Cape Town has more web design companies per capita than anywhere else in South Africa, which makes choosing harder rather than easier. Portfolio quality is the easiest thing to compare and among the least predictive, because a good portfolio tells you what the agency's best client budget bought, not what yours will.

These four things predict the outcome better.

1. Recent work in a business like yours

Not the same industry necessarily, but the same shape of problem. A firm that builds beautiful sites for funded startups may be poorly suited to a plumbing business that needs to rank for suburb searches and convert phone calls.

Ask for two or three sites built in the last year for businesses of your size, then visit them. Are they still live? Do they load quickly on your phone? Can you find a phone number in three seconds?

2. Who actually does the work

In Cape Town particularly, the person who pitches is frequently not the person who builds. Ask who will design it, who will build it, and how many other projects each is carrying.

A three-person studio where the founder builds your site is a different proposition from a larger agency where a junior does, and neither is automatically better. What matters is knowing which you are buying.

3. Whose name the accounts are in

This is the question that saves people the most trouble later. The domain, hosting and website admin should all be registered in your business's name, with the agency added as a user.

Also ask whether the design and any custom code are assigned to you in writing. Under South African copyright law the creator generally retains ownership unless it is assigned, and paying the invoice does not by itself transfer it.

An agency that resists any of this is telling you how it intends to keep you.

4. What happens after launch

Most website problems appear in the six months after launch, and most quotes stop at launch.

Ask what a small change costs, what the response time is, whether updates and backups are included, and what a care plan runs monthly. In South Africa that is typically R450 to R2,500 a month depending on what is covered.

What it costs in Cape Town

Type of build	Cape Town range
Template-based small site	R8,000 to R15,000
Standard business site, 5 to 12 pages	R18,000 to R55,000
Larger custom site	R55,000 to R150,000
E-commerce	R35,000 to R120,000
Monthly care plan	R450 to R2,500

All figures exclude VAT. Advertising spend is billed separately by the platform and is never marked up by Juicy Designs.

Cape Town rates generally sit above Pretoria and Bloemfontein equivalents, mostly on overheads and salaries. The range within Cape Town is wider than the gap between cities, so comparing two local quotes tells you more than comparing cities.

Does the agency need to be in Cape Town?

For photography, video and in-person workshops, yes. For everything else, no. Design, build, hosting, support and SEO all happen in tools you can both see.

Plenty of Cape Town businesses work with agencies elsewhere in the country at lower rates and are perfectly well served. If local presence matters to you, say so, but do not pay a premium for it unless you will use it.

Questions worth asking every shortlisted agency

Who designs it and who builds it, and how many other projects are they on? Will the domain, hosting and admin be in my name? Is the design and code assigned to me in writing? Who writes the copy? What does a change cost after launch? Is there a contract lock-in? Can I speak to two clients from the last year?

That last one is the most useful and the least often asked.

Juicy Designs is a nationwide agency with its head office in Pretoria, and we service Cape Town and every other city in South Africa at one published national rate. See web design in Cape Town, the pricing page or get a quote. Related: our ranked guide to the best web design agencies in Cape Town, choosing a web design agency and what web design costs.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose a web design company in Cape Town?

Judge on four things: recent work in your sector, who actually does the build, whether every account will be in your name, and what happens after launch. Portfolio quality is the easiest to check and the least predictive on its own.

What do Cape Town web design companies charge?

A standard business site runs about R18,000 to R55,000 in Cape Town, generally higher than Pretoria or Bloemfontein because overheads and salaries are higher. Template-based builds start lower, around R8,000 to R15,000.

Does the agency need to be in Cape Town?

Only for photography, video and in-person workshops. Design, build, hosting and support all happen remotely, and plenty of Cape Town businesses use agencies elsewhere in the country at lower rates.

What should I check before signing?

Whether the domain, hosting and website admin will be in your name, whether the design and code are assigned to you in writing, what post-launch support costs, and whether there is a lock-in.

Are cheap website offers worth considering?

Sometimes, if you know what you are buying. Very low prices usually mean a template with your logo dropped in, no copywriting and no post-launch support. That can be adequate for a first site if it is what you agreed to.