Web design
Hire a web design virtual assistant for layouts, builds and site updates
A web design virtual assistant designs and updates the pages of your website: layouts, landing pages, forms and the regular changes a live site needs. They build in WordPress and Elementor and are priced at the Web design rate, from £6.50 an hour. We find the candidate and run four screening steps.
- Four screening steps before you meet a candidate
- Hours tracked
- Earliest start within 48 to 72 hours of choosing a candidate
What a web design assistant works on
A website needs design work once and upkeep for ever after. This role covers both, in three parts.
Design
- Layouts and page design. Planning how a page is arranged so visitors find what they came for.
- Brand consistent styling. Keeping colours, fonts and spacing in line with your brand across pages.
- Mobile first thinking. Designing the phone screen first, because that is where many visitors arrive.
Build
- WordPress and Elementor builds. Turning a design into a working page in the tools your site already uses.
- Landing pages and forms. Pages made for one purpose, such as an enquiry or a booking, with a form that works.
- Speed conscious design. Choosing image sizes and layouts that do not slow the page down.
Improve
- Updates and fixes. Correcting broken layouts, links and forms.
- Content changes. Editing text, images and prices when the business changes.
- Conversion tweaks. Small changes to headings, buttons and form fields, tried one at a time.
Where the assistant stops
This is a virtual assistant lane: design, builds on your existing platform and regular upkeep. It is not a custom software development service. For graphics and brand files, see the graphic design virtual assistant.
Tools
Pages are built in WordPress and Elementor. Tell us which platform your site runs on and we match the candidate to it.
What a web design virtual assistant costs
Web design is priced at the Web design rate, per hour by experience, in pounds. The pricing page lists every role.
| Experience level | Per hour | Part time, 80 hours a month | Full time, 160 hours a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner (1 to 2 years) | £6.50 | £520 | £1,040 |
| Intermediate (2 to 4 years) | £9.00 | £720 | £1,440 |
| Expert (4 to 6 years) | £12.50 | £1,000 | £2,000 |
| Pro (6 to 8 years) | £16.50 | £1,320 | £2,640 |
A worked example
Illustration, not a quote. A business wants a new landing page each month plus regular site updates, and puts a part time assistant on it for 80 hours. At the intermediate level, 80 hours at £9.00 an hour comes to £720 a month. Full time at the beginner level, 160 hours at £6.50 an hour, comes to £1,040 a month.
Use the cost calculator to try your own hours.
A call to talk through the site
Is a web design assistant right for you?
A web design assistant suits you if
- Your site runs on WordPress with Elementor, or you are happy to build on it.
- You have a steady list of page changes and new landing pages.
- You can share a brand guide and examples of pages you like.
Another role may suit you better if
- You need graphics, decks or brand files rather than pages: a graphic design virtual assistant.
- You need video edited for the site: a video editor virtual assistant.
- You run a web design agency and need delivery support: read the web design agencies page.
- You want one person for a full week across several jobs: a full time virtual assistant.
What a web design assistant should hand over
General guidance, not a promise about any one assistant. For each page, expect a layout you can approve before it is built, the finished page, a mobile check, a tested form, and a short note of what changed and where. The note matters: with it, you can undo a change.
A page brief you can copy
- The purpose. One sentence on what the page is for.
- The visitor. Who arrives, and what they already know.
- The one action. The single thing you want them to do.
- The content. Final text and images, or the date they will arrive.
- The brand. The guide, and two pages you like.
- The form. Where each enquiry goes, and who replies.
- The approver. One person who signs off.
Checks before a page goes live
- View it on a phone first, then a larger screen.
- Submit the form yourself and confirm the message arrives.
- Click every link and button.
- Check images are sized for the page and have descriptive alt text.
- Read the headings in order, as someone using a screen reader would.
- Look at the three Core Web Vitals. Google’s thresholds for a good page are loading within 2.5 seconds, interaction response of 200 milliseconds or less, and a layout shift score of 0.1 or less.
How design work is measured
Measure the page against its one action: enquiries divided by visits, and form completions. Change one thing at a time so you know what moved the figure. WCAG 2.2 is the reference standard for accessibility. It rests on four principles: people must be able to perceive the content, operate the controls, understand the information, and use it with assistive technology.
Common mistakes
- Designing for a large screen and squeezing it onto a phone.
- Uploading full size photographs.
- Editing a live page with no copy of the old one.
Worked example: a landing page brief
Example only. The business and page are invented. No client or result is described.
A fictional tutor wants a page to book a free trial lesson. The visitor is a parent comparing options. The one action is sending the short form. The sections are a headline with the promise, three steps in plain words, a short question list and the form. Before launch, the owner sends a test enquiry from a phone.
Questions to ask any web design provider
- How do you keep a copy of a page before changing it?
- How do you test forms and mobile views?
What is included
The hourly rate covers the whole service: finding the candidate, the four screening steps below, setting up the platforms and tools your assistant needs for your site, hours tracked with tools such as Time Doctor, and our management of recruitment, payroll management and quality management. There is no separate recruitment fee.
How hiring works
We start with a free call about the work and the hours you have in mind. We shortlist candidates who have passed our screening, you interview them and you choose. The earliest start is within 48 to 72 hours of choosing a candidate.
Four screening steps before you meet anyone
- CV screening.
- A first interview on personality and the general benchmark criteria.
- A technical interview.
- A practical task, to test the candidate in the field.
Notice, replacement and fees are set out on how it works.
Questions about hiring a web design assistant
Can they work from my brand guide?
Yes. Share the guide and examples you like, and the assistant builds to them.
Do they also build the pages?
Yes. A web design virtual assistant builds pages in WordPress and Elementor as well as designing the layouts. Tell us which platform your site runs on and we match the candidate to it.
Can they update my existing site?
Yes, working from your current content and brand. Say which platform the site runs on, so we match the candidate to it.
What should I give a web design assistant before they start?
Your brand guide, examples of pages you like, access to the site and a list of the changes waiting. The assistant works from those and builds in WordPress and Elementor.
How many calls to action should a landing page have?
One main action. Several competing buttons split attention, so give the page a single purpose and repeat that one action at natural points. A second, quieter option such as a phone number is fine. This is general guidance.
What are Core Web Vitals, and does design affect them?
Core Web Vitals are three measures of page experience: loading, interaction response and layout stability. Google's thresholds for good are 2.5 seconds, 200 milliseconds and 0.1. Design affects all three, through image sizes, how much loads first, and whether elements move as the page loads.
How much does a web design virtual assistant cost?
At the beginner level the Web design rate is £6.50 an hour, which is £520 a month part time and £1,040 full time. Rates rise with experience.
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