As the first point of contact for most potential customers, we believe that your website should be a professional asset – working 24/7 to impress visitors and showcase why they should go with you. We also believe that every website should have a unique design, rather than simply reusing a collection of templates on every project, and simply changing a colour or two. That is why you’ll find our web design to be unique from client to client – aligning carefully with your marketing strategy and branding.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is also something we keep in mind when designing and developing a website. As a complete digital marketing agency, we support our client’s professional digital marketing efforts long after a website is launched. This means that if you need help with branding, we can do that for you. Once a website is designed, developed, and launched, we can then assist you with your digital needs, such as digital marketing, SEO, inbound marketing, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and overall brand awareness building.
Custom websites built to the highest standards
After over a decade of designing websites, we’ve found a tried and tested approach to web design and web development services that delivers the most results possible for our clients. We will make sure your site is:
- is mobile responsive
- looks unique to match your brand
- is easy to navigate
- is user-friendly
- aligns with your branding and communications goals
- is secure
- loads fast
- helps you grow forward
We don’t outsource any element of web design and web development of your website either – our dedicated team does all the work in-house in our Canberra office. This ensures the utmost quality of product and ensures that the websites we build for a long time. It’s this dedication that has helped us build a name as a Canberra web design agency that clients can rely on, time and time again.
Our range of services – Digital marketing, ongoing support, and more
We offer a whole host of services beyond just web design, meaning you don’t have to work with multiple agencies in Canberra to ensure all your online needs are met. We offer comprehensive WordPress website maintenance, secure and reliable web hosting, as well as online security and performance monitoring. As a full-service digital marketing agency, we can help you continue improving your online presence post-launch through search engine optimisation, copywriting, advertising, social media marketing, and branding.
Our team has a diverse range of experience and brings unparalleled skill to all the services we provide, making us perfectly equipped to help you grow forward and better promote your business online.
Types of websites we design and develop
Our Canberra website design team delivers custom website design and development for businesses both big and small, including websites for:
Small business
eCommerce
Informational campaigns
Member Organisations
Online stores
Web design case studies
Over a decade of exceptional web design, Canberra and beyond
If you’re looking for a web design agency who knows their stuff, you’re in the right place. Since we first started in 2008, we’ve gained a reputation for consistently designing exceptional websites for clients in Canberra and across Australia. Our extensive experience ensures that every website we build meets the highest standards of functionality and design. We understand the local Canberra market as well as the landscape for businesses at a national level, allowing us to create websites that effectively communicate your brand’s message and reach your target audience.
Read more about us
Entirely in-house Canberra web design
Every step of the web design process is completed entirely in-house. This allows us to ensure that everything we deliver is of a Futuretheory standard that our clients have come to expect and rely on. Our team of professional web designers, developers, and strategists works collaboratively to bring your vision to life. By keeping the entire web design process under one roof, we have complete control over every project detail. This allows us to monitor each development stage closely, ensuring the final product aligns perfectly with your needs.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to make your business stand out
At Futuretheory, we always keep SEO in mind when designing websites. Our approach, combined with our extensive search engine marketing experience, ensures that your website is engineered to rank highly in search engine results for relevant local keywords from the jump, helping your business thrive. We incorporate key SEO principles like optimal site structure, rapid loading speeds, and mobile responsiveness. These strategies make your business more visible online, resulting in more organic traffic and revenue.
User-friendly Canberra websites
We’re passionate about creating user-friendly websites. The websites our experienced web designer and web development team create always have intuitive navigation, clear call-to-action buttons, and content that’s easy to read and interact with. Our design philosophy is centred around making websites that not only look good but are also straightforward and pleasant for your audience to engage with, whether they’re browsing on a desktop or a mobile device. Ensuring your site is easy to use can improves customer satisfaction and engagement, which is vital to a successful website.
The difference between website design and development
While often confused, web design and web development are completely different components of a professionally delivered website. Web design refers to the visual aspects of a website – how everything looks, the colours used, and everything else a user interacts with. This is known as user experience design (UX design), which is similar to graphic design. Website development refers to the behind-the-scenes workings of a website – how something is coded and how functions are carried out.
While they do go hand in hand, the skill sets required of a web designer and a web developer vary greatly. A web designer is often trained in visual design, perhaps even graphic design, how to pick colours, selection of fonts, etc, that contribute to the branding and communications elements of a website. A web developer, on the other hand, is tasked with selecting the platform that the website will run on and coding it in such a way that is secure, reliable, and fast.
At Futuretheory, we are proud to be a development company in Canberra, and as such, we have professional in-house designers and developers with extensive experience in their respective fields. This means that we can design a website as per a project or client requirement and then develop the back-end management accordingly, too. We can handle all your website needs.
