Strategic call A good web design agency in Amsterdam gives you a website that explains your business to someone who has never heard of you, loads fast on a phone and can be found in Google and in AI answers. At Viralistic that work starts with your brand guide and your story. We design in Figma and build in Astro, so your team can keep working with the site for years.
Web design agency Amsterdam: what you should get
Most people compare agencies by their portfolios. A portfolio shows taste, but it tells you little about whether a site will bring in work. We hold every project to four standards.
A design built on your story and your audience
Before anything is designed, we write your brand script: what you offer, who it is for and why they should choose you. The sitemap and every page follow from it. That is why the site makes sense to a first-time visitor, and why the visual design fits the company you actually are. Our guide to UX and UI design explains what that layer of the work should do for you.
A foundation that Google and AI can read
Fast pages, a clear structure, clean headings and structured data are part of the build. Google measures page experience with Core Web Vitals and advises a Largest Contentful Paint within 2.5 seconds, an Interaction to Next Paint under 200 milliseconds and a Cumulative Layout Shift under 0.1 (Google Search Central). We build towards those numbers, so SEO and visibility in AI answers can start from a healthy site.
A website that works on every screen
Google uses the mobile version of a site for indexing and ranking, which it calls mobile-first indexing (Google Search Central). In Figma we design for desktop and for mobile, so the version on your phone gets the same care as the big screen.
Content that carries the design
Photos, video and copy decide whether a design works. A strong layout filled with stock photos still looks like every other brand. We also photograph people, products, fashion and cars, and we plan each shoot around the place where the images will sit on your site. For Shoop Shoop we delivered a new website together with a photoshoot and video.
Why we check your brand guide before any code
A website built without a brand system underneath it communicates inconsistency, so we check your brand guide before development starts. If you have one, we can move on to design. If you do not, we make it in the first phases of the project: brand script, moodboard, stylescape and then the brand guide itself.
At the premium level, inconsistency reads as quality you do not control. This check is the difference between a site that looks good for one season and a site that still represents you in three years. You keep the brand guide afterwards, so every next touchpoint looks like the same company. Our guide to brand identity design explains what goes into one, and our branding work shows how we build it.
How a web design project runs
Every project runs in six phases. Each phase ends with something you can see and a moment to react, and your agreement is what the next phase builds on. You can download the full process as a PDF at the top of this page, or copy it into your own AI assistant.
1. Foundation
We make a moodboard and write your brand script, which captures the core of your business so your website makes sense to someone who has never heard your name. We also draw up the sitemap: every page we believe the site needs, and how those pages connect. We move on once we agree on the pages, the story and the mood.
2. Wireframe and stylescape
We merge the sitemap and the brand script into a wireframe. It shows what each page says and in which order, and the brand script makes sure the route leads visitors towards the actions you want. The wireframe holds no colour or type on purpose, so we can judge the route through the site without distraction. At the same time the moodboard grows into a stylescape: the chosen mood, personalised and made tangible. If you find it hard to picture where a designer is heading, this is the step where it becomes clear.
3. Brand guide
When the wireframe and the stylescape are right, we turn the stylescape into a brand guide with rules for typography, colour and imagery. We spend real time here, because your style should exist as a document you own.
4. Design in Figma
We combine the brand guide and the wireframe into a high-fidelity design in Figma. Scope follows budget. Usually we design the homepage and one or two pages that need heavy design work. For exclusive projects we design every page in full detail.
5. Build in Astro
Once you approve the design, we build it in Astro. You are less involved in this phase, because we build what you approved.
6. Delivery and launch
We deliver the site and go through it with you in a review call. Handmade work still has rough edges at this point, such as small bugs or alignment that is slightly off. We fix them together, and when you are happy with the result, the site goes live.
Feedback and changes
The phases are separate on purpose. Changing your mind about something we already agreed on is fine, and it happens. Later phases build on earlier agreements, so a change costs extra time and budget, and the agreed deadline and the original budget no longer hold. We tell you what a change costs before we make it.
Redesigning a website without losing rankings
A redesign keeps its search traffic when every old URL leads to the right new page. Google advises mapping each old URL to its new address, using permanent server-side redirects such as a 301, and keeping them in place for at least a year. It also warns against sending many old URLs to the home page (Google Search Central).
So we start with what you have: the pages that bring in visitors and enquiries, the texts and images that still work, and what can go. Then every old address gets a redirect to its new page. Our help article on keeping your rankings when you relaunch shows each step, including the checks after launch.
Sometimes a new website is not the first step. If your current site works but nobody finds it, SEO may be the better place to start, and we will tell you so.
