If I can use a DIY like Wix or GoDaddy to build my own website, why do I need an agency?
As companies aim to modernize themselves to compete in an increasingly technological society, they consider digital advertising and marketing to engage with a wider audience of consumers and generate leads online. A variety of online website builders exist that make it seemingly easy for small businesses without a large marketing budget to own their online presence. Suppose you’ve got an eye for design, you know what you like and don’t like, and you’ve got impeccable taste in colors and structural layouts. While you might be able to create an aesthetically pleasing, user-friendly website using a DIY website builder like Wix or GoDaddy, keep in mind that it’s important for consumers to be able to find your site among hundreds and even thousands of competing companies with the simplest of Google search terms; this is why you might consider an agency that knows how to optimize your website for lead generation.
The biggest drawback of an online website builder is that they lack the capacity to afford your company website the visibility it deserves on search engine ranking. What good is a beautiful website if you don’t get any traffic?
It’s not just about what an agency does to increase ranking or build a website, it’s about what they do for you. Your goals and your business results factor into every conversation about your website. Not the last campaign the agency worked on or what they did for someone else. It’s about solving your problems with insights and creative communication strategies, while also delivering unmatched customer service.
Here are some ideas to consider when evaluating the difference between a full service digital agency versus a DIY platform:
Keyword Research
Search engines use sophisticated algorithms to rank webpages all over the globe; these indices guide potential consumers to businesses as they enter a search term to explore their options, preferences, and immediate needs. A full service digital agency has the capacity to efficiently analyze industry specific keywords and your website content using proprietary software that isn’t readily available to the general public; along with a full scale professional evaluation, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is just one component of digital strategy that can be used to help ensure your name appears at the forefront of a potential client’s Google search. Click Here to learn more about SEO.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
SEM is the paid form of SEO, and you would never want to begin paying for digital advertising until you are intimately aware of how your SEO works first. Why? Logically, it comes down to ROI (return on investment). If you don’t know how people are finding you on the web, how can you make important decisions about where to spend your digital advertising dollars? SEM can only begin with Keyword Research, followed by organic SEO. It is important to understand this is a linear progression. You can only optimize your SEM by first deploying organic SEO. Once you’re able to clearly understand the metrics in your SEO report, then you can make high level decisions about what SEM strategy will work best for your business and industry.
Web Analytics and Monitoring
Analytics and measurement go hand in hand with Keyword Research and SEO/SEM. It is important to continuously keep track of online traffic, including who visits your site(s), what behaviors they exhibit (ie: where they click, what they download, how long they stay on a page, watch a video, etc.) Once you understand what people are looking at most, you can make important decisions about what that means to your business. For example, if you are selling a product online and you find that many of your customers add the item to their cart and then close their browser before they complete the transaction, you can gain valuable insight into why that may have happened by reviewing your analytics. If, for example, 200 people visited your site in one day, 150 of them added the item to their cart, and 149 of them closed their browser without making the purchase, you can infer that your “cart” page may not be functioning properly. Without careful review, you might just assume that only 1 person who purchased your product was truly interested, but after further review, you find that 149 others are actually interested in the product but had a problem on the checkout page. If you don’t understand the metrics, you might just deduce that the product wasn’t a top seller when in actuality it could be. As you can see, having a clear understanding of the analytics can significantly impact how you might decide to promote a particular product or service.
Using the right strategy for measurement and analytics is an important component of digital strategy. Instituting the services of a digital agency to set up and monitor your analytics saves you time as a business owner as you concentrate your efforts on internal company operations while the agency propels your digital marketing efforts.
Paid Search (PPC)
The capacity of a digital agency to thoroughly research and facilitate effective digital advertising through Pay-Per-Click begins with the Keyword Report by identifying consumer segments most likely to buy your products and services. Our interactive advertising campaigns proactively engage potential consumers based on their behaviors, preferences, and past purchases.
Content and Social Marketing
An effective and efficient content marketing strategy is perhaps one of the most important components of digital strategy, yet it’s nothing new. Using blogs, white papers, e-books, downloads, and pre-planned posts can boost engagement and keep visitors coming back for more. Content marketing has been around for literally hundreds of years. One-hundred years ago, the Michelin brothers developed the “Michelin Guide” to inspire people to drive more in order to wear down their tires faster. Fifty years ago, Guinness developed the “Guinness Book of Records” to give people more to talk about in bars (while drinking Guinness, of course). The list goes on and on. Once you’ve identified your keywords and segments, curating effective content is an important way to establish credibility and educate your consumers. According to research, 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations yet only 14% trust advertisements. Have your “Googled” your business lately? Do you have any reviews? Do you like what people are saying online about your brand?
LaunchDM’s creative team of professionals provides an integrated, prolific, and results-centered approach to give your company a bold voice and solid marketing for years to come, something a DIY website builder simply cannot do. We’re delighted, enthused, and always ready to deliver premium digital marketing services for your business’s long-term success.
We pride ourselves as a dynamic media company that meets evolving marketing needs, whether you are a small company or a global brand. Our focus extends beyond that of a well-constructed website, ensuring sustainable results that maintain consumer loyalty while attracting an ongoing stream of potential clients. Want to learn more about digital strategy? Download our FREE Digital Strategy Checklist to help you get started.
