Freelance Web Designer
For businesses that want it done right
I design and build websites for small businesses, along with the online marketing that helps customers find them. I do the work myself, from the first call to launch and for years after. You make the decisions that matter, and I take care of the rest.
When your business has outgrown its website
The business kept growing. The website didn't keep up.
You’ve built something good. You have customers, a product or service you’re proud of, and a reputation that took years to earn. The website hasn’t kept up. Maybe it’s one of these:
It's embarrassing to share.
You wince a little when you hand someone your web address.
A competitor looks better now.
A competitor launched a new site, and now theirs looks like the bigger business.
Your web person disappeared.
Your last web person stopped answering.
Something broke, and you're stuck.
Something on the site broke, and you don't know who to call.
Referrals see it before they call.
Customers hear about you from a friend, then look at your website before they call. You're not sure what they think when they get there.
You keep putting it off.
You've meant to deal with the website for a year, and it keeps sliding to next month.
Any one of those is reason enough. What you need is someone you can trust to take the website off your plate and get it right. That’s the work I do.
Why hire a freelance web designer
One experienced person, between the low bid and the agency bill.
Most owners end up weighing the same few choices. Each one trades something. It might be price, quality, or whether the person you talk to is the person who does the work.
The low bid
The friend's college student, the marketplace freelancer, or the overseas build. It's quick, and it costs little up front. What you get depends on how much they know and how long they stick around, and the fixes after launch usually land on your desk.
Working with me
One experienced freelance web designer who plans, designs, writes for search, builds, and looks after your site, at the right blend of price and quality. I've been building websites since 2011.
The agency
You get a team, a polished pitch, and a large bill that pays for account managers, meetings, and handoffs between people. The person who sold you the project is rarely the one who builds it.
"Becoming a partner in my business, I knew that we needed to update our website. I completed an extensive search of local website designers and decided that Josh was the best fit. He never missed a deadline, and incorporated everything that I wanted into the website. It has been six months since its completion, and he continues to support me with updates that need to be made and answers all of my questions promptly. I would have spent considerably more money going with a large advertising firm, but I am confident that I got a better product and better service by using Josh. I strongly recommend Josh to anyone in need of an upgraded website."
One person who sees the whole site
The person on your first call plans, writes, designs, builds, and looks after your site.
A website is a set of connected decisions. The layout affects how fast a page loads. The words on a page affect what it shows up for in Google. The menu decides whether a customer finds the service they came for.
Put four specialists in a room, a designer, a developer, a search specialist, and a writer, and each one sees their own part. The connections between the parts get lost in the handoffs. I do the design, the development, the search work, and the writing myself. Because of that, I can see how each choice affects the others before it’s made.
I’m Josh Miller. I’ve been a freelance website designer since 2011, first in Ohio, then in Florida, and now near Denver. Many of the clients from my first years are still with me, and I still build every site myself, from the plan to the last page title.
- Based
- Near Denver, Colorado
- Building websites since
- 2011
- Works with
- Small businesses
- Clients
- Across the country
What I do
Websites, search, design, writing, and care, all from one person.
I design and build every one of these myself, and each is planned for search from the start. Most projects begin with a website and borrow from the other groups. If you already have a site, you can start anywhere.
Websites
A new site, a rebuilt one, or one page that does one job.
- Small Business WebsitesA complete website, planned around the searches your customers make.
- Landing Pages and One-Page SitesOne page for one service, one offer, or a business just getting started.
- Website RedesignA new site that keeps what your old one earned.
- WordPress Website DesignFast, secure, set up for search, and easy for you to edit.
SEO
Getting found on Google, on the map, and in AI answers.
Design and Writing
A brand and words that match the site.
Care and Advice
Keeping a site healthy, and making good decisions about it.
Something on your site broken right now? The website help pages are for problems that can't wait.
Not sure which one you need?
Tell me about your businessBuilt to be found from the first page
A good-looking website that nobody finds won’t do much for your business. So the search plan comes before the design. Every page is a potential landing page. Someone who searches for one of your services should land on the page about that service, find the answer they want, and see a clear next step. That takes planning up front, and I plan three kinds of search into every site. I’ve done it for my own business, too. For years, my own site ranked first on Google for “freelance web designer” in Ohio, and later in Florida.