Why choose us for your Canberra website design?
Choosing Futuretheory for your web design means partnering with a team deeply committed to bringing your vision to life and some of the most experienced web designers Canberra has to offer. We combine creativity, technical expertise, and a personalised approach to create websites that truly represent your brand and engage your audience.
Our Canberra-based team values open communication, being easy to communicate your ideas to and collaboration. This ensures we fully understand your needs and goals. With a proven track record of delivering high-quality, effective websites, we pride ourselves on our ability to meet deadlines and exceed expectations.
We also pride ourselves on our love of innovation. We know there’s always more to learn when it comes to web design in order to consistently adapt and stay ahead of the curve. It’s for this reason we’re constantly experimenting on our many test sites to see what web design, development and marketing tactics will deliver the best results for our clients. If you’d like to read about our approach to web design and everything we learn, check out our web design resources.
Fully responsive website design
Our knowledgeable and professional team of Canberra web designers never deliver websites that aren’t fully responsive. This ensures your website always looks and functions at its best, no matter what device your website visitors are using. This is essential today – over 55% of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices as of February 2025. This means that if your website isn’t fully mobile responsive, you risk alienating over half your traffic with a slow, buggy website. It’s for this reason that we make designing fully responsive websites our priority with every single website project we work on.
Future-proof, scalable websites
We design websites with the future in mind, ensuring your website will stand the test of time and easily adapt to changing market trends, business growth and new technology. This means implementing scalable solutions from the start and designing modular websites that allow for easy updates and new features to be added with as little hassle as possible.
Our team prioritises flexibility, security, and the latest web standards, guaranteeing your website remains relevant and effective in the long term. We understand the importance of a long-lasting website that can grow alongside your business and continue to support your business objectives well into the future.
Why the WordPress Content Management System (CMS)?
WordPress is the ultimate solution for anyone who wants to be able to manage their website easily without needing advanced technical skills or compromising on customisability. It allows us to build an incredibly user-friendly backend so you can manage the website yourself effortlessly.
That’s not the only reason we love WordPress – thanks to its open-source nature, the huge community of third-party developers centred around WordPress is constantly creating plugins. This allows us to add pre-packaged features to your website, like e-commerce functionality and SEO analysis.
These features are why WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world, powering over 43.3% of all websites. It’s a CMS that strikes the perfect balance between complete control and ease of use, and we highly recommend it for any of our clients who need a complex and unique professional website.
How much does a new website cost?
Discussing the cost of a new website is like discussing the price of a new car – it varies depending on what you’re looking for. A Ferrari isn’t great for a family of 7, and an SUV isn’t great for racing. There are many factors when it comes to determining the cost of a high-quality website. Some things to consider are:
- The potential customers/target market and their expectations
- Functionality, such as e-Commerce capability
- Is a Content Management System necessary
- How many pages need to be developed
- Is there content, or does a copywriter need to be involved in content creation, search engine optimisation (SEO) and search rankings
- Any other web development and digital services considerations
Budget is another advantage we have. By not maintaining large, expensive offices, we are able to pass on savings to our customers. We want to provide Canberra businesses and individuals with the best service possible, no matter their budget. Whether you’re a Canberra business looking for a new website or a Canberra resident who needs a web designer in Canberra to maintain their website for them, we want to be affordable and approachable. We make every effort to work with different budgets. Thanks to our flexible payment options, we’re able to cater to small business owners based out of garages as well as large businesses with multiple offices.
If you’re not a Canberra-based person or company, we can still work with you. While we’d love to meet our clients in person, we work with clients from all over the country on a daily basis.
Technology is also at a stage where we can overcome most of the disadvantages distance can bring. Of course, if it’s important to you that we meed in person, we can arrange to travel.
What benefits does being in Canberra provide to our Canberra based clients?
Based in the Canberra region, our location provides a lot of benefits to our local customers that our competitors cannot offer, such as a knowledge of the local market and friendly, personal support. We know what you, as a Canberra business, are going through, as we have to go through the same. Being local means that customer satisfaction is top of mind. We can spend one-on-one time with businesses, understanding their needs better and being there for them physically should they need us.
We have been working with Canberra businesses since 2008 and support a range of local organisations and charities within the Canberra region as well. We have a lot of trust and belief in Canberra. We know that, as a city, we have come a long way, and we see the potential for growth and prosperity.
