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How to Outsource Web Design (+ Why and When It Makes Sense)
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Published: Oct 8, 2024
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10 min. read
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Maria CarpenaEmerging Trends & Research Writer
- Maria is an experienced marketing professional in both B2C and B2B spaces. She’s earned certifications in inbound marketing, content marketing, Google Analytics, and PR. Her favorite topics include digital marketing, social media, and AI. When she’s not immersed in digital marketing and writing, she’s running, swimming, biking, or playing with her dogs.
Fun fact: 50% of consumers say that their impression of a business depends on the company’s web design.
If you don’t have the expertise to design your company website, you can outsource web design to either a freelancer or an agency. This comprehensive guide is meant to guide you with outsourcing website design:
- What is web design outsourcing?
- 5 considerations when outsourcing web design
- In-house vs. outsourced web design: When should you outsource web design?
- How much does it cost to outsource web design?
What is web design outsourcing?
Web design outsourcing involves hiring a freelancer or agency to do design tasks for your website. The requirements can range from redesigning your existing site and improving its user experience (UX) to creating a new design concept.
5 considerations when you outsource web design
Should you outsource web design or do it in-house? The answer to this question varies per business.
Some businesses will benefit from doing web design in-house, while it’s more practical for other companies to outsource this task to experts. Before tapping the help of web design agencies or freelancers, review your needs and these considerations:
1. Requirements
Start by defining your web design project’s scope.
Identify the number of pages you’ll publish. Then, determine the website features you’ll need, such as ecommerce functionality or point-of-sale system.
Having a list of requirements gets you on the right track of whether you must outsource or not.
2. Expertise
Does your in-house team have the expertise to design your website? If your team has never designed a website, you can outsource the task to trusted experts.
If your team has experience designing websites, consider doing it in-house. However, you must take into account other factors, including their workload and focus areas, bringing us to the next item you must consider.
3. Core business
Your marketing team has the skills and experience to design your website. However, before doing it in-house, think about your core business and your team’s focus areas.
If your in-house, experienced web designer is your team’s dedicated branding professional, they may lose their focus on their primary tasks. In such cases, it makes sense to outsource web design so your team member can focus on branding.
4. Budget
Next, consider the cost of outsourcing web design. Does your marketing budget allow for you to hire an agency or freelancer to design your website?
5. Timeline
Identify your deadline for your web design project. Remember that the more pages and features your website will have, the more time it may take for a freelancer or agency to accomplish it.
In-house vs. outsourced web design
Deciding whether you’ll outsource web design or hire an in-house web design team is a crucial decision to make. Here’s a summary of their advantages and disadvantages:
In-house Web Design | Outsourced Web Design | |
Brand familiarity | An in-house web design team is typically familiar with your business and offerings | An external contractor or agency may not be as familiar with your brand as an in-house team member |
Communication | Collaboration is easier with an in-house design team | Communication barriers such as time zone and language differences |
Support | Expect immediate support for urgent web design needs from your in-house team | Some agencies and freelancers can’t provide immediate support for urgent design needs |
Cost | Hiring an in-house web design team means you’ll spend on your team members’ salaries, benefits, and training | Outsourcing web design is more cost-efficient since you’ll only pay for the services you need |
Experience and skills | In-house web designers may not have the extensive experience, skills, and up-to-date training of agencies and freelancers | Freelancers and agencies have a broad experience in different industries. They also invest in upskilling to ensure they remain competitive. |
Scalability | Scaling up your efforts with an in-house team can be more challenging, as you need to hire and train new team members. | Agencies and freelancers are agile and can scale up and down their efforts depending on your needs |
In-house web design: pros and cons
Hiring internal team members for your website design and development has its share of pros and cons. Here are its benefits and drawbacks:
Pros
- Brand familiarity: In-house web design teams are typically familiar with your business, products or services, and even history.
- Communication: Your in-house web designer can easily collaborate with other team members, such as your sales, product development, and customer support.
- Support: You can expect immediate support for your web design needs because your in-house designer is dedicated to your business.
Cons
- Cost: Maintaining an in-house team of designers can be costly. Their payroll, benefits, equipment, and training are all charged to your business.
- Experience and skills: Your in-house web designer may know your brand inside and out, but their skills and experience may not be as extensive as those of a freelancer or agency.
- Scalability and flexibility: Scaling up your web design efforts with an in-house team may be challenging. You may need to hire new team members, which takes time.
Outsourced web design: Pros and cons
Hiring a freelancer or an agency for your website design needs enables you to focus on running your business. That’s not to say it’s the perfect solution for all businesses.
Analyze your needs and review the pros and cons of outsourcing website design:
Pros
- Cost: Outsourcing web design can be less costly for your business. You won’t have to spend on the designers’ equipment and upskilling.
- Fresh perspective: While outsourced website designers may not be as familiar with your business as your in-house team members, they can offer fresh perspectives. Provide them with a detailed brief of your web design project, and they can potentially bring new ideas for your marketing.
