3 Benefits of a Web Agency for Your Business in San Francisco

Silicon Valley is the heart of technological innovation in America. Sure innovation happens elsewhere as well, but nowhere else in America are there so many smart business people grouped together in one city like San Francisco. The city by the bay just keeps churning out hot new prospects in the start-up industry and other entrepreneurial endeavors.

Thankfully, the high concentration of tech geniuses means it’s now easier than ever to find something like a web agency in San Francisco for your business. Having a web development agency take care of your online presence is a lot more effective than trying to do it yourself.

Even if you have no idea what you’re doing when it comes to web development trends, it’s very likely that a web agency will have some tricks up their sleeve and connections in places that you do not. Indeed, hiring a web agency in San Francisco is one the best things you could do for your bay-area business.

Let’s take a deeper look at this, and investigate 5 different reasons why trusting the pros is the way to go.

 

1) It Covers All Your Bases

As stated above, even if you think you know what you’re doing or you have a small team of people who think they can handle your website, professional web agencies just have more resources. While you might have a team of 3-4 people, they have dozens of heads they can put together, each with a wealth of experience in specific categories.

When it comes to managing your web project, you don’t want people who dabble in a bit of everything, you want a specialist in every area that you’ll be working in. Also, they will be able to provide you with web copy tips to create a better website.

For example, if you want your site to be mobile-friendly, that could end up affecting things like your layout. You might also need to move things around to best optimize your marketing strategy.

With all these moving pieces, you’re going to want an expert in marketing, an expert in coding, and an expert in design at the very least. Being part of a web agency in San Francisco is key. They will be well practiced in working with and collaborating with other team members.

 

2) Flexibility

In general, agencies are a lot more flexible than in-house teams. They can work with your in-house team as well to complete the bulk of the workload in the beginning.

You can then use your in-house team exclusively for taking care of updates and other maintenance, rather than being locked into a contract you might end up overpaying for.

 

3) Experience is Huge

“Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.”

Professional web agencies have seen it all, and they know which mistakes to avoid. Rather than test your luck with a trial-by-error process, why not skip the hardship and go straight to what works?

Collaborating with a web agency is guaranteed to slash the amount of time you spend fixing stupid mistakes and get you to your goals much more quickly. An agency can also help you get creative with your website. You will be able to craft a better ‘About’ page so that it stands out.

 

Hiring the Right SF Web Agency

Hiring a web agency in San Francisco is your best bet if you want to achieve your full potential as a business. Not only are they likely more experienced than you, they have a lot more resources at their disposal and can provide a fresh new take on your website that before long could see you reeling in massive amounts of traffic.

A website builder vs web designer will not give you the luxury of creativity with your project. It might cost a bit more in the beginning, but over the long-term working with a web agency in San Francisco is sure to increase your chances of success.

Small Business 101: Website Builder vs Web Designer

Comparing: Website Builder vs. Web Designer

These days, a website is an integral part of the small business’s process. It’s how you get your name out there so that you can access a broader range of customers. Having a sleek looking website demonstrates to people that your company’s goods or services are professional and valuable to them. This is important to note mainly because there have been many changes to web design in 2018. So this leaves you with a tricky decision: website builder vs. web designer. Each has their pros and cons so we will outline them so you can see which option might be better for you.

 

 

Website Builders

You may be wondering what the difference between a website builder vs. web designer is? These days there are plenty of website builders out there like WordPress, Squarespace, etc. Primarily, if you can use Microsoft Word or Powerpoint, you should be able to use one of these just fine. They feature a range of customizable templates and allow you to merely arrange and drag and drop your info in a relatively short amount of time. There is a limit to how much customization they permit, but they give your site a professional look and feel.

 

Pros:

Cost: most web platforms charge a domain fee and service fee and can cost as little as $150 per year.

Easy to Edit: If you need to update your information, change a photo or simply add a few words to the description, you can do it without outside help

Quick: most people can set up a pretty solid website in 10-20 hours. If you can set a few days aside, you can be done in no time at all

 

Cons:

Limited:  You only have a relatively narrow selection of options, and you have to sacrifice on getting the exact look and feel of what you want

Generic: it’s quite easy to tell which sites have used a template and which haven’t

Time-consuming: Keeping on top of your website and running your business can be a lot of work

 

A website builder vs. web designer is a good match for those who are establishing a new blog, business or organization without a real audience/customer base yet. It is a good idea to start with a website builder, but once you have a customer base, you should consider investing in a web designer.  It is good for having something for people to go to get a little more information about you, but don’t expect anyone to be “wowed” by it.

 

Web Designers

Working with a web designer allows you to get a truly unique feel for your website. They build things from the ground up so that your site will have that professional sheen to it. In particular, they are essential for businesses looking to scale. If you have an idea that you think will grow over time, then it is better to build something from scratch.

Pros:

– Truly customizable look and feel  

– Able to scale and integrate into a more significant platform or be a more extensive

– Higher security and usability

– Built-in SEO framework

 

Cons:

Cost: web designers will typically run for between $7,000 to $10,000 that’s not a small figure for a new enterprise

Outside help: your designer should make it reasonably easy for you to make minor changes, but until you have an in-house company tech wizard, you’ll have to have someone else make the big ones.

Overall, web designers are useful if you have enough start-up capital and are trying to pitch an idea to some investors. Also, they are ideal for businesses with an established audience looking to grow. They are perfect for those who wish to keep up with the latest website trends and advancements in marketing. A website builder vs. web designer, will not give you the creative freedom your business might need.

 

 

Making the Right Decision for Your Business

Making the right call for a website builder vs. web designer doesn’t have to be too complicated. All you have to do is think about your company’s goals and decide which is the best choice for your business.