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Pros & Cons of Freelance Web Designer vs. Digital Marketing Agency for Website Design
Landen W.
In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for any home service business. Sure, word of mouth will always be king - but a well-designed website can not only showcases your services but serve as a powerful marketing tool to attract potential customers you wouldn't otherwise find. The truth is... the world is online whether we like it or not. And when it comes to building your hvac, plumbing, or other home service website, you have two key options: hiring a freelance website builder or enlisting the services of a digital marketing agency. Each approach has its own set of pros and cons, and understanding them can help you make the best choice for your business.
Having worked in agencies for half a decade and now designing websites for home service businesses as a freelancer, I believe my experiences are worth a read, or at least a scan. I've worked with hundred and hundreds of home service companies, so depending on your needs, I'll help you make the right choice.
Pros of hiring a freelancer to build your local home service website
- Cost-Effectiveness: Freelancers often charge lower rates compared to digital agencies, making them a budget-friendly option for small businesses. Sure, you often will get what you pay for, which is why I don't recommend searching for the lowest price you can possibly find - but at the end of the day, freelancers like myself don't have a large team to pay and can do nearly identical services for a reasonable price while agencies definitely don't always add more value just because they're more expensive. So if the agency price intimidates you, it may be best to go with a freelancer if they have proper experience.
- Flexibility & Fast Turnaround: Freelancers can offer more flexibility in terms of project timelines and communication, allowing for a more personalized experience. I've seen it time and time again and will let you in on what you can expect from most agencies: long turn around times. Need a picture changed out? 2-5 business days. Need a new page on your website? 10 days. Need a website revamp? A month, if you're lucky. On the other hand, a freelancer very well could be updating your website while on the phone with you (I do it all the time).
- Specialized Skills & Personalization: Many freelancers specialize in specific areas such as web design, SEO, or content creation, allowing you to find someone with the exact skills you need for your project. And if you need something out of the ordinary? A freelancer may sit with you for hours to figure out a problem or find a solution, while with an agency you may just be a number, required to stick within their specific processes.
- You Aren't Just a Number: I have a lot of respect for the marketing agencies I've worked at, but one of the things I just can't deny is this: clients can sometimes feel like a number. Sure, it's a business that has to pay employees and all of that... but oftentimes the motto feels like "keep the client no matter what," even if it's not beneficial to you. However, with a freelancer, you're much more likely to be a relationship instead of a number. You're a big deal in a freelancers world, and they want to give their time and effort to ensure your goals are met. You're one of a handful, not one of hundreds. My clients get hours of my undivided attention and expertise when I meet with them, because I don't have 6 other meetings with other clients that I have retain later that day. It's just you.
Cons of hiring a web design freelancer to build your home service website
- Limited Resources: Freelancers typically work alone or in small teams, which may limit their ability to handle complex projects or provide comprehensive services. For instance, if you're really wanting to blitz your market and 3x your business in 6 months or something, a freelancer may not be able to provide the ads plus the social media plus the website, etc. that would be needed to make that happen. I will admit, however, that even in this scenario of wanting to 3x your company, an agency or freelancer will never be the sole reason for your success. You must be a good person people trust in your community, do good work for customers, and other things - no agency or freelancer should be promising you that they alone can be your success. Digital marketing can't fix bad business. BUT... if you are trustworthy and live in a decent sized market and want to grow at a reasonable pace, you very well may benefit from having ads + a website + social media + all the rest. Okay, rant over.
- Less Minds: there's something to be said about a team handling your success rather than just an individual. Agencies can have brainstorm sessions, opinions from several experts, and decide on the best path for your business if done well. But again, I have to add my counter argument. If you're simply a local plumber needing a website, for instance, you may not need a massive plan. You just need to be a trustworthy person and show up for "hvac near me" in your service area, and you'll be winning a lot of the battle. Sure, ads can bring more leads, and social media can help bring more trust to your business... but those things won't make or break your business oftentimes. However, if you had a product you were trying to sell nationwide, for instance, you would need a much more advanced marketing strategy. But local businesses aren't usually trying to reach the whole country.
Pros of hiring a digital marketing agency to build your website
- Expertise and Experience: Digital agencies often have a team of specialists with diverse skills, offering expertise in web design, SEO, content marketing, and more. Although it can be clunky with heavy turnaround, there's no denying that agencies oftentimes have well trained staff with a leaders that are experts in digital marketing through and through. And if you can find an agency where the leaders are on the same page as the employees, then you may have a great experience with an agency. Just be careful that you don't choose a company that will be giving the intern your website to build.