- Experience and skills: When you outsource web design to an agency, you get access to several experts and designers who have various skills and experiences in different industries. Even freelance website designers may have extensive experience since they typically come from agencies and have designed for various brands.
- Scalability: If you need to scale up your web design efforts because of market conditions or previously unforeseen circumstances, outsourcing offers you the flexibility to address new design projects. You won’t have to take time to hire and train new employees.
Cons
- Brand familiarity: Freelancers and agencies may not be as familiar with your brand as your in-house team.
- Potential communication barriers: You may face communication barriers with outsourced talent since they may be in a different time zone. They may even speak a different language.
- Less direct management: When you outsource your web design, you may have less control over the team working on your designs. You may also not be able to oversee their design processes.
- Support: While agencies and freelancers must provide you with excellent support, your in-house web designers can drop their other tasks and focus on your urgent needs.
How to outsource web design
If you opt to outsource website design, here are valuable tips to get you started:

8 tips for outsourcing web design
Let’s go through each step:
1. Identify your web design goals
Just like with any project, start by identifying your goals.
What are your web design goals? When do you intend to launch your newly redesigned website?
Answer these questions and clearly identify your requirements so that you have a clearer idea of what you need to look for.
2. Set a working budget
After identifying your needs, determine a budget range that fits your project. Having a budget helps you shortlist candidates.
Be realistic with your budget. If you want your website to have ecommerce functionalities and multiple page types, you may need a higher web design budget.
3. Determine whether you need a freelancer or agency
Once you’ve determined your goals and budget, you’ll have a better idea of whether you must hire a freelancer or an agency.
When to hire a freelancer
Hire a freelance web designer if you need a more affordable option or if your web design project only requires a few pages.
If you need some schedule flexibility, consider hiring a freelancer. Unlike an agency, which has employees working during office hours, freelancers are typically available to answer your questions beyond the typical business hours.
When to hire an agency
If your web design project involves several pages and features, and involves copywriting and other services, consider hiring a full-service digital marketing agency (like WebFX).
Got a tight deadline? An agency has processes in place that can manage tight deadlines and deliver your requirements on your agreed timeline.
4. Look for freelancers or agencies
Once you’ve identified whether a freelancer or agency is best for your needs, look for potential candidates.
Research online, and read reviews. Check their websites and their clients’ websites to see their work.
You can also get referrals from colleagues. Ask them about what it was like to work with these agencies to get their feedback and manage your expectations.
Once you’ve done your initial research, make a shortlist of your potential candidates based on their strengths and their published cost. We also have tips for how to find a website designer!
5. Ask your candidates for proposals
Invite your candidates to submit a proposal. Use a marketing request for proposal so that everyone has all the relevant information about your web design project.
An RFP also leads to better decision-making because you can easily compare the different freelancer and agency candidates.
6. Review the proposals
Once you’ve reviewed your candidates’ proposals, set up meetings or calls with them to discuss similar projects and ask questions. Use the opportunity to get to know the agency or freelancer better so you can gauge if they’re the right fit for your business.
7. Deliberate
Once you’ve reviewed their proposals and met with your candidates, deliberate internally on which among your web design freelancers or agencies is best for your business.
Keep your goals in mind as you choose the best web design freelancer or agency to work with. Then, once you’ve made your decision, inform your chosen freelancer or agency.
8. Finalize your contract agreement
Before signing an agreement and jumping into work together, review the contract thoroughly. Ensure the important details on the following are included:
- Deliverables
- Deadlines
- Revisions
- Costs
- Payment terms
- Ownership of web designs
Finalize the contract details before sealing the deal!
How much does it cost to outsource web design?
On average, web design services can cost anywhere from $501 to $5000 per year. Depending on the number of pages and features, expect to shell out up to $2000 to $15,000.
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Outsource your website’s design to experts
Your website’s design impacts how people view your business. If you’re looking to outsource website design to an agency, consider partnering with WebFX.
We’re a full-service digital marketing agency offering website design services. Our award-winning team of designers will ensure your website’s design suits your brand and attracts your target audience.
More important, we create web designs that generate revenue for your business. Contact us online or call us at 888-601-5359 to learn more about how we can help you grow your revenue!
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Maria is an experienced marketing professional in both B2C and B2B spaces. She’s earned certifications in inbound marketing, content marketing, Google Analytics, and PR. Her favorite topics include digital marketing, social media, and AI. When she’s not immersed in digital marketing and writing, she’s running, swimming, biking, or playing with her dogs.
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WebFX is a full-service marketing agency with 1,100+ client reviews and a 4.9-star rating on Clutch! Find out how our expert team and revenue-accelerating tech can drive results for you! Learn more
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Make estimating web design costs easy
Website design costs can be tricky to nail down. Get an instant estimate for a custom web design with our free website design cost calculator!
Try Our Free Web Design Cost Calculator