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Choosing a web agency

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A web agency is a company whose job is to manage an entire Web project (logo design, website design, hosting, etc..). The Internet budget of an SME is not the only criterion for selecting a web agency.

Starters

  • Define the scope of your project
    • First of all, the enterprise should prepare a document based on its requirements and submit it to the web agencies. Objective: To define exactly what need to be developed and to obtain a complete response.
    • The internal resources
    • The company must consider its internal resources to facilitate the project. Allocate human resources to match with the project and interact properly with the web agency.
  • Master your budget
  • The specifications shall notify the authorized budgets but must also include the future cost of implementation and maintenance of the Internet project once completed. Having a vision and budget on the medium term may avoid unpleasant surprises. Objective: Identify the company's Internet ambitions without overstatement.


The agencies also make their choice:
Some agencies may decline an assignment that could harm their reputation. Especially in the case of Internet projects that are poorly defined.

Screening


- Contact several web agencies by putting them in competition.

-Avoid contacting too many of them: it take the time to consider each response. Too many responses prevent any comparison.

When the Internet project has an important strategic dimension, the reputation and strength of a particular service provider is to be assessed with care.
Before submitting the tender specifications, the company must make an initial selection:
  • Choose agencies with a similar profile
  • Meet with each agency (providing an appointment for an hour each)
  • Ask them about their type of clients, their various skills, their modes of organization on a project, etc..
  • Then achieve an analysis of responses according to a predefined set of rules.
  • Identify 3 or 4 agencies who shall meet up to your specifications.




Note that: Below two to three weeks, normally a web agency does not have sufficient time to identify issues for the project, so it better to avoid the quick going ones.

Evaluation


Before allocating a budget to a provider, the company must first compare the responses, depending on the nature of the Internet project.

Online sales/e-commerce/....

Understanding the price charged by the agency


Depending on the company's budget and resources to implement the project, the web agency includes the price for the service.
  • Do not automatically retain the lowest bidder:
    • The company must ask why the costs vary from one service provider to another. Why this one is more expensive than this one?
  • It is recommended that the company incorporates return on investment over the total assessment of its budget. By integrating the cost reduction generated by the Internet project as a reduction or removal of paper work/presentations.
  • To avoid over charged services:
  • Do not disclose you entire online business model. Otherwise it is exposed to claims for extension from the provider. As such the specifications must be clear and firm.
  • Convey an audit over specifications and the response from the agency by an expert.
  • Do not yield to the temptation to opt for the cheapest web agency. Some offer unbeatable prices, but make no mistake.:
    • Designing a good website takes time and work. Those who ask you a very low price must generally be avoided because their competitiveness suggests an incomplete service or one of insufficient quality.
    • Consider that a website is an important strategic investment that will generate good returns if the project is correctly managed.

Other points to consider


3 parameters to manage the time factor:
  • 1. Meet the deadlines for completion (between one and three months).
  • 2. Understand that the agency has unavoidable delays (for example design)
  • 3. Prefer a contract stipulating all of the intermediate steps to maintain control of the project.

Jean-François Pillou

Jean-François Pillou - Founder of CCM
Better known as Jeff, Jean-François Pillou is the founder of CommentCaMarche.net. He is also CEO of CCM Benchmark and digital director at the Figaro Group.

Learn more about the CCM team

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