Web agency - the definition
According to Wikipedia's definition, a web agency is an organization that deals with the design, development and maintenance of websites.
It's unclear how up to date Wikipedia's definition is, but my understanding is that this definition covers (what I call) 1st generation web agencies.
I will go into more detail later on about what exactly I mean by this.
If I had to define what a web agency does today, I would formulate it as follows:
A web agency creates digital user experiences and marketing strategies and supports the maintenance and care of digital infrastructure.
Der Unterschied im Vergleich zur Wikipedia-Definition liegt vorwiegend in der Einführung der Begriffe Nutzererfahrung und Vermarktung.
Genau das sind auch die Bereiche, in welchen Webagenturen in den vergangenen Jahren dazugelernt haben.
In principle, however, it should be noted that the term "web agency" is used today in a way that is hardly distinguishable and separable.
In my opinion, agencies call themselves "web agencies" that are not web agencies by definition.
Today, the term is also used as an umbrella term for numerous agency forms (branding agency, digital agency, web design agency, etc.).
Im Folgenden gehe ich näher auf die Entwicklung der Aufgabenbereiche von Webagenturen über die Zeit ein und darauf, wie ich diese Entwicklung erlebt habe.
The 1st generation of web agencies (2000 - 2010)
The 1st generation of web agencies became big in the early days of the Internet during the dotcom bubble.
At that time, for most companies it was simply about being on the Internet.
User experience, design, target group orientation and marketing only played a subordinate role in the beginning.
According to the motto: "Taking part is everything."
Deshalb fokussierte sich die 1. Generation von Webagenturen vor allem auf die Bereitstellung und Wartung von websitekritischer Infrastruktur wie dem Webhosting sowie dem HTML-Code, um ein einfaches User-Interface (UI) abzubilden.
Die Nutzerfahrung (UX) und die Vermarktung der Website durch SEO und SEA (gab es in den Anfängen auch noch gar nicht) waren, wenn überhaupt, nur am Rande ein Thema.
The first generation of web agencies saw themselves primarily as technical service providers.
I would say that until 2010, most web agencies operated in the areas mentioned above.
After that, there was a change.
The new generation of web agencies
As explained at the beginning, the 2nd generation of web agencies arose primarily from changing user needs, technologies and expectations of websites.
The Internet became increasingly accessible and popular.
Although few households had a laptop or PC at home in the early 2000s, this was almost standard in 2010, at least in the western world.
Zudem gab es neue technologische Fortschritte wie einfach zu bedienende Content-Management-Systeme (CMS) wie WordPress.
The e-commerce market grew strongly.
Zugleich gewann die Google-Suchmaschine immer mehr Marktanteile, wodurch es für Shopbetreiber und Unternehmen immer wichtiger wurde, bei Google eine hohe Sichtbarkeit zu haben.
Users also became accustomed to increasingly well-designed and multifunctional websites.
This increased users' expectations of the user experience of a website.
Wobei es in den frühen Jahren des Internets hiess: „Dabei sein ist alles“ und vor allem „Innovate or die“.
The changes mentioned above meant that web agencies also had to evolve.
The website was no longer just a digital business card with a few details about company xyz.
Nein, es ging nun darum, eine ansprechende Nutzerfahrung, zugeschnitten auf die eigene Zielgruppe, zu erschaffen, welche möglichst auch noch viele Neukunden generiert.
Dadurch rückten folgende Aufbaubereiche in den Fokus:
- Beratung & Strategie: Unternehmen benötigen Beratung. Einerseits, wie sie eine zielgruppengerechte Ansprache mit ihrer Website erschaffen, und andererseits, wie sie ihre Website als Marketinginstrument verwenden können.
- User Experience (UX) Design: Unternehmen benötigen Unterstützung zur Erschaffung von digitalen Nutzererfahrungen. Dafür mussten sie Personas und Customer Journeys erstellen und das Design danach ausrichten.
- Web developmentWeb agencies continue to support the development of websites - but now often in combination with a CMS system.
- Prozessoptimierung/Automatisierung: Die Website wird auch als Prozessoptimierungs-Tool genutzt und mit anderen Systemen verknüpft, da sie oftmals der Einstiegspunkt von potenziellen Kunden ist.
- Hosting, maintenance and technical supportWeb agencies continue to assist with hosting, maintenance and technical support.
- Marketing strategy & support: Due to the market concentration on Google, search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine advertising (SEA) are moving into the remit of web agencies.
Other types of agencies (some of which also call themselves web agencies)
In addition to traditional web agencies, there are many other types of agencies that also deal with digital services and sometimes call themselves web agencies.
However, these differ in their focus, scope of services and specialization.
In the following section, I will introduce you to some of these agency types
Web design agency
A web design agency is primarily concerned with the visual design of websites.
Auch dieser Begriff ist jedoch schwammig, denn viele verwenden die Begriffe Webdesign und Webentwicklung synonym.
There are also web design agencies that offer marketing services such as SEO or SEA.
A web design agency can therefore also be a web agency.
Branding agency
A branding agency is primarily concerned with conveying a story to brands and a certain feeling to the target group.
They often do this with visual storytelling and develop a suitable corporate identity (CI).
For me, the term branding agency is clearly differentiated from a web agency.
Branding is what every company should do first.
The design of the website, marketing strategy, etc. should ideally be based on the branding guidelines.
However, there are also branding agencies that see themselves as full-service providers and also offer websites and marketing.
Then the distinction from the term web agency becomes less clear.
Performance marketing agency
Performance-Marketing umfasst alles rund um Pay-per-Click-(PPC-)Kampagnen.
This includes paid advertising on social media and search engines such as Google (SEA).
