Web Development Agency London
STUNNING WEBSITES. REAL ROI.
Is your current website a leaky bucket that fails to generate the business or engagement you need, leaving you with the pressure of finding a solution? At Contra Agency, we understand the substantial risk of choosing the "wrong agency". That's why for over 25 years, we've been the trusted London-based web development partner for ambitious SMEs and leading players in a range of industries (including top universities, law firms and Big 4 consultancies). You can feel secure knowing your project is guided by our proven process that delivers tangible results – not just promises.
Got a project in mind? Connect with us today.
We’ve had an 11% uplift in applications. The website has achieved our aim of being able to expand our offerings and bring our website into the now and also the future!
Trusted by leading organisations.
Web development services.
We understand your unique challenges, whether it's improving user engagement, boosting conversions, or simply showcasing your vital work effectively. Our bespoke, award-winning website development ensures your website is a powerful asset that works for you. Request a free consultation today to discuss how we can build an unforgettable website.
Bespoke website development and design.
Stay ahead of competitors with a modern website that's truly perfect for your business. We deliver custom website development, ensuring the back-end is tailored for your internal team's needs (allowing you to update and modify content freely) and the front-end for your audience’s user journey, leading to more engagement and conversions.
WordPress web development.
User-friendly, responsive, customisable, and scalable – WordPress is a preferred choice for many organisations. However, choosing the right Wordpress web design & development agency is a challenge with so many on the market. Our extensive team of WordPress web development specialists creates stunning, cutting-edge sites optimised for both your internal users and potential clients, addressing your desire for team empowerment and audience focus.
Drupal web development.
Robust, customisable, and secure – Drupal excels in crafting complex, highly scalable websites. Our Drupal website designers & developers deliver captivating designs that offer an unparalleled user experience, suitable for organisations needing high-security and robust functionalities.
Headless CMS website development.
Many businesses find their CMS limits content delivery across diverse channels. While traditional CMS offers an all-in-one approach for quick launches, its structure often restricts flexibility. Headless CMS solves this by decoupling content from presentation, giving developers and marketers freedom to build customised, high-performance experiences for any device. We specialise in headless CMS development with platforms like Storyblok, Hygraph, Sanity, and Contentful, helping you overcome rigid content structures and unlock your digital potential.
SEO website development.
Beyond just looking good, your website needs to generate traffic and leads. We boost search engine rankings with comprehensive SEO website design and development. We research user-search terms, optimise both front and back ends, enhance Core Web Vitals and schema, and strategically use tools beyond just Yoast, giving your site the best chance of appearing top on Google for your key terms.
Got a project in mind?
Chat to our London web development agency experts. From cluttered to clean, slow to speedy, and dull to dynamic, we optimise and build websites that convert.
Our results.
Our proven web development process.
We follow a very structured web design process to ensure transparency and prevent costly, time-consuming changes or unstructured revisions. To learn more about our process and have a discussion about your requirements, get in touch today.
Stage 1.
Research.
We begin with a thorough research period to create a strategic plan. This involves understanding your business goals, brand, competitors, internal stakeholders, audience personas, user behaviour, and analytics. We also delve into existing website content, functional requirements, information architecture (IA), and necessary integrations. This initial phase is fundamental in ensuring your website is built for your users and minimises later changes.
Stage 2.
Design.
With a clear plan in place, we move to design. We start with low-fidelity wireframes and mockups to outline key components and messaging, which we test using first-click tools for user-friendliness and conversion optimisation. The exciting part follows: we develop design treatments for key pages, collaborating closely with you for refinement. This leads to a comprehensive design system of components and pages, ensuring consistency.
Stage 3.
Development.
Next is the build. We configure the CMS with the required components and test functionality. Then, we build the front-end theme, bringing the site to life. We handle content migration and provide you access to the CMS, ensuring it's tailored for your internal team to update and modify content freely.
Stage 4.
QA.
Our comprehensive Quality Assurance (QA) process is integrated throughout development and concludes with final tests once content is added. We rigorously check HTML standards, device compatibility, performance, SEO, accessibility (WCAG adherence), security, privacy, and visual accuracy.
Stage 5.
SEO.
Our commitment extends beyond launch. We enhance your website's visibility by adding schema and optimising Core Web Vitals, ensuring your beautifully optimised landing pages receive the traffic they need to hit those KPIs.
Stage 6.
Ongoing Support.
