What a web consultancy can bring to your digital strategy

A website, a LinkedIn account, an ad campaign, a newsletter: most SMEs have built up a range of online initiatives, often decided on a case-by-case basis, as opportunities and requests arise. Each one costs time and money; taken together, they do not always form a coherent strategy. This is where a web consultancy comes in.

What is a web consultancy?

A web consultancy agency delivers: it builds a website, creates a campaign, and writes content. A web consultancy agency starts by asking a different question: which of these initiatives will truly benefit your business? It helps you set objectives, choose the channels that will achieve them, and then measure the results.

Most consultancy agencies do both: they advise, then implement all or part of what they’ve recommended, or support your teams as they take charge of it.

What it brings to your digital strategy

An uncompromising assessment

Your website, its ranking on Google, your presence on social media, how your customers perceive you, and what your competitors are doing. An outside perspective reveals what routine overlooks: the page nobody visits, the form that no longer works, the competitor who has taken your place in a key search result.

Objectives and target audiences

Brand awareness, quote requests, online sales, recruitment: different objectives require different approaches. Defining them – and identifying the people you want to reach – prevents you from spending a little here and there without achieving anything anywhere.

Choosing the right channels

Website, organic search, online advertising, social media, emails, print materials: an SME cannot do everything, nor does it need to. Good advice also involves telling you what not to do.

Messages in your customers’ own words

What sets you apart, expressed in the way your customers are looking for it, not as it’s described internally. This is essential for being found on search engines and understood once visitors are on your page.

Measurement and adjustments

The web has an advantage over most other channels: almost everything on it can be measured. A few simple metrics, tracked over time, show what’s working and what isn’t. The strategy is then adjusted based on facts, not impressions. This is at the heart of digital marketing.

When to engage a web consultancy

• before a website redesign, to find out what needs to be done before deciding what it should look like;
• when online activities are multiplying without knowing what return they’re generating;
• when launching a new product, business or market;
• when the in-house team lacks time or the necessary perspective.

How to choose a web consultancy

• It asks questions before making proposals: an agency that quotes a price for a website before understanding your business is selling what it knows how to do, not what you need.
• It talks about results and explains how it will measure them.
• It understands the business, not just the web: a digital strategy supports a business strategy.
• It leaves you in control of your website, your accounts and your data: you must be able to switch providers without losing everything.
• It knows how to say no, even to an idea you put forward.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a web consultancy and a communications agency?

The job is the same: advising an advertiser and running their campaigns. A web consultancy focuses on online channels, where almost everything can be measured, and on ensuring consistency between the website, SEO, advertising and social media.

Does an SME need a digital strategy?

Yes, and all the more so given its limited resources: it’s when you can’t do everything that you have to make choices. A digital strategy for an SME often fits into just a few pages.

Should you entrust your social media to an agency?

Advice, yes: choosing which platforms to use, the editorial line, and the posting frequency. Day-to-day management is often best handled by those who know the business from the inside.

How much does a consultancy assignment cost?

It depends on the scope of the project, ranging from a few days’ assessment to long-term support. An initial consultation helps to identify your needs.

AmaZili, a web consultancy since 2007

We work with SMEs to build their digital strategy, then help them implement it, either with our teams or theirs: find out more about our web consultancy services. For further information, see also our section on website creation and our blog post: how to tell if your website is well-designed.