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If you’re looking to outsource your website design and build, then you may have started asking yourself whether to hire an agency or a freelancer.
5 minute read
In this blog, we’ll explore the pros and cons of using both, and some helpful tips to guide you along the way.
Agencies are small to medium-sized businesses that employ a team of people from Account Managers (AM) and Project Managers (PM) to Designers, Front-end and Back-end Developers. These companies work as a team to deliver your project from start to finish.
Some would argue that agencies are more reliable because there is a smaller chance of them ‘going bust’ or not being able to complete your project. They also hold more accountability, as a business, you have a brand to address if there are any issues with your website during or post-launch.
The biggest downside of using an agency is that they are more expensive. This is because agencies are businesses, and they have overheads such as rent, staff wages and equipment. However, that said, working with an agency does mean you have access to a whole host of skills and experience as opposed to just one person. As a result, you’ll get greater inputs and expertise which can help transform more areas of your business than only the website. It’s also likely that your site will perform better long-term and tick more boxes when it comes to SEO, speed, user experience and more.
Depending on the communication model used by your agency of choice, it’s likely you’ll have one central point of contact, this would be either the Account Manager or Project Manager. This person will be an extension of your team, advising you and ensuring everything runs smoothly. Some agencies also include the individual consultants (design leads and developers) in all progressive meetings; meaning you’ll get the chance to hear from the experts and ask them questions. Other agencies filter all communication through the project AM/PM to prevent their billable team members being distracted by client emails and phone calls.
Working with an agency also means that if someone is off sick or on holiday, your project, for the most part, will be completely unaffected. If you call, they’ll always be someone to answer. They’ll also work to set opening hours which means you’ll know when they’re available and when they’re working on your website.
If you do decide to work with an agency, we’ve put together some helpful resources:
Freelancers are individuals who usually work from home or at a shared space. They work at their own pace during their own hours and will take on all roles of running their business.
Freelancers are generally much cheaper to work with than agencies. This is because they have less overheads and work for themselves.
Depending on how long they’ve been in the game, freelancers can have lots of experience – especially if they’ve come from big corporate agencies – meaning you could be getting a lot of expertise for your money. You should always check a freelancer’s credibility with previous projects and testimonials to get a feel for what they’re capable of before you make any commitments.
You work to that person’s schedule. Freelancers work when suits them and plan all their own work (which usually means working on multiple projects at one time). This has pros and cons. It means that they generally work later evenings and weekends but also means you don’t know when your site is getting worked on and when you’ll hear back from them.
The biggest downside of working with a freelancer is that if they’re sick, on holiday or have a personal emergency, then you won’t be able to get in contact with them. There’s no one else to speak to, so you’ll just be waiting until they get back to you to know what’s happening next.
Whether you choose to work with an agency or freelancer will depend on what you’re looking for and what your business needs. If it’s a long-term partnership, then an agency is a smarter choice. If it’s a one-off project, then freelancers are a more cost-effective solution.
We hope this blog helped you to understand the pros and cons of working with both an agency and a freelancer. If you’d like to find out how Supersonic Playground could support your website project, then please get in touch via hello@supersonicplayground.com or call us on 01622 238234.
Our friendly team of designers, developers and digital specialists are ready and waiting to help with your website project.