Our Approach To Professional Web Design And Web Development
Over the years, we’ve refined our careful and considerate approach to web design down to an art, and it continues to evolve and improve. Here’s what getting your website designed and developed with us looks like:
1. Face-to-face meeting
We understand the importance of meeting with our customers face-to-face in our Canberra office and getting to know them on a personal level, whether that’s in person or over a video call. We believe that this initial meeting sets the foundation for a successful partnership and the excellent service we pride ourselves on delivering. Whenever possible, we like to visit our customers’ offices to gain a better understanding of their business operations and the environment in which they operate. This allows us to gather valuable context that informs our approach to the design and development process and ensures that we’re aligned with your goals.
During the meeting, we take the time to understand your specific needs. We ask questions to gain a thorough understanding of what you hope to achieve and what a high-quality website looks like for your business. This helps us establish clear objectives and develop a strategy tailored to your unique circumstances.
2. Brand research and competitor research
Every industry is different. Designing a website for a business in the construction industry is very different than for a fashion brand. That’s why we take the time to examine your market and analyse your website’s current position relative to your competitors. We study your competitors’ strategies, strengths, weaknesses, and performance metrics to gain insights and identify how your website can do better. Our team also examines your brand’s unique value proposition, market share, and customer perception to help you stay ahead of the curve and make informed decisions about your website design.
3. Existing website design and asset review
We take the time to review your existing website and assets to gain a better understanding of whatcurrently is and isn’t working. This involves a thorough examination of the website’s functionality, user experience, and visual design. We also evaluate any existing marketing materials you have, like brochures, branding, and other relevant assets, to determine what can be incorporated into the new website and what needs to be created or improved.
4. Site mapping and planning
Using all the knowledge we’ve gained about your business, our designers create a sitemap and plan for your website. We map out the web pages we’ll need to custom design and develop, then liaise with your team about what content and functions will be on those pages. Our professional designers then create the wireframe of your site. We create concepts around key pages, what they should contain and how the visual elements will look on the page.
5. Wireframing
Wireframing is an essential step in the design process. We create visual representations of the website’s key pages. It helps us conceptualise and organise the content, layout, and functionality of each page to ensure a seamless user experience. Through wireframing, we determine what elements to include, their placement, and the visual hierarchy of information. This stage also involves deciding on the page’s overall appearance, such as the font, colour scheme, and other design elements.
6. Web design
During the designing stage, our Canberra web developers and designers build upon the wireframe and finalise the professional web design. This involves building the overall appearance of the website so it aligns with your branding and meets visitors’ expectations. Careful consideration during this stage is key to designing a quality website. The design team also focuses on creating a visually appealing layout that is easy to navigate and user-friendly. This stage requires close collaboration between the design team, development team, and client to ensure that the final product meets your online business goals.
7. In-House Copywriting
While you can import the content from your existing website, building a website from scratch is a great time to update your content as well. Our experienced copywriters can write compelling copy that’s optimised for search. Our copywrites will showcases your unique value proposition while increasing your rank on Google and your website conversion rate.
8. Web Development
Now it’s time to put everything together! Our website developer builds out your website using code. When developing the backend of your website (the portion of the website we you can manage content and settings).
We always focus on ease of use when designing the back end. The easier it is for you or your staff to regularly update and refresh your website’s content, the more successful your website will be! We then develop the frontend (the portion users see) and add all of the web designer and copywriter’s hard work onto the site. Finally, we integrate the CMS.
9. Website Launch
We perform extensive testing before launch. This includes performance testing, cross-browser and mobile responsiveness testing, and quality assurance. We never launch a website that isn’t up to the high Futuretheory standard. Once this is done, your website is ready to go!
Custom WordPress Web Design
We primarily design and develop using the WordPress content management system (CMS) due to its open-source nature, flexibility, and the wealth of plugins it offers. We would highly recommend a WordPress-based website to any client for this reason.
After spending more than a decade refining the way we build websites and using WordPress, we are able to create websites that are loved by search engines and help generate more leads, more customers and better results for your business. We’ll collaborate with you throughout the entire process to ensure both the back end and the front end of your website are perfectly tailored to your needs, as well as providing ongoing support once your website is launched.
Custom website design matters
Every business is different, and their websites should be too. We’re passionate about fully custom web design tailored to each client. We never use pre-made templates or just change a few elements from our previous projects. Instead, we take the time to understand your business’s DNA so we can ensure every aspect of your website reflects your brand’s personality, values, and goals. Our goal is to help you establish a strong and memorable presence online that makes your business stand out through strategic web design.
