Gareth Hailey

A Quality Freelancer is better value than a Digital Agency

A quality freelance Web Professional who can handle all aspects of you site will give you the best value for money and a product that is tailored to your needs.  While the modern Digital Agency has it’s place, it also tends to have high overheads and a lot of internal wastage of resources.  This translates to higher project cost.  Sometimes you might need all the resources an Agency has to offer:  Design Team, Development Team, Producers and Strategists.  For many projects, however this is overkill.

I have witnessed first-hand the waste and cost associated with small to medium projects in a Digital Agency.  Not only are you paying for the production of your site, but also management, payroll staff, office rent, the coffee machine and the Christmas party.

I offer complete Web Design and Web Development services – providing custom design of your site, advanced functionality, SEO strategy, backup and security measures.  Because my overheads are low, I can offer you the same product for a fraction of the cost, and 15+ years of experience easily matches that held by your common team of designer, developer and producer.

Why wouldn’t you just use Wix, Squarespace or pre-built templates to make your own site?

Increasingly there are more low-barrier-to-entry methods to make your own website.  This trend is great as it makes the web more accessible to the everyday person.  But you need to also realise that the Web is a competitive place and this is why hiring a professional designer and developer will give you the edge over your competition.  There are some major downsides to using pre-fab web sites.

Slower speed

Speed tends to be much slower on pre-fab sites as they try to account for all scenarios.  This bloats the code base which makes your site load slower.  On the internet, the slow site always loses.   Not only does Google give slower sites a lower ranking,  84% of users will leave a site if it doesn’t load within a couple of seconds – and I am certainly one of them!

Harder to maintain

A website is like a living, breathing entity.  To stay healthy it requires maintenance and attention. Pre-fab solutions are not only slow on the front end, but also on the back end.  Many WordPress templates, for instance are painfully slow and confusing for the content editor.  I put special focus into the experience of the Content Editor, making your site easy and quick to maintain.  Compared to Wix, you will save 50% on your content entry costs by using a WordPress CMS system which has been tailored to your needs.

Costly to upgrade

Down the track, you are probably going to want eCommerce, a special application or even just a feature image that shows in a different place on every page.  When you hit the roadblock that you can’t figure out, you are going to have to hire a developer anyway.  Upgrading and modifying pre-fab websites takes much more time than working on a site that was purpose-built.   The dollars you save now are going to come back and bite you later when you pay for the extra time it takes your developer to work within the pre-fab, one-size-fits-all framework that you started with.

Lack of individuality

You make a bigger statement on the web when your site stands out and really communicates your business through design.  You want to make an immediate impact on your potential clients and win them with the design as well as your content.  Why settle for a template that is being used by thousands of other people on the Internet?

When does the Digital Agency stand out?

No one person is an island and sometimes the man-power of a team is needed.   If you have a large-budget, high-coverage applications, large marketing campaigns or very complex coding situations that require a team of developers – a reputable agency might be the way to go.  For small to medium sized projects, however, finding a quality freelance developer will cost you much less and get you a more personal service.

So does Gareth Hailey Web Design and Multimedia do large projects?

For large projects I have network of colleagues which I can call upon to put together a team. Contact me today to discuss your requirements. Or take a look at some of my previous projects.