22 Oct How to Find a Web Design Marketing Agency

Finding the right marketing help can feel overwhelming. There are many types and sizes of agencies, groups and consultants that offer marketing expertise. So how do you decide on the right help for your business?

The first step is to figure out what type of marketing assistance you need and what your budget is. What marketing is going to deliver the biggest bang for your buck? For most businesses that usually is your website! The majority of consumers turn to Google to find businesses they need and if you they can’t find you, then you are potentially losing money. Websites need to evolve, be refreshed and be optimized with the latest standards and user experience to be most effective. Unfortunately there are A LOT of agencies promising to deliver low cost web design and development, so you may quickly feel lost in how to source the help you require.

Here are a few tips and questions to ask when selecting an agency:

• Don’t fall for sales pressure and tactics. There are many agencies that employ sales teams to sell the dream, but they fall short on delivering. And don’t forget they are paying for those sales teams so your cost will be high.
• Ask who will be actually be doing the work and do you get to talk to them? In many cases the web development and design may be outsourced and you never get the opportunity to have one on ones with the individuals doing the real heavy lifting and your vision could get lost in translation. Also if you are dealing with too many middle men and project managers, you are often paying a premium for your marketing.
• Ensure you have access and ownership to YOUR website. In some cases agencies will own your website and you do not want that! As the business owner, you should have total control over your site. However, it is acceptable to pay maintenance fees to assist in managing and upkeep of your site- but it should be an option, not mandatory.
• How will you be charged? Is it monthly, a retainer, project based or a contract? Are they going to bill you for every email, call, etc?
• How many revisions to your website will you get to make?
• Will they include optimization for search engines (SEO)?
• Will they customize the site or simply using a template that looks like other businesses in your field? Customization, unique selling propositions and a touch of personalization will set your business apart!
• Who is creating the copy (text) for the site? You want to ensure it is not all AI or cut and paste from a competitor.
• Find an agency or individual that you “vibe” with.
• What kind of data and reporting will they set up for you?
• Are they US based? With outsourcing abroad, I’ve seen many misspelling and language issues from outsourced marketing.