Web Design in Cardiff

A closer look at Cardiff

The Cardiff local authority area grew by 6.2% between mid-2021 and mid-2024, to 382,028 people. New residents have no favourite plumber, café or hairdresser yet, so they search; a clear website is how a Cardiff business gets onto that first list.

Working from home was common in Cardiff at Census 2021 (35.8% of working residents). People who work locally shop locally, and they look up businesses on their laptops between calls.

A student population turns over every year, so each autumn brings people who do not know any local businesses yet. They search first; a fast mobile site with prices and opening hours is what gets them through the door.

Know your Cardiff audience

Young adults (20 to 34) make up 26.2% of Cardiff. Make it easy to send a message without a phone call.

Private renters are 24.3% of households in Cardiff. Renters move more often, and every move starts with a search.

9.0% of people in Cardiff have another main language. Simple wording and good photos make your site easy to follow for every customer.

Households without a car or van: 26.5% of Cardiff. Delivery areas and bus routes are worth spelling out.

Cardiff and the surrounding area

Within a short drive of Cardiff: Tongwynlais (3.4 miles north-west), Penarth (4 miles south), Taff’s Well (4.5 miles north-west), Dinas Powis (4.7 miles south) and Wenvoe (4.8 miles south-west). A website can name each place you serve, from Taff’s Well to Penarth.

Tongwynlais (1,846 residents) and Penarth (28,391) are the nearest places with their own page. In Tongwynlais, 36.4% of workers were based mainly at home in 2021; in Cardiff, 35.8%.

Local businesses in Cardiff

Of the 15,460 business sites counted in the Cardiff local authority area (2026), these groups stand out against the national mix:

• Estate agents and property managers (835): current listings with photos and the areas they cover.
• Professional firms such as accountants, solicitors and engineers (640): the team with qualifications and the services and who they are for.
• Photographers, designers and creative studios (190): a portfolio and how a project starts.
• Furniture, electronics and homeware shops (1,615): a contact form for stock questions and the product range with prices.
• Clubs, charities and community groups (215): upcoming events and contact details.
• Dental practices, clinics, physiotherapists and other health practices (635): the treatments offered and what to expect on a first visit.

Among the most common trades: 190 pubs and bars, 210 domestic building firms and 5 driving schools. Most are small: 78.6% employ fewer than ten people. Whatever the sector, customers check the same things first: what you do, where, and how to get in touch.

Cardiff in numbers

Two or more cars: 30.3% of households; none at all: 26.5%. Under-15s are 17.1% of the population, and people aged 65 or over 14.4%. Census 2021 counted 141,153 households in Cardiff, with an average of 2.4 people each.

A few more figures

• Adults with no qualifications: 16.6%
• Cycle to work: 2.9%
• Bus commuters: 4.8%
• Households in semi-detached homes: 30.2%
• Train commuters: 1.2%

Side by side with the Cardiff local authority area

On home ownership, Cardiff (57.7%) compares with 58.0% for the Cardiff local authority area as a whole and 66.1% nationally. Residents aged 65 or over: 14.4% in Cardiff, 14.5% across the Cardiff local authority area and 21.3% in Wales. The share of adults with Level 4 qualifications or above is 39.4% in Cardiff, against 40.0% in the Cardiff local authority area and 31.5% in Wales.

Wales rules for a business with a website

A website does not need a special licence, but the business behind it follows the usual rules. A few that come up often:

• A limited company must include its name on all company documents, publicity and letters, and on business letters, order forms and websites it must also show its registered number, its registered office address and where it is registered. GOV.UK: company names on websites
• You cannot set non-essential cookies on your website before the visitor has consented to them, and that consent must be actively and clearly given. ICO: cookies
• When you sell online, you must tell the customer they can cancel their order up to 14 days after it is delivered, and they do not need to give a reason. GOV.UK: online and distance selling

This is general information, not legal advice; confirm the details with the agency behind each item or with a professional adviser.

A £69 website, step by step

Aria has been building business websites and online shops since 2008, and every project runs online. For a business in Cardiff, that means the same £69 plan as anywhere else in the United Kingdom, with your material and your questions going by email.

1. Start with the online sign-up (about 5 minutes) and tell us what the business does.
2. We put the site together with your logo, colours and photos, and send you a temporary link within 3 working days.
3. When you are happy with it, you approve, the first £69 fee is issued, and the site is published on your domain.

After launch, you keep asking for changes by email: a new photo, an updated price, a new service. They are part of the monthly fee.