What to look for when hiring a web design studio in Nairobi

Nairobi has hundreds of web designers and agencies, from one-person freelancers to large digital firms. Prices range widely (see our 2026 website cost guide). Here is how to tell who will actually deliver.

1. Live work you can click

Ask for links to live sites, not just screenshots or a Behance page. Open them on your phone, on mobile data. Do they load fast? Do the buttons work? Is the WhatsApp number right? If possible, call one of their past clients.

2. A fixed price in writing

A good quote lists pages, features, what you must supply (photos, text), the timeline and what happens if scope changes. Be wary of "we'll see as we go" for a standard business site.

3. You own everything

The domain should be registered in your name, ideally on your own account. You should have access to the hosting and, for custom builds, the code repository. Studios that keep the domain hostage make it hard to leave later.

4. Real timelines

A landing page can be done in days and a typical business site in two to three weeks once content is ready. Ask for dated milestones. Long silences are the most common complaint about web projects.

5. Speed and mobile quality

Ask how they keep sites fast. Run the homepage of one of their live sites through PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev). Heavy sliders, autoplay videos and pop-ups that cover the screen on a phone are bad signs.

6. SEO basics included

At minimum: unique titles and descriptions per page, proper headings, image alt text, a sitemap, Google Search Console set up, structured data and a link-up with your Google Business Profile. Read the local SEO checklist to know what to ask.

7. Kenyan payment and messaging experience

If you sell online, ask whether they have integrated M-PESA STK Push before, and whether payment is confirmed automatically or by screenshot. If customers reach you on WhatsApp, ask how the site connects to it.

8. Who you will actually work with

At larger agencies you may talk to an account manager while juniors build the site. At small studios you work with the builder directly. Neither is wrong; just know which you're getting and who answers when something breaks.

9. Support after launch

What does a change cost in month three? Is there a care plan? How fast do they respond?

Red flags

• Guarantees of "#1 on Google" or a fixed number of leads.
• Reviews you can't verify, or testimonials with no names or businesses.
• No contract, or a contract that keeps the domain in their name.
• Pressure to pay 100% up front for a large project.
• Cheap "lifetime hosting" deals with no clear provider.

How Captivart answers these

We publish fixed KES prices, launch most sites in 5–14 days, register domains in your name, build in Next.js for speed, and integrate M-PESA and WhatsApp. Every project is designed and built by Kevin Milo. Browse our work and our website design packages.