Your website looks great. The colors are on-brand, the fonts are clean, and the hero image is stunning.
But no one calls.
This is the reality for most Maine businesses. They’ve paid good money for a “beautiful” website that sits like a digital brochure, impressive to look at, useless for generating revenue. And when summer hits and tourists flood the state, that silent website becomes an expensive missed opportunity.
The problem isn’t that Maine lacks talented designers. Walk through Portland’s Old Port, and you’ll find dozens of agencies with polished portfolios and five-star Google reviews. The problem is knowing which ones will actually move the needle for your business, and which ones will leave you with a site that breaks the moment you try to update your hours.
We built this list to solve that problem. We’ve reviewed the top web design companies in Maine based on what matters: results, reliability, and whether they understand the unique challenges of running a business in a seasonal, tourism-driven economy. Some focus on creative branding, others on budget-friendly packages, and a few, like Socialander, on building sites that generate predictable lead flow and revenue.
Here’s who made the cut.
The Top 10 Web Design Companies in Maine
1. Socialander – Best for ROI-Driven Growth and Strategy
Socialander isn’t a traditional web design agency. We don’t start with wireframes and color palettes, we start with your revenue goals.
Most agencies treat your website as a creative project. We treat it as a sales engine. Every design decision, every line of code, and every page structure is built to convert visitors into leads and leads into customers. That’s why businesses that work with us see measurable results, not just compliments on how their site “looks.”
Why Socialander ranks #1:
- SEO is built in from day one. Most designers hand you a beautiful site, then tell you to “hire an SEO guy” six months later. By then, the damage is done, poor site structure, slow load times, and zero keyword strategy. We bake SEO into the foundation. Your site ranks because it was built to rank.
- You own the strategy, not just the website. We don’t disappear after launch. You get transparent reporting that shows exactly how your site performs: form fills, phone calls, traffic sources, and conversion rates. No jargon, no excuses, just clear data that proves ROI.
- We understand Maine businesses. Tourism seasons, harsh winters, and hyper-local competition create unique challenges. A national agency won’t understand why your business needs to maximize June through September. We do. And we build your site to capitalize on those windows.
- Full-stack capabilities under one roof. Design, development, SEO, and paid media, handled by one team. No finger-pointing between the designer and the SEO consultant when something breaks. We own the result.
2. Take Flyte – Best for Digital Marketing Strategy
Take Flyte is a full-service digital marketing agency with a strong Portland presence. They’ve been around since 2011, and their experience shows in their strategic approach to web projects. They build websites with a clear understanding of how they fit into a broader marketing strategy. Their web design work focuses on creating sites that support lead generation, messaging clarity, and brand alignment. Instead of producing standalone designs, they structure each site to work smoothly with digital campaigns, whether clients are running ads, posting on social media, or building long-term content plans.
3. Slickfish – Best for Creative Branding & Visuals
Slickfish develops visually expressive websites that highlight a brand’s personality. Their work leans heavily toward creative storytelling, using layout, typography, and imagery to shape how customers experience the brand online. For businesses in hospitality, lifestyle, or any sector where first impressions truly matter, they craft websites that feel polished and immersive.
4. Links Web Design – Best for Small Business Packages
Links Web Design focuses on providing small businesses with practical, easy-to-manage websites. Their service model bundles design, hosting, and maintenance into a predictable monthly cost, removing the barrier of large upfront fees. Their websites are clean, mobile-responsive, and built to help small operators maintain a reliable online presence without needing technical skills. For local shops and service providers that just need a straightforward, functional website at a manageable cost, Links offers a budget-friendly solution.
5. OSC Web Design – Best for Budget-Conscious Businesses
OSC Web Design creates affordable websites for clients who need a basic online presence without advanced features or complex branding. Their pricing is clearly listed, which helps budget-conscious businesses plan ahead. OSC focuses on essentials: responsive pages, simple navigation, and basic SEO elements that help customers find the site. Their work is ideal for brochure-style or smaller e-commerce projects where functionality and affordability matter more than highly customized design work.
