Are you looking for your next project? Already know what you want? A fresh new Sanity CMS-powered website... Well in that case we've got you covered.
But, in all seriousness, how do you know what the right agency is for you? We go through some top tips to find out what you should be looking for, and some red flags to know if things are awry.
Define your project and budget
Clearly articulate the goals, scope, and budget for your project. This will help you narrow down potential agencies and ensure that you're considering options that fit your needs well.
If we were to write a brief, we would start with the most specialised and tricky subjects to try and get a handle on the budget. E.g if you know you want a multi-step authoring process, that's where a lot of time and money will be used - so write down the most important (and complicated) features to you.
If you want a quick ballpark estimate, most agencies will require approx £6k+ budget as a bare minimum. Some require far more, and the odd freelancer may be able to work with less than that. If you're looking at getting yourself out there on the web and don't really have that much of a budget, we've written an article with the price points & caveats here.
If you're not sure what your needs are or what's new in the latest version of Sanity, we have a helpful primer available here. If you just want to play around with a feature-rich Sanity environment we also have a demo available here - get in touch for access.
Research potential agencies
Look for agencies that have experience in your industry and a track record of delivering successful projects. You can use search engines, online directories, and industry associations to find potential options.
There are a few important things to remember (we must stress this is in our opinion)
- Always opt for specialists instead of Jack of all trade agencies, as they typically output better work, and because they're only working with a few technologies, they will know more about the limitations.
- Be careful of agencies that are trying to push a specific technology because of the kickback they might get. Some agencies push a specific technology not because they believe in it but because they get a £££ "signing on" fee for upselling you expensive tech; they don't believe in themselves. Needless to say, Roboto uses the same tech we implement for clients.
- Check they're up to date with the latest technologies. Throw a curveball. If you want a real doozie to ask, ask: "I've heard about React Server Components; what impact does that have on building JAMstack websites?" - that'll stump most people and also give you a good understanding as to whether the agency can give a laymen's understanding of more complex functionality.
Look for agency culture fit
This is arguably the most overlooked and one of the single most important factors in working with an agency. Choose somebody you like because you're probably going to be spending the next two months+ communicating with them.
It's also worth mentioning that you want to ensure the person you are talking to, will be the project manager or a point of contact on the project.
Evaluate their technical skills
Look for agencies with a strong technical team with experience in the technologies and frameworks relevant to your project. This will ensure they have the skills and expertise to deliver a high-quality product.
As mentioned earlier, don't pick generic technology agencies - choose the one that you're most interested in. E.g. don't get a WordPress agency to build you a Headless Next.js website.
If you're looking at assessing technical skills, always ask for a real-time preview.
They're hard to build well, so it's a good benchmark for development skills
Communication
Communication is a huge part of success when picking an agency, so ask about how you will communicate with the project manager or developers. Is it through Slack? Or do you operate with email? How often will we have catchup meetings?
Preview environments are extremely useful - it may not strictly be communications, but seeing your website grow and having a feedback loop is essential to a high-quality product.
Negotiate budget
We always recommend being upfront with your budget for a web build, and it's a very simple reason why. An agency can give you a ballpark estimate of what you can build with a simple figure.
What's more important is what is and isn't possible. For example if somebody approached us with 40 unique pages, they need building with a strict set of components for each - we wouldn't be able to achieve that with a £10k budget... However, if the designs are fairly homogenous and only the data is being changed, that's far easier with something like a page builder.
By being transparent about the budget, an agency would be able to advise the best method of getting to the results that you want, even if it may be in a way that you hadn't initially thought of.
Check their portfolio
Look at the agency's portfolio to see examples of their work and get a sense of their design style and technical capabilities. We are conflicted a little bit about this, because we have a lot of NDA's ourselves and would love to share some of the more complex projects, but it can be tricky.
That being said, there should be some internal tools present or something they can point to to say, "Look what we can do".
- Consider their process and communication: Choose an agency that has a well-defined project process and good communication practices. This will help ensure that your project stays on track and that you're informed about progress and any issues that arise.
- Get references: Ask the agency for references from past clients and follow up with them to get a sense of what it's like to work with the agency.
- Negotiate the contract: Once you've found an agency that seems like a good fit, negotiate the terms of the contract, including the budget, timeline, and any other details that are important to your project.
References
References are a great benchmark for understanding the pro's and con's of an agency. They provide insight into the quality of work and level of customer satisfaction that can be expected from the agency. A development agency with a strong track record of positive references is likely to be more reliable and trustworthy than one without any, or with mostly negative, references.
Additionally, speaking with previous clients can help gauge the agency's communication and project management skills and their ability to deliver on time and within budget.
Shameless self-promotion
If you're looking for a Sanity agency, we are always interested in hearing about your spec and what you would like to achieve. Let us know if you want us to give you some pointers and an honest take on what makes a great Sanity project.
