- Home
- /FAQs
Everything you need to know about web design in Uganda
Getting started, pricing, design, development, SEO, security, payments, and what it's actually like to work with us, answered honestly, with no sales pitch.
Jump to a topic
Getting started
New to websites? Start here with the basics.
Website design covers how your site looks and how visitors move through it, layout, colours, typography, and user experience. Website development is the engineering side, building the actual working site from that design using code. We handle both under one roof, so there is no handoff between a designer and a separate developer.
A designer decides how the site looks and feels, wireframes, visual design, user flows. A developer turns that design into a working website using code. Some people can do both; on our team, designers and engineers work side by side on every project so nothing gets lost in translation.
Most Ugandan customers now check a business online before calling or visiting, whether that is Google, Instagram, or a direct link shared on WhatsApp. Without a website, you are invisible to that research step and easy to overlook in favour of a competitor who does show up.
A clear idea of what you want the site to achieve, your logo and brand colours if you have them, and any existing content, text, price lists, photos. If you do not have all of this ready, that is normal, we help you pull it together as part of the process rather than making it a blocker.
Yes. You do not need to know how to code, design, or manage servers. We handle the technical side end to end and hand you a CMS simple enough to update text, images, and prices yourself once the site is live.
WordPress and Shopify are page-builder platforms, quick to launch but often slower, harder to customise deeply, and more prone to plugin conflicts over time. We build custom on Next.js and React instead, giving you a site that loads faster, ranks better, and can grow into a full web app later without a platform migration.
If you mainly need to present information, services, pricing, contact details, a website is enough. If customers need to log in, book something, track an order, or manage an account, you need a web app. Many businesses start with a website and add app-like features once the product proves itself.
Pricing & payment
Understand what goes into website pricing.
A professional website in Uganda typically costs between UGX 900,000 and UGX 3,500,000+, depending on the number of pages, custom design requirements, and features like e-commerce or booking systems. Our Starter plan begins at UGX 900,000, Business at UGX 1,800,000, and full Ecommerce builds at UGX 3,500,000. We publish transparent pricing rather than making you ask for a quote.
Yes. We typically ask for a 50% deposit before work begins, with the balance due on delivery. For larger projects, we can split payment into milestones tied to specific stages of the build so you are never paying for work that has not been done yet.
We accept MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money, bank transfer, and card payments for international clients. Whichever method works best for you, we will find a way to make it easy.
No. The price we quote is the price you pay for the agreed scope. If you request additional pages, features, or revisions beyond what was scoped, we will always tell you the cost upfront before doing the work, never after.
Yes, particularly for larger builds like e-commerce stores or custom web applications, we can agree on a milestone schedule that spreads payment across the project. We also offer reduced rates for early-stage startups and registered NGOs on a case-by-case basis, ask us directly about your situation.
Domain renewal (roughly once a year) and hosting are the two recurring costs, typically modest. Beyond that, an optional maintenance plan covers updates, backups, and monitoring, starting from UGX 150,000 per month. Nothing is forced on you, you choose what level of ongoing support makes sense.
Timeline & process
How we build your website, step by step.
Most websites are delivered in 2 to 4 weeks. A simple 5-page business website takes about 2 weeks. A full e-commerce store or custom web application typically takes 4 to 8 weeks depending on scope. You get a fixed timeline in writing before we start, not an open-ended estimate.
Yes, most standard business websites are delivered well within a month. If you have a hard deadline, an event, a launch date, a funding milestone, tell us upfront and we will let you know honestly whether it is achievable and what to prioritise to hit it.
We follow four stages: Discover (understanding your business and goals), Design (wireframes and visual design you review before we build), Build (development in short rounds with regular check-ins), and Grow (launch support and ongoing improvements based on real traffic data).
Yes, as much or as little as you want. Most clients review and approve the design at key checkpoints before development starts, so you are never surprised by the final result. If you prefer a more hands-off role once direction is agreed, that works too.
Our Starter plan includes 2 rounds of revisions on the design before development begins. Business and Ecommerce plans include additional rounds. Beyond that, we handle change requests case by case rather than nickel-and-diming every small tweak.
We build in buffer time when estimating, so this is rare. If a delay does happen, whether from scope changes or something on our end, we tell you as soon as we know, explain why, and give you a revised date. You are never left guessing.
Design & user experience
What makes a great website look and feel right.
A good design is not just attractive, it is clear. Visitors should understand what your business does within seconds, find what they need without hunting, and be guided naturally toward contacting you or making a purchase. Looks matter, but they serve the goal, they are not the goal.
