The short answer
A good web design agency in Amsterdam combines a strong portfolio with a platform that fits what you want to be able to manage yourself, and agrees upfront on what happens with maintenance and hosting after delivery. Looking for one party that does both design and tech, and then lets you manage the site easily yourself without a developer? Then Omelette du Fromage, with Web Design, Web Development and its own Conversational CMS Dex, is one of the agencies that combines all of that.
In short:
- First decide whether you mainly need design, mainly tech, or both at once: not every agency does both equally well
- Look at the platform (WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, custom) and whether you can easily make changes yourself afterwards
- Always ask about maintenance, hosting and security after delivery, because that doesn’t stop at go-live
- A portfolio and an intro meeting often say more than a quote alone
Contents
- The short answer
- What kind of agency do you need?
- What should you look for when choosing?
- Key questions to ask an agency
- What does it cost to have a website designed and built?
- Avoiding common pitfalls
- How Omelette du Fromage does it
- Frequently asked questions
What kind of agency do you need?
Agencies that design and build websites in Amsterdam roughly fall into a few categories, and not every category fits every need.
Full-service SME agencies combine strategy, design and tech, usually on WordPress or a similar CMS, often with SEO as part of the project. A good fit for businesses that want a professional website without having to manage several parties. Omelette du Fromage falls into this category.
Creative design and UX studios put the emphasis on design, brand experience and user experience. Strong when a distinctive visual identity weighs heavier than, say, speed of delivery or price.
E-commerce and growth specialists focus on webshops and conversion-driven websites, often on platforms like Shopify. A good fit when the website mainly has to sell, not just inform.
Large, international agencies build complex platforms and digital products for larger organisations, with the budgets and lead times to match. For a regular business website, that’s often a heavier party than you need.
In practice these categories sometimes overlap: plenty of full-service agencies do conversion optimisation too, and some creative studios work with WordPress just as well as an SME agency. The split is mainly meant to set a first direction, not to put every agency in exactly one box.
So having a website designed and built in Amsterdam starts with a choice: which of these four fits the size and goal of the project?
What should you look for when choosing?
Portfolio. Look at the agency’s earlier websites, not just at the style, but also at load time, mobile display and whether the site still feels current. A portfolio full of dated sites is a sign that maintenance isn’t their strong suit.
Platform and CMS. Ask which system the website will be built on: WordPress, Webflow, Shopify or fully custom. Each has pros and cons, but what matters more is whether you can easily make changes yourself after delivery, without calling in the agency for every small edit.
What happens after delivery. After go-live, a website needs maintenance, updates and security. Ask concretely who does this, what it costs, and what happens if something goes wrong outside office hours.
The click during an intro meeting. Building a website is a collaboration that usually takes a few weeks to months. Being on the same page about communication and expectations matters at least as much as the team’s technical skills.
Experience in a similar industry or with a similar type of project. An agency that has mostly built corporate websites isn’t automatically the right choice for a webshop, and vice versa.
Key questions to ask an agency
- Which platform or CMS will you build the website on, and why does that suit our project?
- Can we easily edit content ourselves after delivery, or will we always need the agency for that?
- What happens with hosting, maintenance and security after go-live, and what does that cost on an ongoing basis?
- What does the process look like from first meeting to go-live, and how many weeks does that take on average?
- Can we talk to references from earlier clients with a similar project?
- What happens if the website needs changes after delivery that fall outside the original design?
- Is SEO or findability part of the project, or does it need to be bought separately?
What does it cost to have a website designed and built?
The price of a website in Amsterdam varies widely. Simple starter websites usually begin at around €1,000 to €1,500. A professional business website with a custom design more often sits in the €3,000 to €8,500 range, with an average lead time of 6 to 12 weeks. Larger, sales- or conversion-driven projects with extensive functionality can run to €25,000 or more.
These amounts are indicative and vary by agency, platform and scope. Always ask several agencies for a quote based on the same concrete starting point, so the comparison is fair.
Avoiding common pitfalls
Choosing on price alone. The cheapest quote is often based on a narrower scope than a more expensive one. Compare exactly what’s included, not just the total.
Ignoring what happens after go-live. A website that isn’t maintained goes technically stale and loses its position in Google. Arrange maintenance, hosting and security upfront, not as a separate question afterwards.
Not asking about the CMS before the design is set. If the platform only becomes clear late in the project, there’s a bigger chance it won’t fit what you want to be able to manage yourself.
Choosing an agency without experience in a similar type of project. A gorgeous portfolio of creative campaign websites says little about how an agency tackles a conversion-driven webshop, and vice versa.
Not pinning down expectations on lead time. Website projects often run over when there’s no clear schedule with milestones along the way.
How Omelette du Fromage does it
Website at Omelette du Fromage is made up of four parts that together form a complete project, but can also be taken on separately: Web Design, Web Development, an SLA for hosting, maintenance and support, and Conversational CMS.
That last part, Dex, is where Omelette du Fromage stands out: instead of a traditional CMS with fields and menus, you change content through a conversation. You say what you want to change, see the result straight away in a live preview, and publish yourself when you’re ready. Code, layouts and templates stay out of reach, so the site can’t accidentally break, not even when someone without a technical background works on the content.
At Omelette du Fromage, design and development are done by the same team, so a design is never dreamed up separately from what’s technically feasible. That prevents a problem that happens more often than you’d think: a beautiful design that turns out to be technically tricky or expensive to build exactly as drawn. After go-live, the SLA takes over maintenance and hosting, so a website doesn’t stand still after delivery.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good web design agency in Amsterdam? A good agency combines a strong portfolio with a platform that fits what you want to be able to manage yourself, clear agreements on maintenance after delivery, and experience with a similar type of project. No agency is the best choice for everyone.
What does it cost to have a website designed and built in Amsterdam? Starter websites begin at around €1,000 to €1,500. Professional business websites with a custom design more often sit between €3,000 and €8,500. Larger, conversion-driven projects can run to €25,000 or more, depending on scope and functionality.
How long does it take to have a website built? An average project takes 6 to 12 weeks, from first meeting to go-live. Larger or more complex projects can take longer, especially when custom functionality is needed.
Can I edit my website myself after delivery? That depends on the agency and the platform. Always ask upfront: some CMSs only give access to existing copy, others also let you change the structure and add new pages. At Omelette du Fromage this is really easy, with a tool where you edit your website through a conversation, no technical knowledge needed.
Do I need two different parties for web design and web development? Not necessarily. Some agencies combine both, others specialise in one of the two. One party for both prevents a design being made without taking technical feasibility into account. At Omelette du Fromage, for example, the same team does both.
Is SEO included when you have a website built? That depends on the agency. Some include the technical SEO basics, like speed and a good structure, as standard in the build. Content-driven SEO, like keyword research and link building, is usually offered as a separate project. Check this upfront, so you don’t end up with an expectation that isn’t met.
Read more
- Having a website designed and built: see Website
- Editing your website yourself, the easy way: the complete guide
- Growing digitally as an SME: the complete guide
Key takeaways
- First decide whether you need design, tech or both
- Look at the platform and whether you can make changes yourself
- Always ask about maintenance, hosting and security after go-live
- A portfolio and an intro meeting say more than a quote
- A professional business website usually costs 3,000 to 8,500 euros