Our website developers are experienced in eCommerce
We’re experienced at integrating eCommerce capabilities into websites, enabling businesses to sell their products and services online efficiently. Our team designs user-friendly online stores that make shopping easy and secure for your customers. We focus on creating seamless, fast-loading product pages, secure payment gateways, and intuitive navigation to enhance the shopping experience. Whether you’re launching a new product line or looking to expand your digital footprint, our eCommerce solutions are tailored to meet your business needs, helping you increase sales and grow online.
eCommerce Shopify Websites
While we love WordPress, our expertise doesn’t stop there. We also specialise in creating custom Shopify websites that are visually appealing, user-focused, and drive conversions. Our tailored eCommerce websites are designed to align with your brand’s ethos and objectives and are fully compatible across all devices. With clear product displays and a streamlined checkout process, we’re confident that our approach will boost your sales and help your business grow.
Design services with expertise from step one and beyond
Our expertise shines from the initial consultation through to your website’s launch and beyond. We guide you through each step and offer complete transparency during the web design process, backing up all our design and development choices with data and strategy. Our team possesses a deep understanding of web design principles, user experience, and digital marketing strategies, enabling us to create websites that not only look fantastic but also perform well.
We also offer website maintenance, SEO, and marketing services to help bolster your website’s success after it goes live. This allows us to ensure your site consistently delivers you results, even in the most competitive industries.
Looking for a local web design agency in Canberra?
Whether you need to optimise your online presence, design a completely new business website, or a new strategy to market yourself better online, you’ve come to the right place. Our team of graphic designers, website developers and marketing experts has everything it takes – let us take care of it. Get in touch today to find out how we can make it happen! Our friendly team would be happy to answer any queries you might have and provide a free quote.
Book a Meeting
Whether you’re a current client or interested in working with us, we’d love to meet with you. You can book a meeting at any of our locations by contacting us or booking an intro call. Each office has meeting spaces available, and we’re happy to discuss your project in person or virtually – whatever works best for you.
Get in TouchFrequently Asked Questions
How long do we take to build a website?
The time it takes us to build a website greatly depends on the size and complexity of the project. For smaller projects, we often complete the work within a few weeks. However, for larger, more complex projects, it can take us several months. We always discuss the timeline with you during our initial consultation and strategy phase and work closely with you throughout the process. This discussion helps us ensure that our timeline aligns with your plans and expectations. Our goal is to deliver a high-quality website that meets your needs within a timeframe that works best for you.
Why work with professional web designers?
Working with professional web designers like us to create a website rather than using a website builder like Squarespace. offers a whole range of advantages. Firstly, we bring a wealth of experience and expertise to your project, ensuring your website is visually appealing, user-friendly, and optimised for search engines. We understand the importance of a website that reflects your brand’s personality and meets your specific needs.
It’s also important to note that professional websites are held to a higher standard and need more expertise rather than a simple website for an individual. This includes the need for custom functionalities and the technical knowledge required to implement them effectively. Choosing to work with us rather than taking a DIY approach means investing in a professional, bespoke website that stands out and meets your specific needs. This saves you time and means you can focus on doing what you do best: running your business.
Can you redesign my existing website?
Yes, we can redesign your existing website. Our team has the skills and experience needed to update your site’s look, improve its functionality, or both. We’ll start by understanding your goals for the redesign and any specific features you need. Then, we use the latest web design trends and technologies to make sure your website looks great and works well for your visitors. Choosing us for your website redesign means your site will perform better and more closely match your business objectives.
Will I be able to update the website’s content myself?
Yes, you will be able to update your website’s content on your own. We build websites using WordPress, which allows us to create intuitive and user-friendly backends. This means you can easily manage your website and update content without needing any technical knowledge. We can also provide training and support to ensure you’re comfortable and confident in managing your site. This way, you’ll be able to easily keep your website up-to-date and relevant to your audience.
We believe this is vital to a successful website in the long term. The easier your website is to update and refresh, the more likely you’ll be to do it often. Google highly favours regularly updated websites in the search engine rankings, so this means better SEO and more eyes on your business.
What does your website maintenance service include?
We provide website maintenance services to ensure that your website is consistently fast, secure, and up to date. Our experienced web developers take care of any and all maintenance tasks, including performance monitoring, secure backups, expert set-up, and regular updates. Our goal is to give you peace of mind, knowing your website is in good hands.
Can you host my website?
Yes! We offer a fast and reliable hosting service with a 99.9% uptime guarantee, unlimited bandwidth, hourly backups, and free SSL certificates. We also pride ourselves on being security-minded, top-of-the-line firewall hardware and security infrastructure for your peace of mind. Hosting plans start at $20 a month.
What’s the difference between web hosting services and web maintenance services?