Responsive design means your website automatically adjusts its layout to fit any screen, phone, tablet, or desktop. It matters because over 90% of Ugandan internet users browse primarily on mobile phones. A site that only looks right on desktop is turning away the majority of your visitors.
Wireframes are simple layout sketches showing where content and buttons will sit on each page, before colours, images, or final copy are added. Yes, we share these (or a full visual design) with you for approval before any development begins, so you are shaping the site early, not reacting to a finished product.
Templates are faster and cheaper but limit how distinct your site can look, and often carry code you do not need, slowing things down. A custom design costs more upfront but is built around your specific business and brand, with nothing unnecessary weighing it down. We build custom by default.
UI (user interface) is how your site looks; UX (user experience) is how it feels to use. Good UI/UX means visitors do not get confused, frustrated, or lost, which directly affects whether they become customers or bounce to a competitor. We research your users before we design, not just decorate a page.
Yes. If you already have a logo, colours, or brand guidelines, we design your website to feel like a natural extension of that identity. If you do not have these yet, we can help establish them as part of the project.
A landing page is a focused, single-purpose page designed to drive one specific action, signing up, booking a call, buying a product, usually built for a specific ad campaign or promotion. If you run paid ads or seasonal promotions, a dedicated landing page usually converts far better than sending traffic to your homepage.
Development & technical
The technical side of building websites, explained simply.
A content management system (CMS) is the dashboard you use to update your website, add blog posts, change prices, edit text, without touching code. Yes, every website we build comes with one, along with a handover session so you are confident using it.
Your domain name is your web address, like marvwebdesign.com. Yes, we help you register the right domain, advise on .com versus .ug, and handle the technical setup connecting it to your website.
Hosting is the server space where your website's files actually live so it can be accessed online. We offer managed hosting on high-performance servers with Uganda-optimised delivery, or we can deploy to a host of your choice if you already have one.
SSL encrypts the connection between your website and its visitors, protecting any data they submit. It also unlocks the padlock icon in browsers and is a confirmed Google ranking factor. Every website we build includes SSL by default, at no extra cost.
HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP, the "S" stands for secure, meaning data sent between your site and its visitors is encrypted. Modern browsers actively warn visitors away from sites still running on plain HTTP. Every site we build runs on HTTPS.
An API lets your website talk to other software, a payment processor, a CRM, a delivery service, an SMS gateway. You will need one if your site needs to connect with tools like these. We integrate whatever your business already relies on, and design new ones for custom internal tools.
Yes. We follow semantic HTML and accessibility best practices, meaningful alt text, keyboard navigation, sufficient colour contrast, so your site works well for visitors using screen readers or other assistive technology, not just for the majority case.
Features & functionality
What your website can do for your business.
Yes. We build full e-commerce storefronts with product catalogues, inventory management, and checkout flows built around Mobile Money and card payments, tailored to how Ugandan customers actually shop online.
Yes. A WhatsApp click-to-chat button, live social feeds, and share buttons are common additions, especially useful in Uganda where many customers prefer to finish a conversation over WhatsApp after finding you online.
Yes. We build on Next.js and React specifically because it scales cleanly, you are not locked into a rigid template. Many clients launch with a simple site and add booking systems, e-commerce, or a customer portal once the business is ready for it.
Yes, every CMS we set up supports a blog by default. A blog is also one of the strongest tools for SEO, giving Google fresh, keyword-relevant content to index and rank over time.
Yes. We build custom booking and scheduling systems for clinics, hotels, consultants, and service businesses, including automated confirmations and reminders, tailored to how your business actually takes appointments.
Yes, either a WhatsApp-based chat widget or a full live chat system, depending on how your team prefers to handle customer conversations.
Yes. We build authenticated portals where customers or members can log in to view order history, manage bookings, download documents, or access exclusive content, essentially a lightweight web app layered onto your site.
Online payments
Accepting payments on your website in Uganda and beyond.
We integrate a payment gateway that supports MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money directly at checkout, so customers pay the way they already pay for everything else, no card required. Card payments and international gateways can run alongside this for customers who prefer them.
MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money should be your default, they cover the vast majority of everyday transactions in Uganda. Card payments (Visa, Mastercard) matter for higher-value purchases and international customers. Bank transfer is worth offering for B2B or large orders.
Fees vary by provider and payment method, but Mobile Money transactions typically carry lower fees than international card processing. We help you choose a gateway with fee structures that make sense for your average order size, so processing costs do not quietly eat your margins.
