Whether you are making a new website or redesigning an old one, you will be faced with the choice of hiring an agency or getting your own technical team to do it, provided you have one.
Almost all organizations, big or small, have a designated technical department that definitely has web developers on board. Now you may think when you have developers in your own company why go choose a web development agency?
The truth is getting an agency to design and make your website has many benefits over going the in-house route. Here’s why:
Broader Prospects
Hiring an agency dedicated to making websites will get all areas of expertise covered. Web development agencies usually offer a range of services including SEO management, inbound marketing, copywriting, etc. Whether your goal is to have a well-designed page that can increase conversions and sales, these people know what to do in any situation with any kind of website.
Your in-house web team may have experts in one or two areas but these agencies keep someone for almost everything. From backend to frontend development and from database to aesthetics, they will employ multiple talented team members available to collaborate on your project, and able to work faster and more efficiently.
All of these individuals will come together with their expertise to give you a website that is on point with design and optimized for search engines. Wouldn’t you just love having a perfect website? They would have a designer, a marketing manager, a UX guy and coders who can get anything done.
They will have answers to all your problems. If you would like to have a mobile-responsive website, they will know what should go in and what should stay behind. And if your ttraffic is low, they will know what to redesign.
Years of Experience
When you partner with a web design agency you get a much wider range of expertise. People working in such an agency are usually specialists with various backgrounds and a lot more experience than your in-house team. Working on so many web projects over the years, they have learned a lot of lessons and therefore know what works and what does not.
A great partner agency will place high importance on customer service and focus all its efforts to ensure that their clients are delighted. Moreover, they will leverage their expertise to deliver the best possible solution for your website needs.
Latest Technologies
A web development agency would have the latest technologies and the freshest ideas for websites. Since their whole work revolves around anticipating and implementing the latest web design trends, they have to employ the latest software and tools, as well as people who know how to leverage them effectively.
Your in-house team may not have that advantage. Web design agencies tend to have more in-house resources. For example, if your website needs a particular web application of functionality, a specialist agency will be able to provide a custom solution that meets your needs.
Moreover, an agency will have more people involved in the project because their team would likely be bigger than your own. As a result, they will be able to tackle many more aspects of the web development process at the same time and ensure instant peer-review.
Flexibility
Outsourcing web design brings a lot of flexibility for you as a client both in terms of work and time. If you are not sure about the amount of work you will need to be done, you can hire the agency for the initial stages of the project and then reach back to them if and when needed.
A professional web development agency will be ready to answer any questions you might have and address any concerns in a timely manner. Let’s say your new landing page looks and for the most part works just that way you want it to. But there are some users who experience problems when filling out their details to sign-up for your emails. Your in-house team might not be able to pinpoint why this happens, but your agency will.
An in-house team would be in your payroll continuously whether you have work or not. In many cases, you can even use both options. The web agency can develop the project whereas your in-house team can extend it or maintain it.
Requesting Changes
As the work on your website processes and you think about what other features to include you may find that your goals have changed. It can turn out that some parts of your site should be set up completely differently. When that is the case it is very possible that even if your in-house team has expertise in some areas, it might not have the knowledge to implement all your ideas. However, a reputable web development agency will have the right specialists to help you build the page that you want even when your goals change.
Great web agencies have an agile project development approach, which allows them to be flexible and adapt to your needs as they evolve. So if you want to make changes in the mid-development phase, they will very much welcome it and make the process quick and easy.
Credible agencies are poised to give advice about changes and how things should be done. You might want to add or delete pages or update the look. Whatever the changes may be, your requests will be entertained and put into effect immediately.
And the good thing is that they have all kinds of expertise on board. So if a change warrants a new sort of skill set they would have someone with those skills already on their team. Whereas if you keep the project in-house, you will have to hire someone new to your own team which will take time and resources.
Peace of Mind
With an in-house team, you have to constantly supervise and check for progress of the website or any redesign. However, an agency has a contract with you and once that contract is signed they are legally bound to deliver you the website on time and as agreed.
Reputable web development agencies work with clients they truly care about and will be there for you even after the project is completed to provide strong on-goint support. They will make the extra effort to really understand your goals and vision, represent your brand and support your mission.
Your end of the job is to just establish requirements, everything else is their problem. You are at ease that when the time comes you will have the website up and running.
With an in-house team, there is a lot more uncertainty. What if your best guy leaves mid-project? That would be a serious problem that will cause the whole process to slow down and ultimately waste your resources. However, you would not have to go through all the trouble of hiring a new person if you have contracted a reputable web development agency as your trusted partner.
The Other Side of the Argument
Some might find that an in-house team is better for creating or redesigning a website because of economic benefits. Your in-house technical team may be on your payroll but would that warrant you to compromise on quality?
For small changes, your own team may be able to succeed but what about any major redesigns or additions? A professional web design agency would definitely be more capable to give the best solution for such a scenario.
One may want to go with their own team simply because it is easier to communicate with them and everything is being done under your nose which is great. But you do miss out on the chance to get an expert opinion and make use of the best web design practices and the latest tools and technologies available in the market.
Conclusion: Choosing a Web Development Agency is the Way to Go
It really boils down to what your needs are and what resources you have. Is your in-house team of three people capable of doing the work often? Definitely not. In some cases, it would make sense to utilize your own team but where it does not an outside agency is the way to go.
Hiring a reputable agency is a smart solution, especially for bigger projects. These professionals will dedicate 100% of their resources in getting the job done and you will have the flexibility to make changes on the go. Not only that, they have the right expertise to create a beautiful website that works and gets things done (Hello high conversions!).
With over 10 years of experience in WordPress we at DevriX offer our clients impeccable web development services. Our team works diligently to build powerful and scalable WordPress solutions to support your business growth.