6. Pine Point Creative – Best for Nonprofits and Community Organizations
Pine Point Creative builds websites for nonprofits, schools, and community groups. Their design approach emphasizes accessibility, clarity, and trust-building, key elements for organizations that need to communicate mission, values, and impact. They are familiar with the limitations many nonprofits face, such as smaller budgets and volunteer-led operations, and they tailor their web design process accordingly. The result is simple, community-focused websites that make it easy for visitors to learn, donate, or get involved.
7. Brick Marketing – Best for SEO-Focused Web Design
Brick Marketing designs websites with search performance as the core focus. Their web design process centers on clean site structure, technical SEO, fast load times, and layouts that help content rank well. They prioritize function over elaborate visual design, making them a good fit for businesses that rely heavily on organic traffic. If the goal is to build a website that is easy for search engines to understand and index, Brick provides an SEO-first approach that supports long-term visibility.
8. MJD Interactive – Best for E-commerce and Complex Functionality
MJD Interactive specializes in advanced website builds that go beyond standard layouts. They design custom platforms for e-commerce, membership programs, applications, and systems that require user logins or integrations. Their strength is combining strong design with technical depth, ensuring the site not only looks good but also performs complicated tasks behind the scenes. For businesses that need a functional website rather than a simple digital brochure, MJD provides the development expertise to support more complex requirements.
9. Southern Maine Web Design – Best for Local Service Businesses
Southern Maine Web Design builds websites tailored for service businesses operating within a specific region. Their sites are structured to help companies appear in local search results, especially for “near me” terms. The designs are simple, straightforward, and focused on helping customers book services or request quotes. For plumbers, contractors, electricians, and other trades, their websites prioritize clarity, local SEO, and fast access to essential business information.
10. Ethos Marketing & Design – Best for Hospitality and Tourism
Ethos creates websites for hotels, inns, restaurants, and tourism businesses that rely heavily on visuals and conversions. Their designs typically highlight strong photography, clear calls-to-action, and booking-friendly layouts. They understand the seasonal nature of hospitality and create sites that accommodate changing offers and promotional needs. For tourism-driven brands, Ethos builds websites that help convert online interest into reservations and customer visits.
How to Choose (and Spot a Bad) Web Design Agency
Picking an agency based on portfolio screenshots is like hiring a chef based on Instagram photos. It tells you nothing about whether the food tastes good or if the kitchen is a disaster.
Here’s what actually matters:
- Check page speed and mobile performance, not just aesthetics. A visually impressive site that takes six seconds to load on mobile is a liability. Use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to test any portfolio site before you get impressed by the design. If their own site scores poorly, that’s a red flag.
- Ask who owns the domain and content when the contract ends. Some agencies bury clauses that keep control of your domain, hosting, or even the site content if you cancel. You should own everything, your domain registration, your hosting account, your content files, from day one. If they hesitate or dodge this question, walk.
- Confirm you’ll have access to Google Analytics and Search Console. If an agency won’t install these tools or refuses to give you admin access, they’re hiding something. Transparent agencies want you to see the data because it proves their work is effective.
- Look for references, not just testimonials. Anyone can write a glowing blurb for a website. Ask for two or three client references you can actually call. Ask those clients: Did the project stay on schedule? Did the site deliver results? Would you hire them again?
- Understand what “ongoing support” actually means. Some agencies disappear after launch. Others offer “maintenance” that costs $200/month and consists of WordPress plugin updates you could do yourself. Clarify what you’re paying for and whether it includes strategic optimization, performance monitoring, or just basic upkeep.
Conclusion
Hiring a web designer is like hiring an architect. You don’t just need someone who can draw a pretty house, you need someone who understands load-bearing walls, foundation depth, and whether the design will survive a Maine winter.
Most agencies focus on the paint and wallpaper. The good ones understand the structure. And the best ones, like Socialander, build sites designed to generate revenue, not just compliments.
If you’re tired of websites that look great but don’t perform, let’s fix that. Book a free strategy session today and we’ll show you exactly how a growth-focused website changes the game for Maine businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What should I look for in a web design company?
Look for an agency with a portfolio that matches your industry, transparent pricing, strong communication, and the ability to connect design with business goals.
How long does a typical website project take?
Most professional websites take 4–12 weeks depending on the scope, content readiness, and number of revisions.
Do I need ongoing maintenance after the website is launched?
Yes. Websites need regular updates, security checks, backups, and content edits. Many agencies offer maintenance plans to handle this.