Es gibt nur wenige Performance-Marketing-Agenturen, die auch Webdesign und Webentwicklung anbieten.
The term is therefore distinct from the term web agency.
SEO agency
SEO-Agenturen sind darauf spezialisiert, organische Sichtbarkeit und Leads zu generieren.
They optimize websites for search engines so that they become more visible for relevant keywords.
SEO and web design often merge together.
There are therefore many SEO agencies that also offer web design and development.
Many SEO agencies are therefore de facto also web agencies.
Advertising agencies
Advertising agencies often offer a wide range of services.
The services offered by an advertising agency are usually very similar to those of a web agency.
In addition, advertising agencies often offer not only digital advertising services, but also print.
Graphic agencies
Graphic agencies deal with graphic design for all kinds of channels:
Social media, print or even a website.
Grafikagenturen erstellen aber meist keine Websites und Vermarktungsstrategien.
They must therefore be clearly distinguished from the term web agency.
E-Mail-Marketing
Email agencies specialize in cold or warm outreach campaigns to acquire new customers or generate additional sales with existing customers.
These agencies often specialize only in this area.
These agencies may also offer the design and creation of landing pages.
However, in my view they must be clearly distinguished from web agencies, which offer a broader range of services.
Online marketing agencies
Like advertising agencies, online marketing agencies often offer a wide range of services that hardly differ from the services of a web agency.
Many people use the terms synonymously.
PR agencies
PR-Agenturen operieren oftmals noch im Print- und Digitalbereich und pflegen Beziehungen zu etablierten Medienhäusern.
They achieve positive headlines for their customers through sophisticated storytelling and relationships.
PR agencies often offer complementary services such as branding or social media marketing.
The PR agency therefore operates in completely different fields than a web agency.
Media agencies
Media agencies operate in a similar way to PR agencies and are sometimes used synonymously.
Many media agencies still operate in the traditional print sector.
The term must be clearly distinguished from the term web agency.
Advantages and disadvantages of web agencies
I am often asked what the advantages and disadvantages of working with web agencies are.
I'll give you my assessment below.
Advantages
Everything from a single source
Specialization is good, but many SMEs want a central point of contact when it comes to their website, marketing strategy and online marketing.
A web agency offers you this advantage.
You have a contact person for website creation, maintenance and marketing.
Expertise and experience
The question often arises: Should I implement the website internally myself?
Es gibt ja heute zahlreiche AI-Webbuilder wie Wix oder Jimdo, wo du superschnell und einfach eine Vorlage aufsetzen kannst.
Das Problem: Diese Vorlagen sehen alle gleich aus, sind nicht strategisch auf deine Zielgruppe ausgerichtet und oftmals reine Visitenkarten, aber verkaufen dein Produkt oder deine Dienstleistung nicht.
A professional web agency can support you with their expertise.
This will help you to choose the right marketing channels and build your website strategically so that you also generate new customers and sales.
Scalability and flexibility
With a web agency, you can grow without any problems.
Agencies can provide you with flexible resources and scale with your company as required.
Das Marketing inhouse zu skalieren, ist oftmals schwieriger, dauert länger und ist kostspieliger.
Disadvantages
Little control
Wenn du dich entscheidest, deine Website und deinen Online-Marketing-Auftritt an eine Webagentur abzugeben, entscheidest du dich bewusst, auch teilweise Kontrolle abzugeben.
Die Agentur wird Entscheidungen für dich treffen, ohne dass du überall den Überblick hast.
Das muss keinesfalls ein Nachteil sein, kann aber als solcher angesehen werden.
Dependence
When you hire a web agency, it also means that you are becoming somewhat dependent on them.
You make a conscious decision to rely on the agency's external expertise to make your website and marketing work.
That doesn't necessarily have to be a negative thing either, but you have to be aware of it.
Generalists vs. specialists
As we have seen, web agencies usually offer a wide range of services.
Das führt auch zwangsläufig dazu, dass Webagenturen eher als Generalisten statt als Spezialisten arbeiten.
They see the big picture, but may not be as familiar with the technical details as an expert who only operates in one of these areas.
This does not necessarily have to be a disadvantage either, but it should be taken into account.
Costs
Eine professionelle Webagentur in der Schweiz ist nicht günstig.
If you are not prepared to invest in your web and marketing presence, you will not find any reputable providers, at least not in Switzerland.
How do I find the right web agency?
There are some important criteria that you should consider when choosing your web agency.
In the following, I will list the most important criteria:
References
One of the most important criteria is whether the agency can provide convincing reference projects or case studies.
If this is not the case, it is a risk for you.
A reference project (especially for websites) does not necessarily have to come from the same industry as your company operates in.
Much more important is how previous projects were implemented and what results were achieved with them.
Fixed prices / cost ceiling
There are many agencies that charge according to the "time and material" model.
In other words, you pay for every minute of effort.
Such agencies typically do NOT work with fixed prices or cost ceilings, but give you an indicative quote or price range.
In 80% of cases, however, the original price range is not adhered to and you then have almost no choice but to pay even more.
When choosing an agency, make sure that you are offered fixed prices.
Especially when it comes to a website relaunch and SEO.
Response times
You ask an agency via email about a new website or SEO and wait more than 3 days for a response?
This means nothing other than that you are not a priority.
An agency should reply to your email within 48 hours.
If not, this is a big warning sign for you.
Personal contact
Schlussendlich wirst du mit der Agentur, für die du dich entscheidest, eng zusammenarbeiten.
Therefore, it's important that you get to know the person you'll be working with personally and see if it's a good fit in terms of content and interpersonal relationships.
Both are important for successful collaboration.
