Freelancer or Agency? How to Choose Who Builds Your Website

I've worked inside big agencies like VML and Wunderman Thompson on projects for the UN, the Olympics and Wendy's, and I've worked independently for local businesses and founders. Both models can be great. Here's how to choose.

Where agencies shine

• Big, multi-disciplinary projects needing strategy, content, development and media teams at once
• Capacity and redundancy: if someone's sick, the project keeps moving
• Formal process for large organisations with procurement and compliance needs

Where freelancers shine

• Direct contact with the person actually doing the work
• Lower cost without office, account management and sales overheads
• Speed: fewer meetings, faster decisions
• Flexibility to work with small budgets and evolving ideas

The risks of each

Agency: you may pay for layers you don't need, and the senior people who pitched may not be the ones doing your work.

Freelancer: quality varies widely, and you depend on one person, so check their availability, process and what happens if they're unavailable.

Questions to ask either

1. Who exactly will work on my project?
2. Can I see live work similar to what I need?
3. Is the quote fixed? What's included and what isn't?
4. Will I own the domain, hosting, code and design files?
5. What happens after launch?

My take

For most small businesses and startups, a senior freelancer gives you agency-level craft without paying for the agency. For large organisations with complex needs, an agency often makes sense.

If you'd like to see what working with me looks like, start at my small business page or get in touch.