I'm a multi-disciplinary digital freelancer with over 20 years' experience planning, designing and building websites and applications. I work with individuals and businesses, and continue to look after many of their websites long after they launch.
The internet's most popular CMS. Reimagined by extending it to fit your requirements, with custom themes and bespoke plugin development.
When WordPress isn't quite enough. Bespoke builds make design and management much easier, with greater flexibility in both design and functionality.
Web applications, PWAs and iOS apps. Booking engines, CMS portals, ecommerce with online payments, and anything else you can imagine.
Your site kept secure, backed up and supported on a managed, dedicated UK server, with disaster recovery included. Complete adds account-level support, from WordPress updates to email and configuration.
Included in the Complete Care Plan. Core, plugin and theme updates on a set schedule, with a full backup before every round and a free rollback if an update breaks the site.
Full site reviews covering technical and content issues, with a bespoke plan built around your designated search phrases.
A selection of the websites and apps I've designed, built and shipped recently.
A complete rewrite of the membership checkout process and introduction of a membership digital wallet and bailiff app to verify memberships at the waters edge. Works with online and offline access.
A fast and flexible, custom-built ecommerce platform for creating multiple online stores with secure Stripe checkout and simple order management.
Fully self-managed photography website design built with the intention to showcase stunning image collections.
A bespoke community site for Lanzarote enthusiasts and residents, with a forum and content management system for publishing island news and guides.
Long term partnership working with Retreat Villas to provide a functional, flexible and easy to use website for Holiday Property Management and Guest Reservations.
Client feedback
“Our WordPress site had several persistent issues that others had struggled to resolve. Ian identified the causes straight away and fixed everything smoothly.”
“Way beyond websites, this is online software never been done before. Wish I had more projects to give you as it's refreshing.”
“Very quick response times. A delight to work with and great value.”
“The whole process has been smooth and Ian has been incredibly patient with my endless questions.”
“Easy to work with and very aware of the task in hand. Meets deadlines and 100% recommended.”
“Ian has been a superstar helping to get my site launched. You can't go wrong using this guy.”
“Web Design by Ian has created a fabulous website for our fishing club, there has been a significant surge in interest and membership since the site went live and feedback has been tremendous.”
“Ian provides an excellent service. He explains all the different options, offering ideas and solutions, in laymen's terms when necessary! We would definitely recommend Ian.”
“Ian is always on hand to help whenever I have problems and takes the time to explain and correct any issues I encounter. Highly recommended.”
“There is a ‘togetherness’ about the way that Ian approaches each website. I would have no hesitation in recommending Ian Sheldon for his superb qualities as a website designer … and as a person.”
“We had an issue with our 4 websites which were slow and underperforming. We contacted Ian who migrated them all seamlessly across to a new platform and made changes to significantly improve the speed and performance of all sites.”
“Professional designer with abundant knowledge in everything digital, very rare to find a techie with visually pleasing projects and full of ideas and creativity.”
“Can't fault Ian! I contacted him to ask if he could create us a simple website for our charity and he got straight onto it, 24hrs later we are up and running and helping lots of people out! Can't thank him enough!”
“Ian has supported my business for fourteen years now with all things IT. Always responsive, always provides a solution and always gives the best advice in a language I can understand.”
After launch
With a Care Plan, the server your website runs on is looked after for you. The software is kept up to date as security fixes are released, and your website is backed up each night to two separate locations. Should the hardware fail, you get the peace of mind that your website is restored from the latest backup.
Modern, powerful hardware, with server faults, security, backups and disaster recovery covered.
£49 per month
or £499 a year (that’s just £1.37 per day)
Everything in Core, plus account-level support, including WordPress updates, email setup and troubleshooting, configuration, optimisation and more.
£110 per month
or £1,119 a year (that’s just £3.07 per day)
The Core Plan for registered charities and not-for-profit organisations, at a reduced annual fee.
£350 per year
Paid once a year
About Me
I've been designing and building websites since 2006, from WordPress sites to fully bespoke web applications, for individuals and businesses around the world.
Originally from Staffordshire, I spent nine years in Lanzarote before settling in Brighton & Hove. I run a one-person studio and handle every project personally, giving it the focus and attention to detail it deserves.