Google search
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the work that helps Google understand your pages and rank them. Each page gets a clear topic, a title, and a short summary written for the search results.
Local search
If you serve a town or a region, the map results matter most. Your website and your Google Business Profile support each other, so you show up when someone nearby searches. Profile work is available when you need it.
AI search
More people now ask ChatGPT or Google’s AI for a recommendation. Clear pages and structured details about your business help those tools understand what you do, so I build them in from the start.
Love and Beauty Maui
For Love and Beauty Maui, a wedding hair and makeup studio, search went into the site from the first page. Inquiries are up 51 percent on the year before launch, with no ad campaign, and the studio is first on Google Maps in Kihei for wedding hair and makeup.
Websites I've built
Six projects, six kinds of business. Each one has a full case study.
I’ve built websites for contractors, law firms, insurance agencies, nonprofits, manufacturers, pharmacies, startups, technology companies, and travel businesses. Here are a few of them.
Medrock Pharmacy
260,000+Visits in a year to the site I builtA logo and website for a pharmacy that serves dermatology practices. The site grew with the business, from one location to three, without a rebuild.
Read the case study
Family Value Flooring
+20%Search clicksI built the store's website in 2021, then moved it to a new name and a second store in 2022. Its Google traffic carried straight over.
Read the case study
Troyer Transformations
2.1xQuote requests, 2025 against 2022Cabinet refacing and custom cabinets near Columbus. Quote requests came in so fast that the owner was tempted to take the site down for a while to catch up.
Read the case study
Therm-A-Guard
Wildlife guards for electric utility equipment, with an online store. Monthly Google clicks have nearly doubled since launch.
Read the case study
Vacayou
A wellness travel startup's first site. It raised $3.3 million after.
Read the case study
Maconachy Stradley Insurance
An independent agency, on the same site since 2015. I built it around the agency's five-step process, so clients see how it works before they call.
Read the case studyWebsites for 50+ industries
Every kind of business gets found its own way.
I’ve stayed a generalist on purpose. A roofer gets found on the map by a homeowner with a leak. A law firm gets chosen by someone facing a legal problem for the first time. A manufacturer gets found by a buyer comparing specifications. Each one needs a different kind of website, and I plan each around how its customers search, what they need to see, and what they do next. What works in one industry often solves a problem in another.
Industries I've built websites for50+
- Auctions
- Cabinetry
- Churches
- Coaching
- Compounding pharmacy
- Construction
- Consulting
- Countertops
- Dermatology
- Design-build
- Decontamination services
- Electrical utility supplies
- Fashion
- Financial advisors
- Flooring
- Functional medicine
- Grocery stores
- Home care
- Home fixtures
- Inns
- Insurance
- Jewelry
- Law
- Lending
- Lumber
- Magazines
- Marketing agencies
- Med spas
- Medical supplies
- Motorcycle tours
- Music
- Ophthalmology
- Outdoor furniture
- Picture framing
- Publishing
- Radiology
- Recruiting
- Salons
- Spine care
- Telecom and cloud
- TV and home design
- Vending machines
- Veterinary medicine
- Wedding beauty
- Wellness
- Wellness travel
- Youth sports
How a project works
Six steps, and your part fits around running your business.
The process is built to be streamlined and easy for you. I walk you through each step in plain language.
- 1
You send a request
In the Start a project form, tell me what your business does and what you need. I read every request myself.
- 2
A short call
You and I talk for 20 to 30 minutes. If we're a good fit, I walk you through how we get started.
- 3
Discovery and the site plan
You answer my questions in writing, at your own pace, while I research your business and your competitors. By the end, I know your business well enough to build your site as if I were you.
- 4
The content sheet
I draft the words for every page. You correct them, fill in anything I missed, and send your photos.
- 5
Design and build
I design and build the site on a private test site. Nothing changes on your current site while I work.
- 6
Your review, then launch
You review the whole site and tell me what to change. I make the changes and launch. After launch, I'm still here for updates, fixes, and advice.
Ready for step one?
Send a requestDone right, down to the parts nobody sees
Visitors never see these details. Google and AI tools read every one.