What a website costs, and what drives the price
Smaller projects start around EUR 4,000, while larger, CMS-driven platforms can reach EUR 20,000 or more. We agree on the scope in the first phase, so you know what you pay for before the design starts.
These factors decide where you land:
- How many pages we design in full detail in Figma. This is the biggest factor.
- Whether we first need to build your brand script and brand guide.
- A CMS for teams that publish often, and connections to other software.
- New photography or video.
- The number of existing pages that need to move and get a redirect.
After launch, managed hosting is billed monthly. Our overview of what a website costs compares every level, from building it yourself to a premium agency.
We see the website as the foundation for everything after it. Once it works and people can find you, paid campaigns can add reach on top. Before that point, ads mostly buy visitors for a site that loses them.
After launch: hosting, edits and one person to call
With managed hosting, we keep your website live, fast and secure, and you have one point of contact for domain, DNS, SSL, email and updates. The site runs on a global edge network with automatic SSL, daily backups and uptime monitoring. Because it is built in Astro, there is no plugin stack that needs patching every week.
You can still make changes yourself. All text lives in plain files that you can edit in the browser with a preview before anything goes live, or you can ask Claude Code for changes in natural language. Would you rather leave it to us? One message about a text change or a new page is enough. Our guide to website maintenance explains what good aftercare should include.
Web design agency Amsterdam: why work with us
Viralistic is led by Marrallisa Kreijkes, from Achtergracht 17 in Amsterdam. You get one strategic lead for design, build, search and the automations around your site, instead of a stack of freelancers who each see one part. If you are looking for a web design specialist who also understands your brand and your findability, you work with one person who sees the whole picture.
Some of the work: for Shoop Shoop, a marketing agency in Woerden, we created a StoryBrand BrandScript, wireframes and a new website, and repositioned the brand for the top segment. For Parkup in Dubai we redesigned the identity and the website as one system. We have a rating of 4.8 on Trustpilot, and you can find more projects in our cases.
We also tell you when a new website is not the right next step. A person checks every page before launch, also when AI helped. Plan a strategic call and we will tell you honestly whether your brand is ready for development, or what needs to happen first.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a website cost at a web design agency in Amsterdam?
At Viralistic, smaller projects start around EUR 4,000, while larger, CMS-driven platforms can reach EUR 20,000 or more. The biggest factor is whether we design only the homepage and key pages in Figma or every page in detail. A brand guide, photography, integrations and content migration add to the scope. We agree on that scope in the first phase.
How long does it take to build a new website?
Simple projects launch in four to six weeks. Larger builds take a few months. Each of the six phases ends with a feedback moment, so the pace also depends on how quickly agreements are made. Rushed projects lead to sloppy results, so we would rather build it right the first time.
Can I edit the website myself?
Yes. On our Astro sites all text lives in plain files that you can edit in the browser, with a preview before anything goes live. You can also ask Claude Code for changes in natural language, and our help center shows both step by step. Small changes can go through us as part of managed hosting. If your team wants to build pages visually, Webflow may fit better.
What do I need to deliver?
Mostly knowledge and time. You know your business and your clients, and together we turn that into a brand script and a sitemap. Existing texts, photos, your brand guide and access to your domain and current website help us move faster. If something is missing, such as a brand guide or good photography, we make it as part of the project. Plan time for the feedback moments.
Where do the photos and video come from?
From you, or from us. Viralistic also photographs people, products, fashion and cars, and we plan each shoot together with the design, so the images fit the pages they appear on. For Shoop Shoop we delivered the website together with a photoshoot and video. Stock photos are possible, but they make a premium brand look like everyone else.
Can you move the content from my current website?
Yes. We go through your current pages with you and decide what moves, what gets rewritten and what goes. Every old URL then gets a permanent 301 redirect to its new page, which is what Google recommends when a site moves. That protects the search traffic and the links you have built up over the years.
Can the website connect to my CRM or other software?
Yes. We connect your website to your CRM and other tools with automations built in n8n. Enquiries from a form can go straight into your CRM, and data can stay in sync between platforms. In principle, anything with an API can be connected. Because an Astro site keeps its content in one structured place, your tools and AI assistants can read from it too.
Do I need a brand guide before you build my website?
Yes, or we build one first. A website without a brand system underneath it communicates inconsistency. Without a brand guide, the project starts with the foundation phase: brand script, moodboard and sitemap, then stylescape and brand guide. If you already have one, we check it and move on to design and development.
Who owns the website?
You do. On an Astro site the code and the content live in plain files that belong to you and can be hosted anywhere. The brand guide is yours as well. With Webflow, code export is possible on paid Workspace plans, but CMS content is not included in the export, which matters if you ever want to move.