I’m Nick, a freelance web designer for Newcastle businesses, based in Liverpool and a direct train across to the Tyne. Bespoke web design for Newcastle, on Squarespace or fully custom, and the alternative to a Newcastle web design agency: one person, 250+ sites, and I build every one myself.
NewcastleNE
Newcastle is a city of independents, studios, practices and firms that are better than their websites let on, and most of the ones that find me have either tried an agency or built the site themselves. Either way they’ve ended up with a website that isn’t pulling in work.
I don’t have a Newcastle client in the portfolio yet, so here are two recent UK builds instead: a florist’s shop rebuilt so delivery finally worked, and a fitness studio moved off a clunky WordPress site. Every project is in the portfolio.
Arta’s FlowersA florist who had outgrown her DIY Squarespace shop. Rebuilt in six weeks with new branding, a clearer checkout, workshop bookings and local delivery that picks the right option from the customer’s postcode, so Arta stopped covering delivery costs out of her own pocket.
Meraki StudiosTwo studios, several class types and a growing community, stuck on an outdated WordPress site. Migrated and redesigned on Squarespace in four weeks: embedded timetables, clear first-timer info, FAQs and a gallery that finally matches the energy of the classes.I’m Nick Croce. American roots, Liverpool postcode, and Newcastle is a direct train across the country in about three hours twenty. I studied at university in Liverpool, learned big-brand standards at an agency, and started Design by Ency to give businesses that level of work without the agency price.
Since then I’ve built more than 250 websites for businesses in Liverpool, London, across the UK and overseas: florists, law firms, health clinics, charities, gyms, startups. Squarespace made me a Circle Platinum Partner for it, their highest tier.
What you get is me. I answer the emails, I design the pages, I build the site and I fix the things. Newcastle is far enough that most of our work happens over video calls, which is how most of my projects run anyway; if a bigger project warrants meeting in person, I’m happy to make that happen.
Liverpool based, Newcastle bound
No more costly custom code
Doctors bookable by state
A full site, built in just 2 weeks
Squarespace 7.0 to 7.1 full redesign
Built exact to wireframes
Visuals brought to life
From DIY to finished article
A cohesive brand identity & website
Whatever stage your business is at, there’s a route in. Every one is custom, every one includes the SEO foundations, and every one is done by me. Prices are on each page, and on the pricing page, so you never have to ask.
Bespoke Squarespace web design for Newcastle businesses: designed around your brand and built from scratch, with ecommerce website design where you sell online. From £3,000, yours to keep.
Custom buildsGot a site that’s dated, slow or just not bringing in work? I rebuild it properly, redirect your old links, and give it a look your Newcastle customers actually trust.
RedesignsThe build included, then looked after every month: updates, fixes, security and support, for one fee. For business owners who never want to log into a website again.
Managed-For-YouNot sure what’s wrong with your current site? I review it properly and send you a video walkthrough and a PDF of what to fix. The good, the bad, the ugly.
Health checkEvery build ships with the SEO basics in place from day one. Managed-For-You clients can add the quarterly SEO growth plan to keep climbing.
SEO growth planNeed a logo, graphics or the words to go on the site? Bolt them onto a build so the whole thing arrives finished, instead of being stitched together later.
Add-onsStraight answer: two ways to work with me, both with a fixed figure in writing before any work starts. No hourly rates, no surprise invoices.
Custom Squarespace build
£3,000
One-time fee, quoted per project. Designed and built around your brand, then handed over with training so you run it yourself. Yours to keep, forever.
Managed-For-You website
£150
The build is included. Then I run it for you every month: updates, fixes, security and changes on request. You tell me what you need and it’s done.
Want a number for your project? Build a ballpark in about twenty seconds, no email needed.
Build your quoteusually 3 to 6 weeks
A clear, collaborative process from start to finish. You deal with me at every stage, so nothing gets lost in translation.
Book a discovery call to talk through your vision, what the site needs to do, and whether we’re the right fit for each other.
Once we’ve agreed the scope and you’ve accepted the proposal, the build begins: custom design, layouts and features, shared with you as it takes shape.
When you’ve approved the finished website, it goes live and you get bespoke handover training, so you feel confident running it yourself.
A Newcastle web design agency puts an account manager between you and whoever’s actually building the site. When you work with me you deal directly with the person doing the work: me, on every page, every call, every fix. That’s quicker, it’s cheaper, and nothing gets lost in translation.
The studios and bars of Ouseburn and the Quayside, the firms of Grainger Town, the independents of Jesmond, Heaton and Gosforth, the practices out towards the coast: Newcastle businesses are usually much better than their websites suggest, and customers judge on the website first. I’ve built for shops, studios, clinics and charities, and I know what each of them needs a website to do.
