If you have any online needs, may it be web development, SEO, graphic design, articles, or anything in this line, you need to make a choice between agencies and freelancers. The million dollar question is; which one to choose? It’s quite important to consider several things before finally making a decision. In a nutshell, you need to think about the complexity of particular project, your budget, who will oversee the entire project, as well as how you envision the final product. In this way, you will make a wise decision and have better results.
It is also highly recommended that you do some background research on your choice, before you can commit your project. If you do so, then definitely you will save some money and quality will not be sacrificed. The following are some of the pros and cons that you will come across when you hire a freelancer versus an agency.
Freelancer or Agency
Why hire freelancers?
In case you consider hiring a freelancer, you need to make a great choice lest you end up losing so much in the long run. A reliable freelancer will come with the benefit of flexibility, in that you will be able to change some things in the course of the project anytime as you wish. In other words, freelancers can respond to emails during weekends and holidays. As such, you can monitor progress throughout the entire production process. Further, you can always have a high expectation based on the nature of work that the freelancer has created before.
It goes without saying that with freelancers, you will be able to save money. This is due to the fact that they offer competitive costs, of which is a plus for anyone who wants high quality “deliverable” at bottom-rock prices. Importantly, they are specialized in niche skill-set and with this, you can be guaranteed that they will deliver the best end results. Nevertheless, there are some problems you can also incur with freelancers.
Disadvantages of hiring freelancers
If you happen to hire a freelancer, then you have some special elements in mind that you believe the freelancer will be able to help with. However, when you need to do some changes in the course of the project, problems might arise. This is a limitation that comes about because of the specialization of most, if not all freelancers. Also, reliability can become an issue as freelancer might have an emergency, fall sick, or just anything can happen. Last but not least, freelancers are not familiar with the workings of your company and so the end product solely depends on your job descriptions. All in all, they are a great choice for those operating on a shoestring budget.
Why go for an agency?
If you are a time-conscious client who wants things done fast and effectively, you better go for an agency. It might be marketing needs, content, web solutions, or anything in this range, agencies are a great choice. In as much some freelancers can work on your project fast, the time element is always not guaranteed. They might have several projects at ago and so yours has to wait, or might work on it as side gig while doing other errands.
With agencies, you are able to do the most complex of projects without affecting quality. It is a one-stop shop for marketers and those looking for web related solutions to their unique needs. Furthermore, agencies are known to undertake extensive quality testing before releasing any product to the market. Importantly, agencies have personnel that have years of experiences and because it is an established entity, you can ask for multiple revisions as per their policies.
There are many agencies out there that can help you in regard to marketing, SEO, and web development needs, and offer support way after you site is up and running. This is very rare with freelancers who only develop the product and leave the rest up to you. If you choose a reliable agency over freelancers, you are sure to get support for years to come. This is a big advantage if you are looking for long-term partnership.
Disadvantage that comes with agencies
One thing that you will experience with agencies is the project cost, this is because of taxes levied and competition. The fact that they employ a number of specialists in different areas, means that they have to cater for other overhead costs that eventually increase the prices they charge to clients.
The best way to go about choosing between an agency and freelancer is to actually understand your needs. If you go ahead and hire either one of them blindly, then you will lose money and time within a short period. Therefore, think hard before making a choice to one suited and successfully complete your project. Last but not least, never compromise on quality irrespective of offers given and discount rates.