We offer a three-month warranty after launch because we stand by our work. Beyond that, our support retainer packages provide ongoing technical support (software updates, security monitoring, backups, troubleshooting, emergency support) and proactive monitoring for technical issues and downtime, ensuring your site's longevity.
Web development advice.
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Frequently asked questions
- How long will my website take?
Every project is unique, but our ethos is to 'get it done' efficiently. We aim for 3-6 month design, development, and launch timelines, depending on complexity. We establish a clear project timeline with milestones and assign a dedicated project manager to ensure transparency and timely delivery. Beware of agencies promising less, as it often means fundamental research is skipped, compromising user needs and quality.
- How much will a bespoke website cost?
Web design costs vary widely from agency to agency. Our bespoke website design and development typically range from £25k-£100k, depending on requirements. As leaders in web design for over 20 years, we embed thorough research to ensure your new website is optimised for conversions and offers a seamless user experience. This is why leading organisations like Cambridge University, MetFilm School, Hudgell Solicitors, and The Royal Society choose us. You get exceptional value and results with Contra.
- Do I get a say in the development process?
100 percent yes. This is a collaborative process. During the design phase, we provide concepts and refine your chosen one, then create a component document for the build. This streamlines the process and minimises costly changes during development. Our experts always advise on best practices for conversions and design.
- Will I have a project manager?
Yes, you will have a dedicated project manager, your main point of contact, responsible for questions, project timelines, and milestone tracking. You'll also have direct access to our MD and Head of Marketing for strategic guidance.
- How do you handle website hosting and domain registration?
You have the freedom to choose your hosting provider. We partner with SureCloud, a cloud-based integrated risk management platform known for its customisable, user-friendly, and cost-effective solutions. We recommend SureCloud for its modular platform, continuous monitoring, and ease of use, which enhances website security and performance.
- Can you advise on CMS systems and will we have to pay for the CMS or do you cover that?
We are CMS neutral and conduct a thorough discovery period to understand your business and user requirements before recommending a CMS. We have extensive experience with WordPress, Drupal, HubSpot CMS, and various Headless CMS solutions. CMS licensing fees are typically covered by the client, and we'll ensure full transparency on all associated costs.
- Can you advise on CRM systems?
We specialise in HubSpot CRM as HubSpot Partners, having successfully onboarded many companies and utilising it for our own marketing. We can advise on popular CRMs like Salesforce, ZohoCRM, Pipedrive, and Microsoft Dynamics 365, helping you identify and integrate with existing systems.
- Do you offer Google Analytics 4 set-up as part of the web development process?
Certainly. GA4 setup is integral to our process. It enables us to measure key website metrics like Bounce Rate, Engagement Rate, and Custom Events for CTA buttons, demonstrating performance uplifts and supporting your goal of continuous improvement and future CRO.
- How do you ensure website security?
We take website security seriously. Our policy includes using trusted modules, locking down the CMS (IP/2FA), setting security headers, renaming common folders, hardening file permissions, disabling unneeded functionality, and creating backups. We often recommend Sucuri for enhanced security (WAF, DDOS protection, crypto services) and performance (CDN, compression). Our semi-automated system ensures tracked, staged, and tested monthly updates for CMS and plugins, providing ongoing monitoring of server uptime and SSL certificate status to safeguard your site's integrity.
- Will you provide ongoing technical support for the website?
Yes, we offer a range of tailored website support packages covering software updates, security monitoring, backup and disaster recovery, technical troubleshooting, emergency support, and performance optimisation. We also provide proactive monitoring for technical issues and downtime (e.g. StatusCake).
- Do you write the web copy or is that our responsibility?
While we consider keywords and SEO optimisation (H1, H2, H3) during design, website copywriting is typically scoped separately due to the often vast and complex nature of content, especially for large sites like law firms. We offer professional content writing services from trained SEO copywriters and former journalists who balance SEO with user experience. If you write the copy internally, we advise allocating sufficient resources to avoid project delays.
- Do you offer marketing and SEO retainer services after the website has launched?
Absolutely. Our marketing and SEO experts can help you generate traffic, leads, and sales post-launch. Our services include comprehensive SEO (audit, keyword research, technical SEO, backlinking), content strategy and production, and digital advertising (Google, LinkedIn, Facebook). We also offer Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) services, utilising heatmaps, click testing, screen recordings, and scroll maps to implement changes based on real user data.