You land on a website. The design is clean, the layout works perfectly, and you want to know exactly who built it. Maybe you want to hire the same designer. Maybe you’re doing competitor research. Maybe you’re a developer looking at portfolio inspiration.
Whatever your reason, finding the person or agency behind a website is easier than most people think. You don’t need technical skills for most of these methods. Several take under two minutes.
Here are 7 proven methods to find out who designed any website in 2026.
Start here. This is the fastest method and works more often than you expect.
Most web designers and agencies include a credit link at the bottom of every site they build. Scroll to the very bottom of any page on the site. Look for text like:
“Designed by [Agency Name]”
“Built by [Developer Name]”
“Website by [Studio Name]”
These credits often include a clickable link that takes you directly to the designer’s website. One click and you have the answer.
Not every site displays footer credits. Clients sometimes pay to remove the designer’s branding, or the designer simply chose not to include it. If the footer comes up empty, move to the next method.
Pro tip: Check the footer on the homepage first, then try the About page. Some agencies place credits there instead.
Method 2: Check the About Page and Blog
Many agencies and freelancers mention themselves directly in the website’s About section. Smaller businesses built by boutique studios or solo designers often give design credit on their About page as part of their brand story.
The blog section also provides clues. Look for posts about the website launch, redesign announcements, or technology stack descriptions. Business owners often mention their web design partner by name in these posts.
Search the entire website using this command in Google: site:example.com “designed by” OR “built by” OR “developed by” Replace example.com with the actual domain. This searches every indexed page on the site for those phrases and surfaces results you wouldn’t find by manually browsing.
Method 3: View the Website Source Code
This method works for anyone willing to spend three minutes reading basic code. No technical background required.
How to view source code:
On Google Chrome: Right-click anywhere on the page and select “View Page Source.” A new tab opens with the full HTML code of the page.
On any browser: Press Ctrl + U on Windows or Command + U on Mac.
What to look for:
Developer comments. Developers leave notes inside the code for themselves and their team. These often include the agency name, developer name, or project details. They look like this:
<!– Website designed by Bilal Web Studio –>
<!– Developed by [Name] for [Client] –>
Meta tags. Look near the top of the code for lines starting with “meta name=”. Some include “author” or “designer” attributes:
<meta name=”author” content=”Bilal Web Studio”>
Generator tags. These reveal the platform used. A WordPress site shows:
<meta name=”generator” content=”WordPress 6.5″>
Knowing the platform narrows your search significantly.
File path clues. WordPress sites contain “/wp-content/” in their file paths. Shopify sites include “cdn.shopify.com” in their code. Squarespace sites reference “squarespace.com” in scripts. These identifiers tell you the platform even when no credits appear.
Use Ctrl + F (or Command + F on Mac) to search the source code for words like “designer,” “author,” “agency,” “studio,” or “built by.” This saves time scrolling through hundreds of lines.
Method 4: Use BuiltWith
BuiltWith is one of the most powerful free tools for finding out what technology powers any website. Go to builtwith.com, enter the URL, and get a full breakdown in seconds.
BuiltWith reveals:
The website platform. WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, or custom development.
- Hosting provider. Who hosts the site, and where the servers are located.
- Plugins and themes in use. Specific themes often link directly to the agency or developer who created them.
- Analytics and marketing tools. Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and other tracking tools are installed on the site.
- Agency listings. BuiltWith sometimes displays the agency or developer credited with building the site directly in its results.
This tool works best when you want to identify the technology stack rather than the specific designer. Once you know the platform and theme, you narrow your search considerably.
Method 5: Use WHOIS Lookup
Every domain on the Internet has registration records. WHOIS lookup tools search those records and return contact information for the domain owner.
How to use WHOIS:
Go to whois.domaintools.com or lookup.icann.org. Enter the domain name and search.
What you find:
Registrant name and organization. This shows who owns the domain. For business websites, this is usually the client, not the designer.
- Registrar. The company used to register the domain.
- Creation date. When the domain was first registered.
- Name servers. The hosting company’s servers.
Important note: Many domain owners use WHOIS privacy protection, which hides personal details behind a proxy service. In these cases, you see the registrar’s information instead of the owner’s.
WHOIS lookup tells you who owns the domain more reliably than who designed it. But it provides context. If the registrant is a web agency rather than the business owner, the agency likely built and manages the site.
Method 6: Search Google for the Designer
Use targeted Google searches to find who built a specific site. This method combines what you already know from the source code with external research.
