How to Switch to a New Web Design Agency Safely
It rarely matters who you end things with. Parting ways with someone, whether it’s your significant other or your boss, can be awkward and emotional. All breakups have one thing in common: they occurred after a period of positive experiences. Your web design agency and you may have had a successful business relationship, but everything can change.
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When it comes to breaking up with your website design agency, things can get a little complicated.
For starters, if things go bad, you may lose your website and its content. Furthermore, if you are not careful, your website design agency may make the sunsetting process more difficult.
Anyone can terminate an agency’s services. Only marketing executives with a sense of style and caution can pull this off. We’ll show you how to do that and more in this article.
So, continue reading before switching to a new website design agency!
Establish Your “Why”
We would never advise staying in a relationship that is already exhausting. There are clear indications that your website design agency’s services should be terminated.
It is sometimes necessary to take a step back, breathe, and assess the relationship. More specifically, consider why you want to part ways with your web design firm.
A few hiccups here and there may not be sufficient reasons to call it quits. These reasons, on the other hand, could be true.
1. The Organization Is Stuck in the Stone Age
Since the 1990s, building a new site has come a long way. Even several CMS platforms from the early 2000s appear archaic in comparison to today’s no-code offerings.
Has your organization been using the same platform for decades, or even half a century? Then, there’s a chance that your website will miss out on innovations that will help you build your online presence.
In reality, site development and design innovations are springing up everywhere. An agency worth it’s salt should seize the opportunity to incorporate any useful innovations.
The ability to adapt to change is the limiting factor for most agencies. If changing or improving platforms is too difficult for an agency, it may consider your interests secondary.
The continued use of outdated platforms, while fractionally effective, may indicate that it’s time to shake things up. And we don’t mean the platform, but rather your web design firm.
2. It seems that they have too much on their plate
Yes, it is possible that your web agency will deceive you.
A web agency with a large number of clients isn’t always something to be admired. In fact, this could be bad news for your website.
Prioritization can be difficult for the company in such cases. You can stick with your web agency if you’ve noticed that it’s upholding its end of the bargain.
On the other hand, if you’ve discovered that the agency has taken on numerous other projects at the same time, resulting in a drop in quality, it’s time to move on.
Once again, proper prioritization and management are essential. This brings us to the next red flag before switching web design firms.
3. Ineffective Project Management
Web design firms handle projects in a collaborative manner.
For example, one person handles client communication (that means you). Other people are in charge of web development (all that good technical stuff).
In addition, certain people are in charge of your site’s layout and other on-page elements such as SEO.
You get the idea. Everyone in a web design agency, from a single developer to a single designer, plays an important role that (hopefully) results in a quality website.
Have you noticed that your website falls short of your expectations? It’s a sign that whoever is in charge isn’t in charge of your project.
Also, poor communication is a sign that your account or project isn’t getting enough bandwidth, and you want to make sure you’re getting all of the tools your website provider has to offer!
4. “Changing of the Guard”
If you’ve been with your web agency for a while, you’ll be familiar with how it works. Your familiarity with the agency will have resulted in connections. Furthermore, established business relationships can help your web design projects be completed with ease and quality.
But what happens if management changes? To be sure, changes can be beneficial. Regardless, firms that undergo management changes frequently go through transition periods.
Now, transition periods aren’t always bad. However, can you really expect the same company to produce the same results during this time period?
As a site owner, you’re better off assuming it won’t. Neither will your relationship be completely consistent with what you’ve come to expect.
In short, while a change in management is neither good nor bad in and of itself, it may indicate that you need to switch agencies.
Bringing Your Concerns to Your Agency
Even if things aren’t going well with your web agency, cutting ties abruptly is not a good idea. However, before parting ways with your web agency, it may be worthwhile to discuss your concerns.
Patching things up — whether it’s your relationship or your website — beats the hassle of switching agencies.
If you’ve noticed any of the red flags mentioned earlier, this is the time to bring them up.
If your web agency is serious about improving, it will listen to your concerns. Furthermore, the agency will take your feedback seriously, using it to improve all aspects of your site’s construction.
Give your agency 72 hours for results. Of course, you can set a time with your agency and check for changes at that time.
If, on the other hand, no effort is made to improve your site as agreed, it may be time to start the agency switching process.
Preparing for the End of Your Relationship With Your Web Design Company
So you’ve made the decision to change web design firms. Here are some methods for switching web design agencies without the hassles and risks that come with sudden changes.
We start with something you may have already considered, whether with a new agency or in dating:
1. Begin Looking for a New Partner
Before switching agencies, make sure you have options once the sunsetting process is complete. As a result, once you’ve terminated your contract with your provider, you should have a list of web design agencies to choose from.
The review process is the most difficult aspect of looking for new agencies. By reviewing, we mean determining early on whether the agency will be a good fit for your goals and the objectives of your site.
2. Gain Access to All Digital Assets
Your digital properties are the things that allow you to access your website. Any web agency worth it’s salt should provide you with these without hesitation. After all, this is your website.
You must have access to at least:
- The web hosting service for your website
- Domain name registration
- The CMS platform on which your website was built (e.g., WordPress, Wix, Canva, Joomla, Drupal)
- Plugins or extensions that necessitate sign-in information (e.g., Divi if the site was built using WordPress)
- FTP
- Links to social media or associated accounts
- Addresses via email
- Google Adwords access SEO tools or extensions for Google Analytics and Google Search Console, such as Yoast or SEMRush
- Having all of these will allow you to proceed to the next step:
3. Create backups
You can begin making backups using your access to your site’s front and back ends. Of course, you can do it yourself. If you’ve already found a web design firm, you can give them permission to create site backups.
Having “The Conversation”
Preparing to change agencies is an important step. But this is only the first step.
Nobody enjoys being ghosted. So, if you want to handle the sunsetting process gracefully and professionally, you’ll need to have “the talk” with your web design agency.
Try to break up with someone who was once your better half in person. Of course, if quarantine restrictions are still in effect as you read this, you can do so via video call.
You should explain why you’re terminating their services before concluding with a handshake and best wishes.
Choosing a Transition Date
This step is required to ensure proper handover. Setting a specific date for the transition will allow your old team to ramp down and the new team to ramp up.
Final Thoughts
Parting ways with your web design agency is akin to a breakup in more ways than one — it’s never easy. It is fraught with uncertainty. And feelings will undoubtedly be hurt.
You will make life easier for yourself and your web design agency by managing the severing of ties. If you do so with the utmost decency and professionalism, you can avoid risks and losses to your website.
Are you ready to change web design firms? Kreationsites has your back!
Kreationsites has the services to be the right match for you, whether you want your website rebuilt or done from scratch.
Browse our web design checklist to see if your site could use a makeover!