How to Find Who Designed a Website?

Understanding how to trace a website’s creator is useful for business owners, marketers, competitors researching the market, and users looking for inspiration or partnerships. This guide provides a detailed, evidence-based explanation of every method that helps identify who built a website, supported by practical examples and industry insights.

Why People Want to Know Who Designed a Website

There are several reasons someone may want to find the creator of a website. A competitor may want to understand who is behind high-quality designs. A business owner may want to hire the same agency. A researcher may want to study design patterns or performance standards. A marketer may want to compare strategies or benchmarking.

Studies show that nearly 48 percent of businesses evaluate competitors’ websites before finalizing their own redesign or development partner. Website design affects how users perceive credibility, which makes it natural for people to investigate who built a site they admire.

Understanding the origin of a website also helps identify its design style, technical capabilities, performance approach, and conversion strategy. The following sections break down the most accurate and reliable ways to find a website’s designer.

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Checking the Footer Credits

Why the Footer Often Reveals the Designer

The most common place to find the website designer is the site’s footer. Many agencies and freelancers include a credit link as part of their branding. This link may appear as text or a small line at the bottom of the page.

Examples of footer credits include:
• Designed by XYZ Agency
• Website by ABC Studio
• Powered by JKL Web Solutions
• Developed by MNO Technologies

These links often lead directly to the designer’s website or portfolio. Research indicates that about 40 percent of agencies rely on footer credits for organic lead generation. However, not all websites include footers revealing the designer because some businesses prefer to remove credits for branding reasons.

What to Look For

Check the bottom section of the homepage and internal pages. Look for:
• Designer names
• Agency names
• Company logos
• Hyperlinks pointing to developer websites

If no footer credit exists, continue to the next method.

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Inspecting the Website’s Source Code

Why Source Code Helps Identify the Designer

A website’s source code often contains clues about its development. Developers sometimes leave comments, references, file names, or directories that reveal their identity.

To inspect the code:

1. Right click anywhere on the page

2. Select View Page Source

Once the code opens, search for terms such as:
• Author
• Developer
• Agency
• Theme developer
• Copyright
• Meta name author

A significant number of websites include developer signatures inside HTML comments or metadata. Studies on development patterns show that around 22 percent of websites include at least one traceable developer reference in the source code.

What Code Elements Reveal

Source code may reveal:
• Custom theme names linked to specific agencies
• Comments left by developers
• Internal file paths referencing agency names
• Framework or coding style unique to known developers

Source code analysis is one of the most direct ways to identify who built a website.

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Investigating WHOIS Information

How WHOIS Helps Identify the Website Creator

WHOIS records store public information about domain registration. While WHOIS does not always reveal the designer directly, it often lists the domain registrant, administrative contact, or technical contact. Many designers register domains on behalf of clients, which may expose their information.

WHOIS can reveal:
• Registrant names
• Developer email addresses
• Contact details
• Technical service provider addresses

With GDPR and privacy protection, some records show masked information. However, around 28 percent of domains still display traceable contact data that can lead to the designer or agency involved.

When WHOIS Is Most Useful

WHOIS helps when:
• The designer registered the domain
• The hosting provider is tied to the designer
• The administrative contact links back to the developer’s company

If the WHOIS record is private, use the next method.

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Reviewing Hosting Details

How Hosting Data Helps Identify the Designer

Many web designers use preferred hosting companies. If you identify the hosting provider, you may find patterns in the developer’s choices.

Tools that inspect hosting can reveal:
• Hosting company
• Server IP
• Country of hosting
• Cloud networks used
• Technical stacks associated with certain agencies

Some agencies use unique hosting infrastructures or white-label servers. Around 19 percent of agencies run websites on their own managed hosting environments, making hosting information a strong indicator of designer identity.

What to Do With Hosting Information

Once you identify the hosting provider, you can determine whether it points to:
• A web development company
• A managed hosting partner
• A specialized WordPress or eCommerce agency

This method works when designers use branded hosting solutions.

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Inspecting CMS and Platform Fingerprints

Why CMS Identification Helps

Most websites are built on platforms like WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Wix, or custom code. The choice of platform hints at who may have built the site because many agencies specialize in specific CMS technologies.

Identifying the CMS reveals:
• Theme used
• Templates
• Plugins
• Page builders
• Pattern libraries
• Design frameworks

Research shows that 43 percent of websites globally are built on WordPress. Shopify and Webflow are also popularly used by design agencies, especially for ecommerce or animation heavy websites.

Tools for CMS Detection

Several tools analyze CMS fingerprints. They examine:
• HTML class structure
• JavaScript tags
• Theme signatures
• Plugin architecture

Once you know the theme or template, you can trace its designer or the agency that developed the custom theme.

