How to Choose a Web Design Company in Kenya

Last checked: October 2026.

If you are reading this, you have probably decided to get a website built or rebuilt, and now you have to pick who builds it. That is harder than it should be, so this page is here to help you check anyone you are considering, including us.

What a website costs in Kenya

Prices vary widely, mostly because different kinds of organisations need different things. Here are the ranges Kenyan agencies publish on their own price pages, grouped by the kind of client (checked October 2026):

Kind of client	Published price range (KES)
Small business	30,000 to 300,000 (a few agencies advertise entry prices from 10,000)
NGO or nonprofit	80,000 to 200,000
Corporate or enterprise	100,000 to 1,500,000 and above

These are asking prices, not what clients paid, and the ranges overlap because agencies define “small” and “corporate” differently. Treat them as a rough guide to where you sit, not as a quote. If you run a small business, what a small business website should cost and what you should get looks at what that range usually buys.

Why quotes differ so much

A quote of KES 15,000 and one of KES 300,000 can both be honest. The difference usually comes from:

Who writes the content. Writing your pages, taking photos and preparing product listings is real work. Some quotes include it. Many assume you will supply it.
Custom design or a template. A designer who adapts a ready-made layout charges far less than one who designs from nothing.
What the site has to do. Showing your services is one job. Taking orders, bookings or M-Pesa payments is another.
Whether it can be found. A site that is built to appear in Google searches takes more work than one that only looks good.
What happens after launch. Some quotes include updates and support, and some stop on the day the site goes live.

Ask every company what is and is not included, in writing.

What is usually missing from the quote

These costs surprise people most often. Ask about each one before you agree to anything.

Domain name (your web address). Ask who registers it, in whose name, and what it costs to renew each year.
Hosting (where the site lives). Agencies publish hosting prices from about KES 3,000 to KES 35,000 a year, depending on the plan. Ask what you will pay after the first year.
SSL certificate (the padlock that shows your site is secure). It should be included, not charged separately.
Your content. Who writes the text? Who supplies the photos?
Business email (for example, info@yourbusiness.co.ke). Ask whether it is included.
Maintenance. Sites need updates to stay secure. Ask whether this is included, and what it costs if not.
Changes after launch. Ask how many rounds of changes you get, and what each extra one costs.

Who owns what

This matters more than price and is rarely discussed until there is a dispute. Ask these questions before you pay a deposit:

Is the domain registered in my name? It should be. If it is registered in the designer’s name, they can hold your web address hostage.
Will I have my own admin login? You should be able to log in and manage your own site.
Do I own the design and the content? Get this in writing.
Can I move the site to another company later? A good designer will say yes.
If we part ways, what do I walk away with?

If a company is vague or defensive about any of these, treat that as a warning.

How to check a company in 15 minutes

You do not need technical knowledge for any of this.

Open their live sites. Ask for links to websites they have built, not screenshots. Open them on your phone. Do they load quickly? Can you read them? Do the buttons work?
Look at the Google reviews, and note the date. Search for the company on Google and open its reviews. Note how many there are and when the latest one was written. A company with many reviews, some recent, is easier to trust than one with a handful from years ago.
Ask to speak to a past client. Anyone who has done good work can give you a name. If they refuse, ask why.
Ask for an itemised written quote. It should list each piece of work and its cost, so you can compare quotes from different companies.
Check the small things. A company that cannot proofread its own website, or whose portfolio links go to the wrong place, will not be careful with yours.

Ask each company the same questions and write down the answers, so you can compare them fairly.

Who each kind of designer is wrong for

No option suits everyone, and a trustworthy company will tell you when it is not the right fit.

A freelancer often costs less and gives you direct contact. They can be a poor fit if you need several skills, such as design, writing and search visibility, or if you worry about them being unavailable later.
A small agency usually covers more skills and has more than one person who knows your site. It costs more than a freelancer, and quality depends on who is assigned to your project.
A large agency suits complex or high-budget projects. It is usually a poor fit for a small business with a small budget, which can end up as a low priority.
A do-it-yourself builder is cheap and quick. It is a poor fit if you do not have the time, or if you want to be found easily on Google.

Warning signs

They promise to put you first on Google. Nobody can guarantee that.
They will not show you live sites.
The price is far below everyone else’s, with no explanation.
They ask for the full payment before any work is done.
The domain or hosting is registered in their name, not yours.
They are vague about what happens after launch.
They claim to be the “best” or “number one” but offer no way to check.

Before you contact anyone

Have these ready, and your quotes will be much closer to the truth:

What the website must do for your business (get calls, take orders, show your work).
Roughly how much you can spend, and a date you need it by.
Whether you already have a logo, photos and text, or are starting from nothing.

Are you ready to start?

If you have a budget in mind, know what you want the site to do, and have a few companies to compare, you are ready. Use the checks on this page, ask the same questions of everyone, and choose the one who answers most clearly.

If you are not there yet, that is fine. Take your time. If you are still working out whether you need a website at all, or what it should do, settle that first. It will make every quote you get more useful.