5 Reasons to Hire a Web Development Agency Instead of a Freelance Developer

As a business owner, your website is one of the most important investments you can make. It tells your story, attracts your ideal customers, and converts visitors into valuable leads. Who you choose to build your website is even more important — here’s why.

In today’s gig economy, freelance web developers are on the rise. According to 2022 data from Zippia, there are an estimated 127,000 freelance web developers in the United States. Freelancers are more available than ever and their rates are generally cheaper than working with a web development agency. But with limited experience, confined availability, and less long-term stability, a solo developer is not the best fit for every project.

Here are five reasons to choose a web development agency over a freelancer for your next website. Plus, learn how a humanistic approach to website development can transform your business.

1. Multi-Faceted Experience

An agency is comprised of professional designers, developers, and project managers with experience in different industries. This collective expertise brings valuable insight to each project as the team is tuned in to what’s working across various fields. They can experiment based on new website trends and best practices, and are always seeking to improve their skills. More creativity means no cookie-cutter approach for you.

Additionally, a team with widespread talent and experience can easily scale to accommodate any change in website scope or ongoing support you may need. A freelancer, on the other hand, is limited in both their experience and their ability to scale. As your project evolves, you may encounter roadblocks or limitations based on individual capabilities.

2. Project Management

A typical website development project takes a few months to complete. Working with a solo developer, you are at the mercy of their individual schedule. This includes personal issues, emergencies, or unexpected time off — let alone project abandonment mid-way through your site build.

With an agency, you don’t have to worry about that. Agencies assign team members to each project to ensure continuous progress and availability. A designated project manager keeps the team accountable and working according to plan. If there is an unexpected issue or delay, the project manager will communicate appropriately and work with you to adjust expectations.

3. Quality Control

Freelancers might be working on several projects at one time. With limited capacity, this multi-tasking can impact the quality of your website. On the other hand, an agency might work on several projects at once, but their team is appropriately assigned to different projects to guarantee high-quality development.

Agencies also provide quality control and testing. This ensures that your website is not only functional but responsive across popular devices and browsers.  With a freelancer, you might have to pay extra for quality control, or they may not offer this service at all.

Another benefit of an agency is that they use standardized code. This means that in the future, it’d be easy for any developer to work from your website’s code. With a freelancer, they might be partial to a specific code that is hard for others to work with and essentially forces you to keep working with them after your initial project phase. An agency sets you up for success regardless of who you work with down the road.

4. Long-Term Planning

With a freelancer, you are often in charge of the strategy, hosting setup, and launching of your site. This requires you to be hands-on throughout the development phase and pay extra for services that are not included in the initial website development.

Comparatively, some web development agencies provide ongoing support far past the launch of your website. They support with website hosting and plugin upgrades, can check and address speed and image optimization, help with CRM integrations, and provide in-depth guidance along the way.

5. Logistic Support

In addition to long-term strategy and support, a web development agency is abreast of best practices for security and confidentiality. They’ll make sure your website abides by data privacy laws like GDPR. If something goes wrong, the agency is insured and takes full responsibility for your website.

There is much more unpredictability with a freelancer. If something goes awry, they could end up suing you and claiming they were a former employee!

The Alchemy + Aim Approach

While the reasons above ring true for most web development agencies, Alchemy + Aim goes even further to serve our clients and help them thrive through a holistic, humanistic approach.

We believe that the right partner can help you spread your message further and grow your business in an aligned way.

Instead of viewing your website as a siloed project, we take a step back to see the full picture. To us, it’s more than coding a website; it’s making sure you’re making the right decisions and investments to reach your business goals. The Alchemy + Aim team operates with heart, soul, and a deep sense of mission that impacts every client relationship. We think beyond the website to help you amplify your message across every medium.

We believe in community, not competition.

Sure, every agency has a network of collaborators and clients — but here at Alchemy + Aim, ours is more than a Rolodex. Nothing brings us more joy than to connect like-minded businesses and individuals who can learn from each other and join forces to change the world. These connections can lead to new customers, partnerships, or ideas to accelerate your mission. We’ll make sure you not only get the right support for your website, but the right support and connections to help your business thrive in every way.

Since 2013, Alchemy + Aim’s unique approach has helped nonprofits, mission-driven businesses, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders expand their platforms and make an impact. We approach each website as an opportunity to change the world, and we believe that a web development agency like ours can turn your vision into reality.

At the end of the day, you have to choose the developer that makes the most sense for your project. If you have small web updates that need outsourcing, a freelancer might fit your needs; however, for long-term projects with ongoing support, a web development agency is well worth the time and investment. To learn more about the benefits of a web development agency, get in touch and get ready to make an impact.