A well-designed, responsive, and brand-appropriate website is crucial for attracting new customers. But how do you go about building a well-designed website?
If you’re a business owner in Portland, OR, you may be wondering if you should hire a freelancer or a web design agency to create your website. Both have their pros and cons, and it’s ultimately dependent on your business’s budget, timeframe, and goals.
In this article, we’ll discuss the differences between a freelancer and a Portland web design agency, so that you can make an informed decision about which one is right for your project.
Freelancers
A freelancer is an individual who provides services to clients on a contract basis. You can design your website by contracting independent designers, developers, and writers to build your website on a project-by-project basis. Some freelancers with multiple skill sets can even do your entire website for you.
What Are the Benefits of Working With a Freelancer?
There are many advantages to working with a freelancer. They are often more affordable than web design agencies, and they can be more flexible with their time and deadlines.
You can also hand-pick the freelancers you want to work with, which allows you to build a team of experts that are specifically tailored to your project.
What Are the Disadvantages of Working With a Freelancer?
While freelancers can be more affordable and flexible, they may also be less reliable than web design agencies. You also have to go through the process of independently vetting, hiring, and managing each freelancer, which can be time-consuming.
What Kind of Projects Are Freelancers Best For?
Freelancers are best used for small projects with a limited scope. They can also be a good option if you’re on a tight budget.
If you’re looking to build an entire website from scratch, or if you need ongoing maintenance and support, then working with a freelancer may not be the best option for you.
Web Design Agencies
A web design agency is a company that specializes in designing and developing websites for businesses. You can work with an agency to create a completely custom website with unique navigation or design.
What Are the Benefits of Working With a Web Design Agency?
When you work with a web design agency, you get an entire team of experts working on your website. This can be helpful if you need multiple disciplines such as designers, developers, and writers.
Web design agencies are also usually more reliable than freelancers. They have established processes and systems in place, which can help to ensure that your project is completed on time and within budget.
What Are the Disadvantages of Working With a Web Design Agency?
Web design agencies are often more expensive than freelancers, and they may not be as flexible with their time or deadlines.
You also have less control over who you work with when you choose an agency. While you may be able to request specific team members, you ultimately have to trust that the agency will assign the best people to your project.
What Kind of Projects Are Web Design Agencies Best For?
Web design agencies are best used for large projects with a complex scope. They can also be a good option if you need ongoing maintenance and support.
This makes them ideal for businesses who need to build a website from scratch, or businesses that need large, complicated websites. For example, ecommerce businesses that need websites with hundreds of pages would benefit from hiring an WooCommerce web design firm – WooCommerce is an open-source ecomerce platform for WordPress websites.
Conclusion
While there is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to choosing between a freelancer and a web design agency, there are several factors that can help make your decision.
If you need a small, simple website or a few tweaks to your existing website, a freelancer may be the way to go. But if you want to build up a large website from scratch with ongoing maintenance, a web design agency might be the better option.