First two decisions when starting a website. (pt 2)

– Robert Kruger 21 April 2010

 

How do you choose an agency?

As I have mentioned, the most important criteria for choosing an agency to build your next website is their experience converting company knowledge into compelling web content.

When you choose a creative agency, make sure they have a process for this conversion. Also confirm that the actual team members proposed to work with you have experience in the process. Of course you want to hire an agency that has a design portfolio that resonates with you, and you want to have a good feeling about working together with the key people at the agency. However, if they can’t prove they have the expertise to convert company knowledge to web content that changes people’s behavior, it is a waste of your time to even look at their portfolio.

There are a number of ways you can judge an agency’s success working the web. They may have case studies. They may have client testimonials. When reviewing material intended to prove business success, look for measurement metrics that quantify how behavior was altered. A testimonial may only prove the agency is easy to work with, and a case study may only prove that the agency will follow instructions. Performance metrics are needed to support claims that your new website can be monetized.

Some metrics can be specific, particularly if the company is based on ecommerce. An internet-only company will have the ability to clearly identify sales improvements tied to the launch of a new version of their site. A brick-and-mortar retail store (with no ecommerce activity) may only be able to say that sales went up after the agency created a new website, newspaper insert, and advertising campaign. That’s still a positive review.

As you review metrics presented to you by an agency, ask questions to help you understand the significance. For example, you might see that the agency helped a customer increase their total number of Facebook friends from 87 to 8700. If you aren’t currently connecting with your customers via Facebook, you may not understand the significance of this achievement or how business improved for their customer. Ask for clarification.

The performance metrics provided by prospective agencies can also be a guide for the metrics they are prepared to offer you if you hire them to build your new website. Once you choose and agency, choose a development platform, and build your new website, you will want to track your own set of metrics to ensure you are getting the most out of your new site. The best thing that could happen to you is that you become a case study for your agency.

Our web development software, Dialogs, is commonly recommended by agencies to their website customers, but Dialogs is also chosen by site owners based on our features and reliability, and they request that their creative agencies use Dialogs. Let us show you how Dialogs can improve your business. Or let us show your agency. We can even help you find an agency. We’re confident that Dialogs is the best choice for business.