Does Your Web Agency Understand Your Business?

One of the things we pride ourselves on around here is our ability to really drill down and find out what makes each client special at the beginning of the relationship. Not in that warm and fuzzy, “Mom always said I was special” kind of way, but in the “I need to get to the top of my industry and stay ahead of the competition” sort of way.

Some agencies like to provide questionnaires to prospective clients, while others like to jump right into the thick of it, sight unseen. We like to take a bit of a different approach here, learning as much as we can about who you are, what you do, how you do it, what your customers think of you, and what you think of yourself. We’ve found its one of the best ways to really get a handle on exactly what’s going on in your company, your industry, and your world.

Some of this is as simple as having conversations with employees, leadership, and clients...but then we go deep. Really deep. Like Michael Vick to Desean Jackson deep. Industry research, competitive analysis, expectation alignment, success metrics, branding strategy, site audits, functionality requirements, technology platform review... the list goes on and on. We feel this sort of deep dive allows both the client and us to truly understand what their needs are when planning the next phase.

But you say, “We’ve already done a discovery in house and we know what we need.” And we say... really? Here's one example of how that's generally not the case.

Example A:

A client comes to you and tells you that “without a doubt,” the most important thing on their site is the editorial content. It’s what drives traffic and the brand. And because of that, the content needs to be front and center on the home page and every page, with as many calls to action for it as possible. We “know” that spending more on editorial content that is fresh and unique is the answer to increased awareness and revenue.

And that’s when we say... really? So we speak to specific clients, and we speak to general consumers, and we look at their site analytics, and we analyze heat mapping results, and we do a market analysis within their industry, and assess the rest of their business and what their existing technology looks like, to determine what potential revenue generators, or cost savings, are there...

... And we determine that “without a doubt” the editorial is relatively far down the list for priorities for everyone else. By providing the client with metrics to support the argument, and a road map on how to impact the outcome, we are now offering a business strategy for them, not just a design direction (but we'll do that too). We’re then able to establish a new business hierarchy that allows them to make a paradigm shift in thinking, process and budgeting. The result not only gives them a clear path to follow, but one that is based on fact, not assumption. The path created is also, more often than not, a unique one in the industry, because the competitors decided to go with an executive’s “gut” feeling, or a design team's “wow,” instead of a facts based reality.

Oh and we also added a “wow” design, and a more than functional, cost saving solution for their editorial content and the rest of their site. But that only came AFTER we determined the significance of the design direction for the audience, and the industry edge that the functionality specifications would provide.

As it turns out, it seems like many folks don’t seem to place the same value on the process that we do. Whether it’s a matter of time, money, or temperament, the discovery phase can sometimes be a hard sell. But honestly, who would you rather have working on your car when you need a tune up, your old-hand mechanic who knows your drive train, transmission, and brake system, along with the most recent promising developments in the auto service industry... or the nice kid down the street who has a heart of gold but doesn’t know the difference between your transmission and your wiper blades... you get the point, right?

How well does your web design agency understand your business? Please feel free to share your thoughts. And if you’re not sure... we’d be happy to take a look under the hood...