Marketing

10 Benefits of Choosing a Web Development Agency (And Not a Freelancer)

Web development services come in many shapes and sizes. One cannot simply search the interwebs for “web designers near me” or risk being inundated with an avalanche of irrelevant results. This is especially tricky for small businesses that face a myriad of challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A recent survey from Top Design Firms revealed that nearly 30 percent of small businesses do not even have a website. This is particularly concerning given the way consumers have shifted their buying habits and patterns.

Every small business needs a website. Social media is important but shouldn’t serve as your primary way of communicating with your customers. But finding a website design agency that can meet your needs AND your budget can feel like finding the diamond in the rough.

If this line of thinking is relatable, perhaps you’ve shifted your focus to finding a web design freelancer to stand up a quick website for you. You’re busy running your businesses and don’t have time to sort through the pros and cons of Wix, Squarespace, or a similar website builder. Maybe you can get the job done on the cheap on Fiverr or 99 designs.

We field a lot of questions from prospects who want to understand the benefits of working with an agency over a freelancer (or just doing it themselves.) So in this post, we cover the top ten benefits of hiring a web design agency to handle web development services for your small business.

1. Give Your Customers the Best Possible Experience

Every good website begins with a strategy. And every good strategy begins with customer personas. You have to understand your target audience before you begin building a website.

Do the work to find out your potential customer’s problems and pain points and design a website that makes it easy for customers to understand how you can help and how to do business with you. If your website has a bad user experience, you will confuse and lose business.

When you go with an agency to design your site, you’ll have the advantage of working with a team that understands strategy, messaging, and UX. Specialists can walk you through the process of planning, designing, and building a website that is customer-centric and focuses on benefits.

A freelancer may be able to do this, but there’s only so much one person can do. Your customers will benefit from the investment you make in a team that addresses more than the ones and zeros behind the design.

2. Maximize ROI for Your Small Business Website Design

Return on Investment. This business buzzword that everyone is really passionate about but not always sure how to measure. What does ROI look like in website design? We have a few ideas.

Getting a return on your investment in professional agency website design means that you get the job done the right way the first time. We often hear from business owners who want us to “fix” websites they paid someone else to build.

We are happy to help with these requests, but we feel for the businesses who find themselves in this scenario. Sinking hard-earned dollars into website projects only to get to the end and be disappointed with the final product is beyond frustrating and we hate to see people waste their time and money.

3. Options and Flexibility

There are many myths and misnomers regarding website development. Sure you can get a site up quickly and easily, but will it have a responsive design? Will it need search engine optimization? Will it be secure? Most importantly, who will fix it if it breaks?

One human can’t possibly do all things web design for all clients. There are areas of expertise to be sure, and typically web design freelancers are more generalists than specialists. For example, if you need an online store, a freelancer may not have the skillset to develop that part of your site, leaving you with the responsibility for finding the specialist yourself.

We aren’t saying that freelancers can’t do the job right, but there is something to be said for trusting a team of experts to tackle your project over one person with limited skills, abilities, and most importantly, time.

4. Problems Solved Quickly

If you run up against problems when working with a freelancer, they may not know how to fix the issue or might not have the time to dig deeper to find a resolution. These kinds of delays can turn into major setbacks as milestones go unmet and project plans get pushed beyond scope.

When you work with an agency, subject matter experts are usually on hand to troubleshoot any issues that may arise. The rest of the project work doesn’t need to be stalled to solve the problem when you have more hands on deck to keep the trains running on time.

5. 360 Support Now and in the Future

Building the website is just the first step. Managing a website after it’s built is when the real work begins. When deciding between a freelancer and a professional agency, consider the ongoing management and support services your small business will need after the website is delivered.

Small business website management is a separate and distinct offering from website development. When the freelancer’s job is done, you’ll be shouldered with the burden of ongoing management and maintenance of the site you just paid a lot of money to create.

Working with an agency like Cross & Crown, you get layers of support from an experienced team that knows what to do when something goes wrong.

6. Look Original

Working with a custom website design company will give you an original look and feel that sets your business apart from your competitors. Designers and developers have unique styles so working with an agency gives you access to different artistic approaches to choose from.

Sometimes freelancers get in a groove of creating websites the same way every time. This kind of templated approach doesn’t help differentiate your brand. Custom design allows you to focus on your customer, showcase the benefits of your brand, and create a specialized user experience that you can count on.

7. Beat Competitors With Agency Website Development Services

As the old saying goes, many hands make quick work. Agencies typically have the ability to complete a new website faster than a freelancer can do alone. Also, website development companies have the advantage of balancing the workload across multiple team members in a pinch.

There are always unforeseen circumstances that arise and when you have a team working on your project, they can take it in stride. This is especially important with new product launches and other instances where the timeline really matters.

8. Work Fueled by Experience and Credibility

We’ve talked about how critical it is to have a team of credible and experienced experts working on your website. Your website is your virtual storefront to the online world. You can’t afford for the final product to look sloppy, rushed, or subpar.

The design of your site should match the level of experience and credibility you’re offering your customers. You’ll always get more from a team comprised of individuals who are good at what they do versus a jack-of-all-trades.

9. Low-Risk Web Design Services for Small Business

Creating a website for your small business is a huge endeavor and you should mitigate any avoidable or foreseeable risks at all costs. Some small businesses may assume that custom web design companies are too expensive or too busy to meet their needs. We argue the opposite.

The idea that there is safety in numbers applies to website projects as well. Go with a team and rest assured that they’ll have the capacity, manpower, expertise, and ability to do exactly what you want them to do.

10. No Surprises

Have you ever watched one of those home improvement shows? You know, the one where they say the project will be easy and completed in 3 weeks until they open up a wall and discover black mold or electrical wiring that will cost too much to move?

Building websites is a lot like building a house. When you get into the process there are inevitably things that come up in the construction process that you weren’t expecting. There are also things you realize you need along the way that you didn’t know about when you began.

A website team will have the chops to take on the unexpected and absorb the shock in a way that a one-man band cannot do on his own. Furthermore, a good web development team will have the experience and insight to see around corners and advise you on any potential risks or problems before you begin. Agencies hate scope creep and will do their due diligence to ensure that every possible pitfall is considered and mitigated in advance of giving you a contract.

We are a Website Development and Design Agency that Serves Small Businesses

Wherever you find yourself on the search for web design and development services, we are here to help. While we understand that each individual company will need to weigh the variables, we obviously believe that going with a web design and development agency is always going to be the best choice.

A good website design agency will build your website on a strong foundation of strategy and user experience, and offer options to shoulder the ongoing burden of maintenance and management required to get the most out of your investment

The best news about going with a website design company for your small business over a freelancer is that most of us offer a suite of professional services to help you achieve your marketing goals. We offer a variety of website packages for small businesses. Please send us a message and let us know how we can help.