I’m not going to pretend I’m in Jesmond. I’m in Liverpool, a direct train from Newcastle in about three hours twenty, and every project runs over video calls; if a bigger one warrants meeting in person, that can happen. Same time zone, same working hours, and overheads that keep my prices a fraction of a city-centre agency’s.
Liverpool to Newcastle, direct
Start to finish, no account managers
Squarespace Circle Platinum Partner
Whichever your business actually needs
Titles, alt text, compressed images, redirects
In writing before any work starts
“Nick built the Waters Agency website, and I couldn’t recommend him more highly. He quickly understood what we wanted to achieve and translated it into a polished, professional site that reflects our brand brilliantly. He was creative, responsive and straightforward to work with throughout the entire process. The website has continued to run smoothly since launch, and Nick has always been helpful whenever we’ve needed support. A talented designer and a genuinely great person to work with.”
Declan Waters“We’ve had an outstanding experience working with Nick. From day one, he brought a level of care, precision, and creativity that’s hard to find. He quickly understood what we were trying to achieve and consistently delivered high-quality work — on time, with great communication throughout. Nick doesn’t just build websites; he solves problems, adds value, and genuinely feels like part of the team. We’re genuinely thrilled with the results and look forward to working with him again. Highly recommend!”
Patrick Smith“Unhesitatingly recommend Nick! He absolutely knocked our project out of the park. From start to finish, he was collaborative, communicative, and incredibly knowledgeable about Squarespace. He was proactive, responsive, and genuinely invested in the project's success. We look forward to working with him again in the future.”
Jason Letteboer“Working with Nick was a great experience! He built a beautiful website for my flower business and really brought my vision to life. Nick was patient and responsive, always happy to be contacted, no matter how many questions I had. My website looks fantastic - we are very pleased with it. Since launching the new site, we have seen more people visiting and engaging with my business. Highly recommend!”
Arta LlabjaniI work with businesses across the whole of Newcastle and Tyneside, not one postcode. From Grainger Town, the Quayside and Ouseburn to Jesmond, Heaton, Sandyford and Gosforth, across the river to Gateshead, and out along the Metro to Tynemouth, Whitley Bay and North Shields: wherever you are on the map, the process is the same. Everything is done over video calls from my desk in Liverpool; if a bigger project warrants a meeting, that can happen too. I have pages for Leeds, Edinburgh and Glasgow too.
The first call is free and there’s no hard sell. Book below or drop me an email; it all happens over video calls, wherever you are.
Not covered here? Send me a message
no such thing as a silly question
It depends on who you hire. UK agencies typically quote £5,000 to £15,000 for a small business site, and freelancers can be anywhere from a few hundred pounds up. My custom Squarespace builds start from £3,000 for a site that’s yours to keep, or the Managed-For-You plan is from £150 a month with the build included. Every price is fixed in writing before any work starts.
No, and I’d rather say so than pretend. I’m based in Liverpool city centre, and Newcastle is a direct train of about three hours twenty. I work with businesses across the UK and overseas, all of it over video calls. Nobody needs to travel to work with me; if a bigger project warrants meeting in person, I can do that in Liverpool, Manchester or London, or come to you.
Most custom builds take three to six weeks from the first call to launch. The biggest factor is how quickly the content comes together on your side: copy, photos and the like. If you need the words written too, the copywriting add-on takes that off your plate.
Every site I build has the SEO basics in place: page titles, image alt text, compressed images and redirects, so Google can read the site properly from day one. I’ll also point you at getting your Google Business Profile right, because for local searches that matters as much as the website. If you want to actively climb the rankings afterwards, Managed-For-You clients can add the quarterly SEO growth plan.
No. I’m a Squarespace Circle Platinum Partner, the top tier, and it’s the right choice for most Newcastle small businesses because you can run it yourself afterwards. But the Managed-For-You plan is custom coded, and I build in code wherever a project genuinely needs it, so you get a web designer and web developer in one.
No. I don’t build new sites on WordPress. If you have a WordPress site that’s become slow, fiddly or expensive to maintain, I rebuild it on Squarespace, move your content across and redirect the old links, so you can update it yourself without plugins breaking.
No, and that’s the point. Web design agencies in Newcastle tend to put an account manager between you and whoever builds the site, and price accordingly. I’m one designer, based in Liverpool, doing the design and the build myself for businesses across the North East and the rest of the UK.
Yes, and it’s most of what I do. I rebuild it from the ground up rather than patching the old one, redirect your old links so nothing breaks, and move your existing content across.
Yes. If your customers come from one part of the city, the site can be written and structured for that: area-specific copy, the right local business details, and pages set up so Google understands exactly who you serve and where.
That’s your choice. On a custom build you get bespoke handover training so you can run it yourself, and I’m at the end of an email if you get stuck. On Managed-For-You I keep running it for you: updates, fixes, security and changes on request, every month.
Fifteen minutes, no pitch. Tell me about your business and I’ll tell you honestly what your website needs, and what it would cost.
