Web designers have long been the standard starting point for creating a web presence for many businesses. And while they often create beautiful sites and pages, this doesn’t always mean that it’s an effective product. While a website is good, a website that backs a clear strategy is better. Not only that, but basic web design agencies don’t always offer a full stack of digital products. Let’s see how digital agencies like Adchitects differ from a simple web design shop and what that means for businesses that want to thrive in a digital world.
Strategy vs. Design Only
Using a digital product agency means that you are getting so much more than a simple web design. While design shops typically only focus on making the visuals look good, agencies start with a comprehensive strategy that informs the final design. This means that they evaluate everything from your goals, your needs, and how those impact the customer or client who will be using your business site.
This starting strategy often begins with a comprehensive evaluation of your business, your market, and the customers you serve. Web design shops simply look at making a site that houses information that you provide. While they may offer some suggestions on how the site can look and feel, they are relying on you to just tell them what to do. A strategist acts as a partner in your business to help you see pain points, bottlenecks, and challenges more clearly and offers you a path forward to solve them.
Agency Developed Strategies vs. Client Requirements
When a client goes to a graphic designer, they are often required to fill out a ton of information about all the requirements for the site. This can be everything from colors and branding to the content that lives on the page. Then the designer builds based on those requirements. But agencies like Adchitects go the extra mile.
They not only build when the time comes, but they also help to inform what needs to be built in the first place. When businesses come with a list of requirements, an agency will do its due diligence to determine if those requirements actually match the end goals of the client. They will develop strategies when all a company has is a checklist, and then they will ensure that their digital products are part of the overall business goals.
Outcomes vs. Appearance
Agencies are focused on the outcomes they get for their clients. This means that they are looking at how their digital products are impacting the business and what clients are saying about them. Are customers buying? Are they signing up for services? Are they viewing the right pages? Are they using the app regularly? Is it meeting customer needs? These are just a handful of questions an agency might explore to see if they are getting the desired outcomes.
Web design shops on the other hand usually offer a limited menu of services. They are mostly focused on the appearance of the site and site navigation. They will look at the client requirements and make a site according to them, regardless of if it gives any specific outcome or not.
Many Digital Products vs. Websites Only
When companies want to create a menu of digital products including SaaS platforms, mobile apps, portals, e-commerce stores, and an effective website, they are most likely going to hire a digital agency like Adchitects. These companies can offer so much more than the creation of a basic website. While a web designer might give you an appealing and functional website, digital agencies offer numerous additional options to expand your web presence.
Whether you have a B2B company and you want to create a software your clients can use to grow their businesses, or you are a B2C company with an app that helps customers with a common problem, agencies offer the kinds of services that can help you build the right products. Not only that, but agencies offer fully customized digital solutions, whereas some web designers work from templates and make edits and updates to them. The ability to get a fully customized digital product stack means that businesses can solve their customer problems and know that the platforms they sell are the right one for the job.