Yes. For businesses selling to customers outside Uganda, we integrate Stripe, PayPal, or similar gateways alongside local Mobile Money options, so you can accept payment from anywhere without maintaining two separate checkout systems.
Yes, provided the integration is done properly: SSL encryption, a reputable payment processor handling the sensitive data (never your own server), and PCI-compliant card handling. We never build custom card-storage systems, that risk and responsibility belongs with established payment processors.
This is common, PayPal's payout support for Uganda is limited. In that case, we typically recommend a gateway with stronger African coverage that supports both Mobile Money and card payments, so you are not dependent on a service with local restrictions.
SEO & getting found on Google
Getting found on Google and driving traffic.
Not immediately, but every site we build starts from a strong technical foundation: fast load times, mobile-first design, structured data, and clean semantic markup, all factors Google uses to rank pages. Ranking for competitive terms takes ongoing SEO work, but you will not be starting from zero.
Technical SEO is built into every website by default, not offered as a paid add-on later. For businesses that want to actively grow organic traffic, we offer ongoing SEO retainers covering keyword targeting, content strategy, local SEO, and monthly reporting.
Organic search (SEO), social media, and word of mouth via a WhatsApp-shareable link are the three main channels most Ugandan businesses rely on. Paid ads (Google or Meta) can accelerate traffic while your organic rankings build over time.
On-page SEO covers everything on the page itself that affects ranking, keyword-optimised titles and headings, meta descriptions, internal linking, image alt text, and content structure. This is included in every website we build.
Not strictly required, but it is one of the highest-leverage SEO tools available. A blog gives Google fresh content to index and gives you a way to rank for many long-tail searches your core service pages will never target on their own.
Search Console is a free Google tool showing exactly how your site performs in search, what you rank for, what is indexed, and any errors Google finds. We set this up for every client so you have visibility into your own search performance, not just our word for it.
Google Analytics tracks who visits your site, where they come from, and what they do once there. Yes, we set this up as standard so you can see real numbers behind your website's performance, not guesses.
Most businesses start seeing meaningful movement in rankings and traffic within 3 to 6 months of consistent SEO work. Highly competitive keywords can take longer. SEO compounds over time, the earlier you start, the bigger the advantage you build over competitors who have not.
Yes, we can set up and advise on Google Ads and Meta Ads campaigns to complement your organic SEO, particularly useful for driving immediate traffic while your organic rankings are still building.
Security & performance
Protecting your website and keeping it fast.
Every website ships with HTTPS encryption, secure authentication, and up-to-date dependencies by default. Maintenance plan clients also get regular security patching and monitoring for suspicious activity, so vulnerabilities do not sit unpatched for months.
If you are on a maintenance plan, we typically catch and respond to security incidents through active monitoring before you even notice. If not, we still treat any report as a priority and work to restore your site and close the vulnerability as fast as possible.
We build on Next.js with server-side rendering, optimise images automatically, and minimise unnecessary code, the same performance techniques used by major global tech companies. Fast load times matter for both user experience and Google rankings.
A content delivery network (CDN) stores copies of your site closer to your visitors geographically, so pages load faster no matter where someone is browsing from. We use CDN-backed hosting as standard, particularly valuable for reaching visitors across East Africa and beyond quickly.
Contact forms and comment sections include honeypot fields and validation that block automated bot submissions without adding annoying CAPTCHAs for real visitors.
Maintenance & support
Keeping your website running smoothly after launch.
Yes. Software dependencies, security patches, and content all need periodic attention to keep a site fast and safe. A website is not a one-time purchase you can ignore forever, though it needs far less attention than most people assume.
Clients on a maintenance plan get uptime monitoring, meaning we are typically alerted to an outage before you even notice it, and we act immediately to restore service. Without a plan, we still respond to outage reports as a priority.
Yes. Every project includes a handover session covering how to update content, add blog posts, and manage day-to-day changes through your CMS, plus simple written documentation you can refer back to.
Uptime is the percentage of time your website is actually online and accessible. A site that is frequently down loses customers, hurts your Google rankings, and damages trust. We aim for 99.9%+ uptime on all hosted projects.
We recommend daily automated backups for any site with regularly changing content, like a blog or e-commerce store. Maintenance plan clients get this as standard, so a technical problem never means losing weeks of work.
Content & ownership
Who owns what, and how content works.
You can provide your own text and images, or we can write and source content for you as part of the project. Most clients land somewhere in between, you provide the raw information and expertise, we shape it into clear, conversion-focused copy.
