If you are here, maybe you are looking for a partner to set up your website. Surely you are looking for information that would help you make the right choice of agency (that of Walter Interactive...). You're probably saying to yourself; there are so many agencies, how can I make sure I work with the one that's best for me?
Are you already working with an agency?
If you already work with an agency and are wondering if Walter Interactive is for you, know that we are a solid company that has been working for several years with major Quebec companies such as Voyages Bergeron, Passion Monde, Passion Monde, Le Groupe Duval, Le Groupe Duval, Le Groupe Duval, Bijouterie Italienne, to name a few. We offer website strategy, design and development services. Our team includes: project managers specialized in the digital field who have developed a specific approach to designing effective sites (SEO-SEM) without giving you headaches, an international team of front end and back end developers who work fast, graphic designers who know how to put your idea into images and maximize digital opportunities, UI/UX designers who work side by side with programmers and deliver quality. It should also be noted that our team is young and dynamic, that it is good to work with us, that we are not only passionate but also very dedicated. We love our customers and you will love us, we are sure of it. See our references.
Are you looking for an agency and want to get organized?
If, on the contrary, you are not yet working with an agency, we would like to offer you some ideas to organize and facilitate your research process. To do this, we offer you a list of elements to consider with suggestions to guide your analysis.
We start with this:
Identify your priority needs
As a general rule, agencies specialize in web strategy, design, or development. All agencies offer all of these services, but it is appropriate to work with the agency whose specialty is in line with your most important need (and possibly your budget). At Walter Interactive, for example, we offer strategy and design services, but our strength is in particular in the development of websites.
It is therefore necessary to consider:
If you are unsure of the best web approach to reach your business goals, consider an agency that specializes in digital strategy. You will then be well supported to find the best way to connect, through your web presence, with your target customers.
If your business plan suggests setting up a very innovative website, and if the differentiation criterion is the most important for your success, it is appropriate to turn to an agency renowned for its design capabilities.
If, on the contrary, you have a clear idea of your needs or if your site requires significant technical requirements, it is better to turn to an agency that specializes in development (and one that can do it quickly at a competitive price).
Have a budget
It is possible to deploy a website for as little as $5,000, but some sites are so strategic for their business that hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, are dedicated to them. When it comes time to shop around your agency and discuss your project, it's important not to “get carried away.” It is necessary to have previously defined the budget envelope available for this initiative.
Building a site can easily result in a lot of secondary costs. In addition, after it is put online, you will inevitably need to optimize your pages and keep it up to date. It is therefore important to set aside part of your budget for these operating costs.
A good agency will inform you of these costs in advance and try to eliminate as many of them as possible. It can tell you if the costs associated with these services are included in your estimate or if they are additional services that you must pay separately.
With this information and knowing your priorities, agencies will be in a position to organize your budget, regardless of its size, around them.
Consider the resources and skills available internally
If you are looking for a business partner, you are looking for an organization that specializes in the digital field and that has the necessary experience, knowledge and skills at your disposal.
This does not mean that you do not have experience and expertise within your own organization yourself. Perhaps you are in fact looking for an agency to make up for a chronic or occasional lack of certain roles. If this is the case, take the time to inventory the availability of internal collaborators and define your needs, working relationships and the desired hierarchy (see the table below).
If you have never done business with an agency, or developed a web platform and there are no people dedicated to digital technology within your organization, refer to the roles identified below, these are the ones that are necessary for most digital projects. NB: Keep in mind that the same person can wear several hats!
Create a short list of candidate agencies
There are a lot of agencies on the market, it will not be possible for you to evaluate each of them. You will need to create a short list of candidates. In our opinion, there is no point in exploring your project with too many agencies. A list of 3 to 4 candidate companies, well chosen, through known or validated sources, will ensure that you get enough information to properly compare offers.
Certainly start by getting references from those around you but remember that the needs of one are not necessarily the same for the other.
Do some online research as well (is their own website well designed, does it appear relatively high in search engines, and are they active on their social networks?) and get names of happy customers.
Do your due diligence by contacting former or current customers. Here are a few questions you could ask:
- How long have you been a customer of the agency?
- What type of project are you working on with the agency?
- Was the project delivered on time and on schedule?
- What are the services offered by the agency you are using?
- What internal resources are working on this type of project?
- Overall, what is the budget you allocated to this project?
- What is the agency's greatest strength?
- What is the element that the agency still needs to work on?
- Would you hire them for another project?
Interviewing agencies as you would with an employeeWhen you meet the web agencies on your list, have previously prepared a list of questions with a weighting grid according to your expectations and your time and money constraints. Here are some examples of questions to ask:
- What sites are you most proud of and why? (Make sure these sites generally match the quality you're looking for.)
- Who is your favorite customer with and why?
- How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors? (Note whether these skills correspond to your most important needs)
Also check if the agency has already done business with a company in your industry. If that's the case, ask them how these mandates happened and what was the most difficult. If they've never worked with a company in your field, that's not necessarily worrisome. Just ask how they will approach this new industry. A fresh look can lead to a new and effective approach that won't look like copy and paste.In any case, look for the agency that you think is the most transparent with you, which brings us to the final step...
