Are you looking to build a website or redesign an existing website?

Are you looking for a freelance web designer Edinburgh or an agency?

What’s the difference?

You’ll be asking yourself many questions about how to start and who to trust with your business vision. Possibly the most powerful deciding factor for you will be the cost, especially if you’re a small business and just getting going.

What Does a Web Designer Do?

The term web designer is used to describe someone who works on designing websites. It’s not just about making pretty pictures. There are lots of things to consider when building a website, like how easy it will be to navigate, whether it looks good on mobile devices, and if it will make your visitors convert and want to come back again.

A web designers work is not done the moment the site is launched and live. A professional web designer will assist you to grow and maintain your website. Constantly improving content is an important ranking factor and maintaining the site is essential for website health and security.

What is a freelance web designer?

A freelance web designer is someone who is self employed and designs and builds websites for a living. They normally work on a per-project basis, though some may have long-term contracts with clients. A freelance web designer Edinburgh is responsible for finding new clients, creating proofs for client review and designing a website’s layout and functionality. The level of complexity of the design depends upon the client’s needs, the skill set of the designer and the budget of the project.

As your freelance web designer Edinburgh, we have no overheads like office space and a heavy payroll, so this saving is passed onto you, which is why generally freelancers are way more affordable than agencies.

Grumpy Guy Studio is a small group of web design freelancers based in South Queensferry. We are your trusted freelance web designers Edinburgh.

The Pros and Cons of hiring a freelance web designer vs using an agency

The Pros of Hiring a Freelance Web Designer Edinburgh

1. Affordable : freelance web designers Edinburgh are always more affordable than agencies because they have less overheads. They normally work from home and you hire one person with a complete web design skillset. With a web design agency you hire a bunch of people each specialising in different aspects of web design and development. With an agency you’re also paying for other personell, office space and equipment.
2. Personal Service : Working with a freelancer means you get one on one personal service. You are not working with a team of different specialist whereby keeping track and communicating becomes more complicated. When we work on a project with you we use Basecamp project management tools, you’re updated and involved in all aspects of the design process. We work on one special project at a time so that means you have our full attention and dedicated service.
3. Dedication : freelance web designers Edinburgh are generally very dedicated to their work as they are personally responsible for the outcome of all aspects of a website. A good freelancer will ensure their client is 100% happy with their work and will refer them. A web design agency will have a team of people working on a project which dissipates responsibility and may create communication barriers.

The Cons of Hiring a Freelance Web Designer Edinburgh

1. Reliability : yes it is true! Some freelancers are unreliable. This is a character flaw and not a trait of every freelance web designer. Some freelancers may take on more than they can handle, be unskilfull at communicating or may have health problems that means they can not work. When choosing a freelance web designer Edinburgh make sure you trust them and they have great referrals and reviews.
2. Quality of Work : before hiring a freelance web designer Edinburgh make sure you have proof of quality of their work and they can fulfil your website requirements. Some freelancers may promise results that they can not deliver.
3. Unable to handle larger projects : a web design agency may have an advantage when it comes to large multi facteted projects as they have a team of designers that can handle different aspects of the build. A freelance web designer Edinburgh may not be as efficient with massive projects, as they will be handling the whole project on their own. They may also lack the skills for the more technical demands of a very large website build.

The Pros of Hiring a Web Design Agency

1. You get a team : especially for larger technical builds this is a great benefit. You will get a team of hopefully skilled dedicated professionals specialising in different aspects of your website build. This comes with a cost and if you don’t need this kind of service you’ll be forking out a lot of dosh for uneccessary services.
2. Reliable Service : a good agency will pull out all the stops to ensure their reputation as a reliable service is maintained. This means hopefully they will offer the best possible service and if anyone in the team gets sick they will have someone to replace them.
3. Technological Powers : agencies will have a much bigger budget than a freelancer so they will also have more tools and technology at their disposal. Again this comes with a cost so check what’s necessary for your website build. Most small to medium websites can be built without advanced coding or specialist technology.

The Cons of Hiring a Web Design Agency

1. It’s more expensive : agencies have much greater overheads than a freelance web designer Edinburgh. Office space, technical and adminstrative staff, marketing budgets, management structure, all contribute to just how much more you will pay an agency. Compared to a freelancer working from home with all the necessary skills and tools required to build you an awesome site.
2. Technological Powers : agencies will have a much bigger budget than a freelancer so they will also have more tools and technology at their disposal. Again this comes with a cost so check what’s necessary for your website build. Most small to medium websites can be built without advanced coding or specialist technology.
3. Obstacles to communication : heard of chinese whispers. The more people the message passes through the more it is distorted and everyone has their own interpretation. Agencies will pass different aspects of the design to different people, who in turn will design what they think is required. A web design freelancer will work with one on one communication throughout the web design process.

Price Comparison for Freelance & Agency Website Design

5 Page Brochure Site	Freelancer	Agency
WordPress	£750	£4,000
Hand Coded	£3,000	£7,000
E Commerce Site	Freelancer	Agency
WordPress	£1,500	£10,000
Hand Coded	£5,000	£25,000

Conclusion

We hope this is a helpful summary. Either way make sure whoever you choose is reliable and trustworthy. Make sure you’re not being overcharged for technical skills or tools you do not need. Always be clear about pricing and be aware about addons and additional services. Do some investigation and ask for proof and reviews. Ask for a break down in the time it takes to complete the different stages of the site and check if this is realistic by asking for a second opinion.

If you’re looking for a freelance web designer Edinburgh, then get in touch with us by filling out our contact form below. We’ll get back to you within a working day for a free consultation.