Agency websites – and studios, firms, collectives, et al for that matter – usually are exemplary of beautiful design in practice. Layout, motion and animation, and gorgeous photography dance with creative use of typography, all on a site that pulls you into to view more and more. Suffice to say, agency websites are absolutely top notch and worth the visual indulgence…should you find them.
And “find” is the operative word.
For all of their beauty and splendor, agency websites are notoriously garbage when it comes to the function side of the form follows function equation. Where they shine with beauty, they rot with usability, findability, and various other benchmarks that should be in practice if the intent is for the website to be a tool and not just a gallery wall.
The prevailing thinking is that websites built optimized for search, for instance, just simply aren’t as pretty. Copy headlines have to change to include search terms, content on the pages has to be increased impeding on precious space for imagery. The list goes on.
While that thinking isn’t exactly wrong in the way of the changes that have to be made, the root cause of the thinking is way off base. The thinking that the agency website isn’t a sales tool.
I remember back in 2005 (yikes!), i prominent Manhattan-based agency owner told me, “you’ll never get a significant client from search or from an agency websites so it’s not worth the time.” It couldn’t have been more incorrect in his thinking. Fast forward 15 years later, I was selling my highly profitable and successful agency to another because I had built it up using mainly search engine optimization and thought leadership efforts.
Yeah, it’s that powerful.
It stands to reason that agency websites should be a business development tool. Otherwise, why put the photos out there in the first place? If no one is coming to the site, then it’s a complete waste of time. Since I’m sure you’ll agree, the next logical step is to treat the site with the power it can have. The power to move your creative agency ahead with a steady flow of new business leads.
That’s not to say you have to sacrifice form for the function. Instead, it’s about finding a balance between the two. Beautiful form realizes its penultimate form when it’s supported by a website that’s fast, easy to navigate and highly findable in search engines and on social.
For creative agencies, search engine optimization should be a top priority alongside a healthy social media and email marketing effort. Finding the balance between the beauty and the functionality is the hallmark of a fantastic agency. After all, it’s what we encourage our clients to do. Why not do the same?