Yes, completely. Once the project is paid in full, the website, its content, and its code belong to you. We do not lock you into our hosting or hold your site hostage. You are free to move it elsewhere at any time.
Yes. Because you own the code outright, you can migrate to any hosting provider you choose. We can assist with the migration if needed, but there is no technical or contractual lock-in on our end.
Yes, we can write or adapt content in Luganda and other local languages where it makes sense for your audience, particularly useful for businesses targeting specific regional or community markets within Uganda.
Yes. Every project starts with a written agreement covering scope, timeline, cost, and payment schedule, so both sides know exactly what to expect. No verbal-only arrangements.
Redesign & scaling
Growing and improving your existing website.
Yes. We regularly redesign and rebuild existing websites, migrating your content and, where it makes sense, preserving your search rankings through careful URL redirect mapping so you do not lose SEO equity you have already earned.
Common triggers: your site looks visibly outdated, it is not mobile-friendly, it loads slowly, your business has outgrown what it currently does, or you are simply not getting enquiries from it anymore. If any of these sound familiar, it is worth an honest conversation.
It can, if done carelessly. Done properly, with redirect mapping and content parity for your highest-performing pages, a redesign should maintain or improve your rankings, not reset them. This is a core part of how we approach every redesign project.
Because we build on Next.js and React rather than a rigid page-builder, your site can grow feature by feature, adding e-commerce, a customer portal, or a mobile app, without needing to rebuild from scratch each time your business reaches a new stage.
Falling traffic, low time-on-site, high bounce rates, or an enquiry rate that does not match your traffic are all signs worth investigating. We offer honest audits that tell you specifically what is underperforming and why, not a generic sales pitch to rebuild everything.
Mobile apps & custom software
Beyond websites, apps and internal tools for growing businesses.
Yes. We build both Android and iOS apps using React Native, as well as Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) that behave like native apps but work directly in the browser, no app store download required.
A website mainly presents information, a web app lets users log in, interact with data, and perform tasks, think dashboards, booking systems, or customer portals. Many of our clients start with a website and add web app functionality as their business grows.
Yes. Beyond customer-facing websites and apps, we build internal tools, inventory systems, staff dashboards, booking and scheduling software, tailored to how your specific business actually operates.
Yes, using React Native we can ship to both platforms from a single codebase, keeping costs down without compromising performance. For projects that need deep platform-specific integration, we scope native modules as needed.
Uganda-specific questions
Questions specific to doing business online in Uganda.
Yes, we can register a .co.ug or .ug domain for you alongside or instead of a .com. A .ug domain can signal local presence to Ugandan customers, though .com remains the more globally recognised default for most businesses.
Both. We offer managed hosting on servers with Uganda-optimised content delivery for the fastest local load times, and can also deploy to major international providers if your business has specific compliance or geographic requirements.
Mobile data costs and inconsistent connection speeds mean a heavy, image-bloated website will lose visitors before it even finishes loading. We build lean, fast-loading sites specifically with this in mind, every image optimised, every unnecessary script trimmed.
Yes. We have experience with the specific needs of NGOs and public-sector organisations, donor reporting pages, grant-readiness standards, multi-language content, and accessibility requirements that commercial sites do not always need.
Yes, we can integrate USSD and SMS gateways for businesses that need to reach customers without smartphone or data access, common for agriculture, savings groups, and rural service businesses across Uganda.
It affects how your customers browse, not your website's technical setup directly. Since data costs remain a real consideration for many Ugandans, we build sites that load quickly and use minimal data, so cost-conscious visitors are not discouraged from staying on your site.
Yes. While we are based in Kampala, we work with businesses across Uganda, including Jinja, Gulu, Mbarara, Mbale, Entebbe, and beyond, as well as clients in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and internationally, all coordinated remotely via WhatsApp, email, and video calls.
Working with Marv Web Design
What it's actually like to be a client.
Absolutely. Our portfolio includes real projects across web development, app development, UI/UX design, and e-commerce, each with details on the brief, our approach, and the measurable results delivered.
We build in review checkpoints throughout the project specifically so this does not happen at the end. If something still is not right at delivery, we work with you to fix it, our goal is a client who is genuinely happy with the result, not just one who has paid an invoice.
Three things: transparency, speed, and modern technology. We publish fixed prices upfront instead of vague quotes, deliver on the timelines we commit to, and build on the same technology used by global companies rather than outdated page-builders, giving you enterprise-quality work at Uganda-market prices.