Web agency or freelancer: how to choose your provider

To build or rebuild its website, a company has two main options: a web agency, or a freelancer. I am a freelancer myself, and yet I will start by saying when an agency is the better choice. Because status matters less than the way the project will be run.

What really sets an agency apart from a freelancer

	Agency	Freelancer
Team	Several specialists (project manager, designer, developers, copywriters)	One person, sometimes working with partners
Point of contact	A project manager, who relays to the team	The person who designs and builds
Capacity	Can run several projects in parallel	Limited by their time
Continuity	The team can cover an absence	Depends on one person's availability
Cost	Includes the agency's overheads	Generally lower for the same scope

When to choose an agency

• The project is large: many pages, several languages, complex features, a short deadline.
• You need a wide range of skills at the same time: visual identity, video, advertising campaigns, copywriting.
• Your company requires a contractual structure and continuity of service guaranteed by a team.

When to choose a freelancer

• The project is human-sized: business website, redesign, audit, SEO.
• You want to talk directly to the person who designs and builds, with no intermediary.
• You are looking for a contact who follows the project over time, after launch.

An experienced freelancer with a good network can also coordinate other specialists when the project requires it. That is the logic of a web architect: a single point of contact who leads the project from strategy to launch.

The criteria that matter more than status

Verifiable references

Ask for projects that are online, that you can visit, and for the contact details of a former client. Screenshots alone prove nothing: a website that is actually online, with a client you can reach, does.

Ownership of the code, the domain and the accounts

This is the most often overlooked criterion, and the one that costs the most when it is forgotten. The domain name, the hosting, the code and the Google accounts must be in your name. Otherwise, you depend on the provider, whether it is an agency or a freelancer. The guide to recovering your website from a former provider shows what happens otherwise.

After launch

A website lives on after delivery: security updates, fixes, new pages. Ask what is planned, at what price, and how quickly the provider steps in if there is a problem.

The method

A good provider asks questions before quoting: your goals, your customers, your content. One who sends a price without asking anything is quoting a standard website, not yours.

The questions to ask at the first conversation

1. Which comparable projects have you delivered, and can I contact one of those clients?
2. Who will be my point of contact, and who will actually do the work?
3. Will the domain name, the hosting and the code be in my name?
4. How is SEO taken into account during design?
5. How many rounds of design revisions are included?
6. What happens after launch, and at what cost?

Warning signs in a quote

• A very low price with no breakdown of pages or features.
• No mention of ownership of the domain, the hosting or the code.
• "SEO included" with no explanation of what will be done.
• Mandatory maintenance, with no duration and no way to stop it.
• No question asked about your business before the quote.

Once the provider is chosen, the steps of a web project show what to expect, from the first conversation to launch. If you want to see how I work, my background and my projects are online, and you can describe your project to me.