Look at the screw on an outlet cover. If the slot sits perfectly straight, the installer cared about a detail almost nobody checks. That one screw tells you a lot about the rest of the job. Websites are full of details like that.
A good cabinetmaker finishes the back of a dresser as carefully as the front. Nobody sees it, and it’s done right anyway. That’s how I build websites, and it’s a big part of why they last.
"Some web designers are strictly 'techies.' Some are strictly artists. Josh Miller is the complete package, he has high-end technical skills and also has a very creative eye. In addition, he makes it his business to stay on top of the latest SEO and other techniques to ensure our site stays high in search engine rankings. We are very pleased with our website AND the results we are getting from it. I would recommend Josh Miller to anyone who is looking for the 'total package' for their website."
"Josh, I've been more intentional about asking people how they found us and I need to tell you how many inquiries your website is generating.
Even the calls I'm getting are mostly from people who found us through Google search and landed on the website.
I have started charging per quote. There's simply no other way to keep up. There are days when I'm tempted to call you to see if we can take the website down temporarily to slow things down!! What a great problem to have, though."
Questions owners ask
Still have a question?
Ask me directlyWhat does a freelance web designer do?
A freelance web designer plans, designs, and builds websites for clients as an independent business, working directly with each owner instead of through an agency's account managers. Many also write the copy and handle search. I do all four. I handle the design, the build, the words, and the search work, from the first call to launch and for years after.
How much do freelance web designers charge?
What freelance web designers charge depends on their experience and on what the project needs, and many quote by the project rather than by the hour. I'm not the lowest price you'll find, and you won't get an agency bill. Consulting is billed by the hour, and I give you the rate in my reply. For a website, we talk through the cost on our call.
How do I hire a web designer?
To hire a web designer, check their portfolio for businesses like yours, read their reviews, ask who will do the work, agree on a clear scope, and ask what happens after launch. Referrals from other owners and a Google search for the kind of site you need are good places to find candidates. Marketplaces have plenty of freelancers, but the quality varies widely.
Why hire a freelance web designer?
Hire a freelance web designer when you want one person who plans, writes, designs, and builds your site and stays your contact after launch, at a price between the low bid and an agency bill. The person on your first call is the person doing the work. Nothing gets lost between a salesperson, a designer, and a developer.
Can I hire a freelance web designer who isn't near me?
You can hire a freelance web designer who isn't near you, because the work runs by call and email, with drafts you review online, so distance doesn't slow anything down. I'm based near Denver, and I work with businesses across the country. My clients have included businesses in Ohio, Indiana, Florida, and Hawaii.
Are you a web designer or a web developer?
I'm both a web designer and a web developer. I design how the site looks and build how it works, and I also write the words and plan the search work. On most projects those are four jobs held by four people. Holding all four keeps the decisions connected. Freelance web developer covers the build side in more detail.
Do you work with businesses like mine?
I've built websites for businesses like contractors and trades, law firms, insurance agencies, sports clubs, manufacturers, technology companies, and travel and hospitality businesses. Ideas from one industry often solve problems in another, so a new kind of business is welcome. If you run a medical practice, that work lives at Joshua Paul Design, my sister brand.
Can one person handle a big site?
Yes, one person can handle a big site. I've built a site of more than 130 pages on my own, from the first plan to the last page title. On a big site, one person holding the whole plan keeps the structure, the design, and the search work consistent from the first page to the last.
What if I need changes after launch?
If you need changes after launch, send me a request, and I'll take care of it. Hosting, updates, backups, and security are what the care plan is for. One-off requests are fine without a care plan. Either way, you reach the person who built your site.
Do you do more than websites?
Yes, I do more than websites. I design logos, build landing pages, write website copy, and handle the search work around a site, including Google search, local search and your Google Business Profile, and AI search. Most of it happens as part of a website project, and all of it is built to work together.
How do I get started?
You get started with the Start a project form. Tell me about your business and what you need. I read every request myself and reply with next steps. A short call comes next, and if we're a good fit, I walk you through how we get started.
Get your website done right.
Tell me what you do, who your customers are, and what you need your website to do. I read every request myself and reply with next steps. The form is the place to start.