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Analyzing Page Libraries and Code Behavior

Understanding Custom Code Patterns

Custom websites often have unique coding styles that reflect the developer’s identity. Agencies sometimes use their own frameworks or naming conventions.

For example:
• Class names beginning with a designer’s initials
• Custom CSS directories linked to the agency
• Script libraries branded by the developer
• Signature animation styles

Based on industry analysis, about 14 percent of high end websites contain unique code signatures that can be traced back to specific developers.

Reviewing External Libraries

Developers use specific tools like:
• GSAP for animations
• Tailwind CSS for styling
• Bootstrap for layout
• Alpine or Vue for interactivity

Identifying these choices helps narrow down the category of designer who created the website.

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Checking for Press Releases, Case Studies, and Social Mentions

Why External Mentions Matter

Businesses often announce their website launches. These announcements may include the agency name. Social media posts, press releases, and case studies are common ways companies share redesign achievements.

You can search for:
• Website name plus redesigned
• Website name plus built by
• Company name plus web design

Studies show that almost 35 percent of medium and large businesses publish public statements when launching redesigned sites. These often link to the developer.

Where to Search

Look at:
• LinkedIn
• Company blogs
• Instagram posts
• Twitter threads
• Web awards sites
• Agency showcases

These sources often credit the website designer openly.

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Using Reverse Image and Template Search

How Design Patterns Help Identify the Creator

If the website uses stock images, original illustrations, or signature graphic styles, you can reverse search those images to find their origin. Sometimes agencies reuse styles across projects, which helps identify patterns.

Template marketplaces also allow you to identify themes or layouts used. Once you find the template, you can trace its author.

What to Look For

• Repeated design motifs
• Color palettes commonly used by certain agencies
• Signature animation patterns
• Unique illustration styles

This method works well for visually distinctive websites.

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Contacting the Website Owner Directly

The Most Reliable Method

If all indirect methods fail, you can contact the website owner. Businesses usually disclose who created their site upon request because it reflects well on their brand.

A simple inquiry such as:
“Who designed your website? I really like the structure and would like to explore similar work.”

Most businesses are open to sharing the information. In surveys of small business owners, 62 percent said they are willing to disclose their web design partner when asked.

Why This Method Works

• Direct communication avoids guesswork
• It provides accurate details
• It opens networking opportunities
• It gives insight into the working experience with the designer

This is often the fastest way to get accurate information.

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When You Cannot Identify the Designer

There are situations where you may not be able to find the creator. Some businesses remove all credits, use private registrars, or build websites internally. In such cases, a combination of design analysis and technical investigation may help narrow down the style without confirming the exact designer.

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Final Summary

Finding who designed a website requires systematic investigation. By checking the footer, analyzing the source code, reviewing WHOIS data, identifying hosting providers, inspecting CMS platforms, analyzing design patterns, exploring press coverage, and contacting the company directly, you can usually trace the designer or agency behind almost any website.

This process is especially useful for business owners comparing their competitors, marketers seeking design inspiration, and individuals wanting to hire reliable web design partners.

FAQ for “How to Find Who Designed a Website”

1. Why would someone want to know who designed a website?
People often want to know who designed a website so they can hire the same designer, benchmark competitors, analyze design trends, or study what makes a high performing site work well in terms of UX, branding, and conversions.

2. What is the easiest way to find who designed a website?
The easiest way is to check the footer for credits like “Designed by” or “Website by”. Many agencies and freelancers use footer credits for branding and lead generation, and these links often go directly to the designer’s site.

3. How can I use the page source to identify the website designer?
You can right click on the site, choose “View Page Source”, and search for terms such as “author”, “developer”, “agency”, or “theme”. Developers sometimes leave comments, metadata, or file paths that include their name or company.

4. Can WHOIS information help me find the website designer?
WHOIS records show who registered the domain and sometimes list a technical or administrative contact. If the designer registered the domain for the client, the WHOIS details may reveal the agency or developer behind the site.

5. What role does hosting information play in finding the designer?
Hosting lookups can show which company or infrastructure is used. Some agencies run sites on their own branded hosting or managed servers, which can lead you back to the designer or their preferred technology partner.

6. How do CMS and theme details help identify the designer?
If you detect the CMS and theme, you can see whether it is a custom theme created by an agency, a marketplace product, or a template commonly used by specific studios. This narrows down the likely designer or at least the design source.

7. Can social media or press releases reveal who built a website?
Yes. Many businesses announce new website launches in blog posts, LinkedIn updates, or press releases and credit the design agency. Searching the brand name plus “website redesign” or “built by” can uncover the creator.

8. What should I do if all technical methods fail?
If indirect methods do not work, the most reliable approach is to contact the website owner directly and ask who designed their site. Most companies are willing to share their design partner when asked politely.