- Scalability: Agencies have the resources to handle projects of any size, from basic website design to comprehensive digital marketing campaigns - most of the time. There are agencies that have it together and agencies that do not... so be wise in your selection. But compared to a freelancer, I'll admit that the scale can certainly be bigger. That's why if you're a multi-million dollar company with several locations and dozes of employees looking to scale, you should most likely go with an agency. But if you started your plumbing or electrical business in the past year and are looking to simply be found online, a freelancer is a definite better choice.
- Processes in Place: Depending on the agency you choose for your business, one benefit of hiring a digital agency for your home service business may be the processes. Imagine a fine restaurant vs. a food truck; both have their place. With a freelancer, you may be getting all you need to get your business rolling, like a food truck is all you need to get by for lunch. However, with an agency, you may get a beautiful sales presentation, a professional onboarding experience with intake forms and team members in suits, a nice office building to meet in... you get the idea - a fine dining experience. Just remember though, a fine dining experience definitely does not mean the experience will always be better.
Cons of hiring a digital marketing agency to build your website
- Higher Cost: The comprehensive services provided by digital agencies come at a higher price tag compared to local website freelancers, which may be challenging for small businesses with limited budgets. Agencies have buildings, payrolls, CEO's... all contributing to the overhead. Freelance web designers on the other hand have time as their cost. They're calculating what a fair price is to make it worth their time, which will almost always be less than the agency. My freelance website design services for hvac, plumbing, electric, and other home services is lower in price for what I think is faster turnaround and more personalized attention. But that's just me.
- Less Personalized Attention: While agencies offer a breadth of services, the level of personalization and attention to detail may vary compared to working with a freelancer who is solely focused on your project. Even if you have an account manager dedicated to you, they still have to consult with their team to get tasks done, book you into their schedule along with 30 other clients, and play by the rules of their agency. A freelancer, on the other hand, may get your call, open their laptop, and make your edits in real time without breaking a sweat.
- Potential for Miscommunication: With multiple team members involved, there's a risk of miscommunication or conflicting ideas, which could impact the final outcome of your website. Think about it - if the account manager has to receive your request, then request a task in the system, then get another team member to book on the calendar for the task to be done next to the other hundred tasks, then for the task do-er to agree with the opinions of other team members on how to do it, to then have to communicate to the system, back to the account manager, then back to you... that's a lot of processes and hands on one task that has to go smoothly while you wait around wondering when it'll get done. And if an agency has 100's of tasks floating around, it can be chaos. Your request may be white noise in a sea of tasks while the freelancer just does the task themselves that moment.
Conclusion: Deciding between a freelancer or a digital marketing agency for your home service business
To summarize, I'd like to bring back the analogy of the fine dining restaurant vs. the food truck. If you have some money to spare on a nice experience, maybe want an appetizer and dessert, and would like music playing softly in the background, then a fine restaurant is a good fit for you. However, if you'd like the best tacos in town and don't mind that they're served on a paper plate with grab your own condiments and a chair bought from a local garage sale, then a food truck will make you plenty happy. And it goes without saying that even fine restaurants may not have it as together as it seems: perhaps one of the cooks didn't show up and your meal is 15 minutes late, or maybe they don't label food properly in the fridges, or perhaps the waiter forgot you didn't want cheese. Fine dining can be an amazing experience or a train wreck. Similarly, a food truck may not have appetizers or desserts, they may not serve dinner, or you may have to stand in the rain to get your food - but the tacos are the best you've ever had. Both have pros and cons.
If you're a larger business needing everything the internet has to offer, I would say that a digital marketing agency is your best bet. You need a team of minds helping you get to the next level with Facebook and Google ads, social media posting, a website, and more. But if you're a simple home service business that needs a website so that you can be found in your area, then a freelancer is plenty to get the job done.
If you're not sure whether you need an agency or a freelancer, I only
work with businesses that I can genuinely help and will give you a straight answer when we chat. Trust me, I want to avoid headaches as much as the next person. And with years at agencies and helping hundreds of businesses, I'd be happy to give you a free consultation. Just drop me a message
or text or call, and we'll chat.
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