If you have started the process to create a website for your business, you might be wondering whether you should hire a web designer, a web developer, or an SEO agency. While all three options have their benefits, there are some clear advantages to working with an SEO agency, specifically one that has technical SEO capabilities with design and development offerings.
What is the difference between a web designer, a web developer, and an SEO agency?
A web designer is someone who creates the visual appearance and layout of your website, using tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, or Sketch. A web designer focuses on making your website look attractive, user-friendly, and consistent with your brand identity. If they do provide a website built for you, it’s going to use website builders like Squarespace, Wix or Weebly.
A web developer is someone who builds the functionality and interactivity of your website, using languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, or Ruby. A web developer focuses on making your website work properly, fast, and secure. Most web development firms have web designers in house but if you’re working with a freelancer, web developers typically buy designs online and then code those designs for you.
An SEO agency is a company that specializes in optimizing your website for search engines like Google or Bing. An SEO agency focuses on making your website rank higher for relevant keywords that your potential customers are searching for online. Not all agencies have developers in-house. In fact, many of them outsource all development work. You may also see marketing agencies that provide multiple marketing skillsets and provide SEO services.
Our recommendation is that you should look for an SEO agency that has a development team in-house. This way, you can get the best of both worlds: a well-designed and well-functioning website that is also optimized for search engines. Having a development team in-house can help with implementing technical SEO changes faster and more efficiently. Typically these firms or services are referred to as Technical SEO.
Can I just Hire Both a Web Designer and Developer?
While web designers and developers can create a simple website that does not require much optimization, they may not have the same level of SEO knowledge or skills as an SEO agency. An SEO agency can offer more expertise with pro-strategies such as:
- Keyword research: finding out what words and phrases your target audience is using to find products or services like yours online.
- Link building: getting other websites to link back to yours to boost your authority and credibility.
- Content marketing: creating and distributing valuable content that attracts and engages your audience.
- Technical SEO: ensuring that your website meets the technical requirements of search engines such as site speed, mobile-friendliness, crawlability, indexability, security, etc. This is especially critical for things like voice search.
- Analytics: measuring and analyzing your website’s performance and identifying areas for improvement
By hiring an SEO agency instead of just a web designer or developer, you can increase your online visibility, traffic, conversions, and revenue. in our experience, you will also alleviate many headaches and lost revenue due to mistakes that designers and developers make when they tried to handle your SEO without a real know how.
Work with McNair Media for Your Web Needs
McNair Media is a full-service SEO agency in Arlington Ohio, which specializes in SEO Websites. McNair Media helps small businesses grow their online visibility, traffic, sales, and user experience through effective SEO strategies and campaigns. McNair Media was founded in 2017 by Erik McNair, an experienced digital marketer and consultant. Since then, it has been providing clients all over the country with a wide range of media consulting, digital advertising services, website and app development to clients of all industries.