Who I work with
Sass Consulting
Alex Sass
Alex has worked in digital for about thirty years, with a data-centric approach to running agencies and building businesses. These days he works with companies whose marketing is busy but not efficient. Converse, BMW and adidas are on his list, among other global brands. 
Office companion
Rosie
Sniffing out opportunities and chief tester (of treats). From the feed
When you invest in a website and online systems of your own, that investment becomes an asset, adding to the value of your business. Subscriptions to third-party platforms work differently. The fees are paid for as long as you use the service, and the value they create remains with the platform, not with your business. There is also the question of what happens if that platform closes or changes the way it works. A business built on someone else's platform has to operate on their terms, and its future rests in the hands of others. A website and systems of your own remain yours, serving your business in the way you need them to, for as long as you choose.
It began as a merchandise design project. It became a brand. The work now includes a new logo, merchandise designs and an updated website for Brighton based Singer / Songwriter, Betts. https://www.bettsmusic.com
Keeping members properly informed is one of the most important things a society does. When a rule changes or a water is affected, every member should know about it promptly and clearly, without having to go looking. This release connects the app to a newly designed document store. When the committee publishes or updates a document, it arrives on every member's phone within minutes, with a notification to say it's there. Every member now carries the latest information in their pocket.
We've seen this pattern many times in the tech industry, and little seems to have been learned from it. We're now seeing it again with AI, only this time backed by money on a scale we can barely imagine, and this time the damage falls on workers. Replacing human labour isn't an unfortunate side effect. It is the product, and the explicit pitch behind the trillion-dollar valuations and the data centre buildouts. The environmental cost of running it all is barely being counted. There is another path, one where AI remains a tool under meaningful human control rather than a replacement for the people using it. But it will only happen if enough people ask for it. The Pro-Human AI Declaration sets out what that looks like. Add your name, or read more at prohumanpath.ai first. https://prohumandeclaration.com/en
New websites start from £1,500. The exact price depends on whether you need a WordPress build or something fully bespoke, and as each project is unique, I'll give you a clear quote before any work begins. The upfront cost covers planning, design and development, and is usually split as 50% before work begins and 50% on completion. Larger projects may instead be broken into milestone payments. After launch, your website has ongoing running costs. Hosting and support are provided through a Care Plan, which can be paid monthly, every three or six months, or annually, and your domain name is renewed separately with the registrar, usually each year. Your quote sets all of this out.
No, I don't offer website design packages. I treat each project individually, and quote for it on that basis. Over twenty years in the industry, I found that packages meant shoehorning a project into a predefined slot, and in practice most ended up being customised anyway.
Yes, I can manage your domain for you. Domain management is £99 per domain per year, plus the registrar's renewal fees.
Yes, I offer ongoing support after launch through a Care Plan. It looks after your site with a managed, dedicated UK server, security hardening and a firewall, nightly off-site backups, disaster recovery and personal support. Core starts at £49 a month. Complete (£110 a month) adds account-level support, including email setup and troubleshooting, configuration and optimisation, and access to your control panel. Complete also includes scheduled WordPress core, plugin and theme updates, with a backup before every round. Full details are on the Care Plans page.
WordPress suits most businesses - it's flexible, well supported and easy to manage day to day. Bespoke development makes sense when your requirements go beyond what a CMS can comfortably handle, like a web application, online payments or a custom booking engine.
I hand code the websites I build. On some projects I use WordPress as a base, but the theme, and any plugins needed to extend its functionality, are designed and created by me.
Yes, I can help with SEO. I offer full site reviews covering technical and content issues, along with a bespoke plan built around your designated search phrases.
How long a website project takes depends on its size and complexity - a straightforward WordPress site is much quicker than a bespoke web application. I'll give you a realistic timeline as part of your quote, before anything is agreed.
Yes, I work with businesses outside Brighton. While I'm based in Brighton & Hove, I work with clients across the UK, Lanzarote and beyond. Everything is handled remotely by email, video call and screen sharing.
Your website can only be as effective as my understanding of your business, so that is where the conversation begins. Use the form to tell me what you do and what you would like your website to achieve.
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