ClientFinch

Guide

How to findweb design clientsin the UK.

Web design projects tend to appear at predictable moments: a new business launches, a company rebrands or grows, or an old website starts costing enquiries. This guide shows how UK freelancers and studios can find those moments early and approach them well.

Updated

Key takeaways

  • New companies, growing companies and companies with outdated sites are the three main sources of web design work.
  • Use incorporation dates on Companies House to find new businesses in your chosen sectors and towns.
  • Qualify each prospect’s current site with a quick mobile, speed and clarity check.
  • Specialising in a few sectors makes your portfolio — and your outreach — far more persuasive.

Where web design work comes from

New businesses and rebrands are the easiest to find systematically, because Companies House publicly records new incorporations and company name changes.

  1. 01New businesses that need a site for the first time, usually within months of incorporation.
  2. 02Rebrands, mergers and new services that make an existing site out of date.
  3. 03Growing companies that have outgrown a DIY website builder or a template.
  4. 04Businesses whose site looks dated, breaks on phones or is hard to update.
  5. 05Referrals from accountants, printers, marketers and other suppliers who serve the same clients.

Finding new businesses before your competitors

In ClientFinch, set the incorporation “from” date to the last 30–90 days, choose the SIC codes for sectors you know — for example 96020 hairdressing and beauty or 56101 licensed restaurants — and add your town. The results are businesses that have just been formed and are deciding on suppliers right now.

Not every new company is trading yet, and some are holding or property companies. Check the company type and SIC codes, then search the name to see whether there is a holding page, social profile or nothing at all.

Qualifying an existing website in five minutes

Write the one improvement you would lead with in ClientFinch’s notes, so your first message is specific.

  1. 01Open it on your phone. Is it easy to read and tap, or do you have to pinch and zoom?
  2. 02Is it served over HTTPS without browser warnings?
  3. 03Is it obvious within five seconds what the business does, where, and how to get in touch?
  4. 04Check the footer copyright year and the overall design — both hint at when it was last updated.
  5. 05Run Google PageSpeed Insights on the homepage and note the mobile result.

Niches, portfolios and partnerships

A studio that has built five great sites for physiotherapy clinics will win the sixth far more easily than a generalist. Pick two or three sectors, build relevant case studies and search those SIC codes repeatedly. Alongside direct outreach, build relationships with accountants, business advisers and local business groups, who meet new businesses every week.

Try it: new beauty businesses in Manchester

Live data
Search Companies House…
  • SIC: 96020 Hairdressing and beauty
  • Location: Manchester
  • Incorporated: last 60 days
Run this search

Free account required — the first companies are free to explore.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. For data protection questions, see the ICO’s direct marketing guidance.

FAQ

Questions people ask.

Can ClientFinch find businesses without a website?

Not directly. Find Leads lists companies with a Verified Website; a company without a match may still have a website, so search for it yourself and record what you find in your notes.

How soon after incorporation should I contact a new business?

There is no fixed rule, but many founders choose suppliers in the first few months. Keep the message short, relevant and easy to decline.

Is it better to specialise in a sector?

Usually, yes. Sector-specific case studies and language make outreach more credible, and SIC codes make it easy to find more businesses in the same sector.

Related reading

For web design agenciesReach newly formed and growing businesses that need a website.Find newly incorporated UK companiesUse incorporation dates and SIC codes to reach new businesses early.Companies House lead generationWhat the public register can and cannot tell you about prospects.UK business prospect researchMethods and tools for researching UK businesses before you reach out.
All ClientFinch guides

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