When you pay for web hosting, you rent space on a server that stores all your data and allows it to be transmitted to the end user. On the other hand, website maintenance is an ongoing service to ensure your website is up-to-date, secure and otherwise ensure that it’s always working as it should. They’re two separate but equally necessary services to ensure your website is operational and accessible.
Can I design my own WordPress website?
WordPress does have free themes and templates available that allow you to build a website without any coding skills. However, this doesn’t allow you to build a dynamic website tailored to your specific needs and gives no guarantee that it will perform at high level.
Hiring an expert to design and develop a custom WordPress website form scratch means that your website will be tailored to your business. You can ensure that your website has all the functionality you need to drive forward your business goals, and the design correlates with your brand identity.
Outsourcing your WordPress website development to an agency with the right expertise also means your website will load quickly, be highly secure, and optimised for search engines. These are all crucial aspects of website development and design most free templates and themes can’t offer.
Do WordPress websites require maintenance?
Regular maintenance is essential for all websites, and WordPress sites are no exception. Regular maintenance ensures they function at their best and have no security weaknesses. Google also heavily favours regularly updated and maintained websites in the search engine rankings, so it’s also important for SEO!
This maintenance mostly comes in the form of installing regular updates for themes and plug-ins, as well as WordPress itself. These updates are essential as they often include bug fixes, security enhancements, and new features essential to maintaining your site’s security and functionality.
Futuretheory also offers WordPress website maintenance in our range of services, giving you peace of mind that your website is performing at its best without the hassle of troubleshooting problems yourself.
We install all updates with care, testing them in a staging environment first to ensure they are implemented correctly. We also regularly back up your website to ensure you never lose any content, and we can get your website back up and running almost instantly if anything happens.
How often should a website be updated?
How often your website should be maintained depends a lot on the size and complexity of your website and the system it uses. If your website is built using a content management system like WordPress that needs regular updates, the answer is weekly.
The same goes if you’re focused on SEO and want to drive your website up the search rankings, as Google favours regularly maintained websites.
How do you know if your web design requires updating?
If you’re thinking about upgrading your website but you’re not sure whether it’s necessary, the first thing you should do is assess the current performance of your website using a tool like Google Analytics. See how many people are visiting your website, how long they stay on your website, and where they came from. Are the results what you’d expect? If not, it might be time for a website revamp.
From a visual design standpoint – if it’s been more than 5 years since you had a refresh, it’s most likely time for a new look. Trends change fast and there’s no such thing as timeless web design.
What are the basic principles of a good website design?
When designing a website, there are certain basic principles that should always be kept in mind: these are ease of use, accessibility, functionality, and visual design. It’s important to offer a simple menu, sleek home page, and easy-to-read text for a good user experience.
Optimising for mobile use is also key, as well as ensuring fast loading times, and using relevant keywords to improve visibility in search results. Finally, the design should always be consistent with the business’ identity.
Where do I start when creating a website?
When you’re looking to create a website for your business, the first step is to identify the type of website you want and your priorities. If you provide services, you may want to streamline the booking process with an in-site system. If you sell products, you may want to enable customers to order directly from your website. Do you value a unique design? Is your current site-map satisfactory or does it require an overhaul to enhance user-friendliness?
Considering these priorities is essential, as gaining a clear understanding of what you want will enable you to make an informed decision about whether or not you want a web development company to build your website.
What is website design, and why is it important?
Website design is the art of planning and coding the foundations and layout of a website. The goal of website design is to create a user-friendly and visually appealing online platform that effectively communicates the website’s content, purpose, and brand identity.
In the era of information and digital dominance, a website often serves as the primary point of contact between a business and its potential customers. Having a website that’s well-designed helps give the impression to visitors that your business is reliable, competent and pays attention to detail. This positively influences brand perception, credibility, and visitor engagement.
How much does it cost to design a website?
Website design from our team of experts at Futuretheory starts at $2,500 for a landing page site. Every client is different and has different needs – whether your website just needs a redesign and refresh or a complete website from scratch, we can do it and work with you on a set budget. You can contact us for an obligation-free quote tailored to your specific website needs.
Should I pay someone to design my website?
It’s important to consider your budget and any time constraints. Hiring someone to design your website has a higher upfront cost but often pays off in time-spent and return on investment. Designing a website is time-consuming, especially if you lack experience doing so. If you lack the time because you’re busy running other parts of your business, it can certainly save you on time and effort.
Most people who choose to design their own website instead of hiring a web developer use website building-sites like Squarespace or Wix that are easy to use and low cost. The catch, however, is that these sights don’t offer the same level of customisation.
Professional web designers can tailor your website to suit your brand identity, resulting in a more distinct and unique website. If this is something you value, and it’s in your budget, a web developer is worth it.
