as web projects. So we can either work with your existing assets or help create everything from scratch.
Will my new website be optimised for Google and AI search?
Always. Every website we build is structured with search performance in mind from the very beginning. That includes technical SEO foundations, fast performance, mobile optimisation, semantic structure, and clear content hierarchy.
We also think about how websites perform within modern AI-driven search. Elements like structured schema markup, well-written FAQs, strong page structure, and properly organised content all help search engines and AI platforms understand your business more clearly.
After launch, we will continue to monitor the progress of the site from core web vitals to analytics, audit it regularly and suggest ways to keep you converting and performing so you’re never left behind.
Will I be able to update the website myself?
Yes. We use WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify and Payload. The websites we build are easy to manage, giving you full control over content, imagery, products, blogs, and pages without needing technical experience. Of course, if you’d rather not manage this yourself, we’re happy to continue managing the site for you after launch.
Do you offer website hosting, maintenance and support?
We do. We offer secure hosting alongside ongoing support and maintenance for clients who want long-term help with their website. That can include updates, monitoring, backups, performance improvements, technical fixes, or simply having someone there when you need support.
What website platforms do you work with?
We specialise WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce, and fully custom builds depending on what the website needs to do. We’ll always recommend the platform that fits your business best rather than forcing everything into the same setup.
Can you help with SEO and digital marketing after my website launches?
Launching a website is really just the beginning. We continue working with many of our clients long after launch through SEO, Google Ads, content strategy, landing pages, conversion improvements, analytics, and ongoing development. The aim is always to keep the website improving and generating value over time.
We also offer an all-in-one digital performance package, Amplify, which you can read more about here. If ongoing Google ads, campaigns and social content are needed, we provide full digital marketing services so that your website remains visible across all channels.
How much does a website cost?
Every website we create is tailored to the specific needs of the business, so costs can vary depending on the size, functionality, and complexity of the project. During our discovery process, we take the time to understand your goals and requirements before providing a clear proposal with transparent pricing and realistic timescales.
Whether you’re looking for a brochure website, an ecommerce platform, or a fully custom solution, we’ll recommend the most effective approach for your budget and objectives.
Can you redesign my existing website?
Yes. Many of our clients come to us with an existing website that no longer reflects their business, performs as well as it should, or delivers the results they’re looking for.
We can redesign your website from the ground up, improving everything from user experience and visual design to performance, SEO, content structure, and conversion rates. We’ll assess what’s working, identify opportunities for improvement, and create a website that’s built around your current goals and future growth.
Do you design websites that generate leads and enquiries?
Yes – every website we design is built with both user experience and business performance in mind. We don’t just focus on how a website looks – we focus on how it guides visitors through the site and encourages meaningful actions.
Through careful user experience (UX) planning, conversion-focused page structures, clear calls-to-action, and content organisation, we create websites that help turn visitors into enquiries, leads, and customers. The goal is always to build a website that not only represents your brand well but actively contributes to business growth.
Do you build ecommerce websites that increase online sales?
Yes we do. Whether you’re selling a handful of products or managing a large ecommerce catalogue, we design online stores with performance, usability and conversions in mind.
We focus on creating smooth customer journeys, intuitive navigation, fast-loading pages, clear product information and friction-free checkout experiences that help maximise sales. From Shopify and WooCommerce to fully custom ecommerce projects, every store is built around your products, customers and growth goals.