If you need your site done quickly, or if there are some specific features you want to be included in the design, then hiring a web design agency might make it all the more easy. It can save no end of time and in turn, money. It can be a great overall investment to make. This can also really work very well to propel you right out there online and into Google. It can in turn be a great investment to make in no end of ways too.
Agency or freelancer?
Whether you are upgrading your old website or simply need a new one, it always starts with the most crucial question: Do you choose a freelance website designer or go to a digital web design agency? Surely an agency has some obvious benefits, but that’s not always the case. After all, you might find a freelance web designer (like me) has more time to devote to your project. A web design agency in Bristol is a great way to go.
The cost element in the equation
There’s almost no doubt with this one; a freelancer should always be cheaper than an agency. And if they’re not, then you’re asking the wrong freelancer, or there is something wrong with the agency that gave you a quote. A freelancer will usually work from home or small office space, which means they don’t have as many costs to meet. With an agency, however, they have to cover all the extra costs. The office space, equipment, and even the staff who isn’t working on your project. This issue doesn’t need any more explanation because a freelancer will almost always win on cost over a website design agency.
Communication is vital
It hardly needs saying that you expect excellent communication when you pay someone plenty of money to build you a new website, but who will be better at communicating? When it comes to freelancers, they generally try to be available for you whenever even if this means outside of typical office hours. If nothing else, most freelancers will respond to an email, but many are happy to deal over the phone too. What’s more, agencies will typically have many clients at one time, and will often have a receptionist of some kind fielding their calls. This means messages can get missed or might take a while to reach their intended recipient, which is all time wasted. And when their time is on your money, this is the last thing you want.
A very very big overall decision to make
Whether it’s a refresh or a completely new web design and build, there are so many factors to consider at every stage. How much content do you have, and how is it performing? What new technology do you need to integrate? And most importantly, how is the project going to improve the experience for your site’s visitors? Businesses also need to decide whether they will contract freelance web developers and designers. Or if they will partner with a design and development agency. This is a huge decision, because you’re putting your trust – and your budget – into someone else’s hands. Your digital marketing success, lead generation, and profit are impacted by your website. You need to get it right.
Overall
While the overall timeline is extremely important, what’s also critical is your team’s availability to work with your chosen agency or contractors. Communications, reviews, approvals, content gathering, and meetings are all typical parts of web design and development processes. How much time your internal team has to work on these aspects will definitely impact your partnership. A web design agency will be used to handling a lot of the project management. This reduces the time required on your end. Freelance web developers and designers can require more input at each stage. This is especially if you’re outsourcing both design and development to different contractors. It all means in place you might need to make more time available for back-and-forth. The more experience an agency or contractor has, the more efficient the process should be.