Effective search queries to use:
“[website name]” + “designed by”
“[website name]” + “web design” + portfolio
“[business name]” + “web developer” OR “web designer”
“[domain name]” site:behance.net
“[domain name]” site:dribbble.com
Designers regularly showcase their work on portfolio platforms. Behance, Dribbble, Awwwards, and personal portfolio sites often include case studies naming specific client websites. A simple Google search for the domain name on these platforms surfaces the designer quickly.
LinkedIn search also works. Search for the business name and filter by employees. Developers and designers often list client projects in their work history or LinkedIn recommendations.
Check the agency’s own website. If you suspect a specific agency built the site, go to their portfolio page and search for the client’s name. Most agencies display their client work publicly.
Method 7: Use FindCreators.io or WhoIsHostingThis
These dedicated tools focus specifically on identifying website creators.
FindCreators.io searches available databases to identify who developed a site. Enter the URL, and the tool returns developer or agency information when available in its database. It works best for well-known sites and recently built projects.
WhoIsHostingThis identifies the hosting provider and domain registration details. Hosting information sometimes links directly to the developer or agency managing the account.
Use these tools when other methods come up short. They work as a final check rather than a first step.
Bonus: Check Social Media and Portfolios Directly
Sometimes the simplest approach works best. Search the website name or business name directly on:
LinkedIn: Search for the company and click on the “People” tab. Employees list their roles. A “Web Designer” or “Front-End Developer” employee often builds the site.
Instagram and X (Twitter): Many designers post their completed work with links to the live site. Search the domain name directly.
Awwwards and CSS Design Awards: Both platforms showcase awarded websites with full design credits. If the site won an award, you would find the designer immediately.
Upwork and Freelancer profiles: Freelancers list completed projects publicly. Search the domain name to find if a freelancer has listed it in their portfolio.
Why People Search for Website Designers
Understanding who designed a website serves several legitimate purposes:
Hiring the same designer. You love a competitor’s website and want the same quality for your own business. Finding the designer directly saves hours of searching.
Competitor research. Knowing which agency built your competitor’s site reveals their budget level, design approach, and technical choices.
Verifying credibility. Checking who designed a site adds context to evaluating its content and authority.
Design inspiration with attribution. Designers and developers research techniques used on specific sites. Identifying the studio behind a design opens doors to more detailed case studies and behind-the-scenes content.
Academic and journalistic research. Researchers verify site ownership and design credits when analyzing web presence and digital communication.
Common Reasons You Can’t Find the Designer
Some websites leave no trace of their designer. Here’s why:
- Privacy protection on WHOIS. Domain owners pay for privacy services that hide registration details.
- No footer credits. Clients sometimes pay extra to remove designer branding.
- Clean source code. Professional developers write minimal comments in production code to reduce file size and protect their methods.
- Agency rebrand. The original agency changed names, closed, or was absorbed into another company.
- Freelancer with no online presence. Solo developers who don’t maintain a portfolio or social presence leave fewer traces.
In these cases, your best option is direct contact. Reach out to the business through their contact form and ask who built their site. Most businesses answer this question openly. They often consider it a compliment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find out who designed a website for free?
Yes. Methods like checking the footer, viewing source code, using BuiltWith, and WHOIS lookup all work for free. No paid tools are necessary for most searches.
What is the easiest way to find out who built a website?
Check the website footer first. Many designers include a credit link there. If nothing appears, use BuiltWith or view the page source code to identify the platform and clues about the developer.
Can I find the designer of any website?
Not always. Some websites use privacy protection tools that hide designer information. In those cases, direct contact with the website owner works best.
What does BuiltWith tell you about a website?
BuiltWith reveals the platform, hosting provider, plugins, themes, analytics tools, and sometimes the agency credited with building the site. It provides a complete technology profile of any public website.
Is it legal to look up who designed a website?
Yes. All methods in this guide use publicly available information. Viewing source code, WHOIS records, and portfolio platforms are completely legal. No hacking, unauthorized access, or private data is involved.
How do I find out what platform a website is built on?
View the page source code and look for generator meta tags or file path patterns. Alternatively, use BuiltWith or Wappalyzer for instant platform detection.
Conclusion
Finding who designed a website takes minutes when you know where to look. Start with the footer. Move to the source code. Use BuiltWith for technology details and WHOIS for domain ownership. Search Google and portfolio platforms for designer credits.
Seven methods give you seven chances to find the answer. Most searches end at method one or two. The remaining methods handle edge cases where designers leave fewer traces.
Whether you want to hire the same designer, research competitors, or verify a site’s credibility, these tools and techniques deliver results without spending a dollar.
