For more than 20 years, I’ve worked in web design and digital strategy—much of that time with a national company serving large clients at scale. Today, I work as a freelance web designer, helping businesses build websites that are fast, search-friendly, and built to last.
Having seen both worlds from the inside, I get asked this question a lot:
“Should I hire a big agency, or work with a freelance web designer?”
The honest answer is: it depends.
But the differences might not be what you expect.
Here’s what 20+ years on both sides has taught me.
What Big Agencies Do Very Well
Big agencies exist for a reason—and in the right situation, they can be a great fit.
1. Process and structure
Agencies are built around systems. There are processes for everything: discovery, design, development, QA, launch. For large organizations with complex needs, this structure matters.
2. Multiple specialists
At an agency, you’ll often have:
- A designer
- A developer
- An SEO specialist
- A project manager
For enterprise-level projects, this division of labour can make sense.
3. Experience with scale
National agencies are used to working with big brands, strict guidelines, and long approval chains. If your business operates at that level, an agency may feel familiar.
Where Big Agencies Often Fall Short for Smaller Businesses
This is the part most clients don’t see until they’re already in the process.
1. You’re rarely working with “the expert”
The person who sold you the project is usually not the person building your site. Work is often handed down to junior staff or rotated between teams.
That doesn’t mean bad work—but it does mean less consistency and less context.
2. SEO is often siloed
In many agencies, SEO is something that happens after the site is designed—or worse, as an add-on.
After decades of watching sites succeed and fail, I can tell you this clearly:
SEO works best when it’s built into the structure of the site from day one.
When design, content, and SEO are handled by different teams, things get missed.
3. Smaller clients get less flexibility
Agencies are optimised for efficiency. That often means:
- Rigid scopes
- Change requests that cost extra
- Limited room for nuance
For small and mid-sized businesses, this can feel frustrating fast.
What Experienced Freelance Web Designers Do Better
Not all freelancers are equal—but experience changes everything.
1. You work directly with the person doing the work
When you hire an experienced freelance web designer, you’re talking directly to the person:
- Designing your site
- Building it
- Optimising it for search
- There’s no translation layer. No lost details.
2. SEO and design happen together
After years in the industry—and countless Google updates—one thing has stayed consistent:
Websites that rank well are designed with intention, not decoration.
As a freelancer with deep SEO experience, I build:
- Clean site architecture
- Search-friendly page layouts
- Content structures that support rankings long-term
- Not tricks. Not shortcuts. Foundations.
3. Strategy matters more than size
Big agencies sell capacity.
Experienced freelancers sell judgment.
Knowing what not to build, what to simplify, and what actually moves the needle comes from time—not tools.
That’s where long experience makes a difference.
Why I Chose to Go Freelance After a National Career
After years in a large organisation, I realised something:
Many businesses don’t need more meetings, more layers, or more buzzwords.
They need:
- A site that loads fast
- A structure Google understands
- Clear messaging that converts
Freelancing allows me to bring big-company thinking to businesses that want results without the overhead.
So… Freelancer or Agency?
Here’s the simplest way to think about it:
A big agency may be right if:
You’re a large organisation with complex internal needs.
You require multiple teams and strict governance.
An experienced freelance web designer may be right if:
You want direct access to expertise.
SEO and performance matter long-term.
You value clarity, flexibility, and accountability.
Wrapping Up
After 20+ years in this industry, I’ve learned that the best websites aren’t built by the biggest teams—they’re built by people who understand why things work.
If you’re looking for a website that’s designed to rank, perform, and grow with your business—not just look good on launch—I’m happy to talk.
