Alyssa Young Imagine if, as a business owner, you bought a fleet of vehicles for your employees to drive, but the dealership where you purchased them didn’t give you the keys. Imagine that you couldn’t control the lights or thermostat in your own office space. What if you shelled out a significant investment to buy tools or materials, but your supplier took them all away because you decided to purchase additional materials elsewhere?
It sounds absurd and unfair, yet a similar injustice happens every day when agencies build websites for companies that the companies don’t own. If a company wants to cut ties with the agency, the website is treated like collateral. There’s a fundamental difference when you hire NJ web design agency KickCharge Creative—you own everything we create on your behalf.
KickCharge clients purchase our creative services for all types of assets, from branding to brochures and from content to coding. When the projects are finalized, the files are yours to do with as you please. You own them.
For example, when we create a brand for your business, you own full rights to the logo and receive all of the files required to implement it: color and black-and-white versions, a full range of standard formats, plus guidelines dictating brand standards to ensure consistent application. Although we’d be happy to design everything for you, you aren’t forced to come to us each time you need your logo on something. You have it for your own use or to provide to another vendor or printer.
Similarly, when we do the copywriting for your website, you own the content. If you build a new website, those words are still yours. Your web design and content management system belong to you, too. But that doesn’t mean you are likely to cut ties with KickCharge after your project is complete.
On the contrary, most of our clients stay connected so that we can continue to support their websites and other marketing needs. Many retain our digital marketing services to build online visibility and traffic for their shiny new site. These campaigns keep your website up-to-date and in the search engines’ good graces so the asset in which you’ve invested works as an effective lead generator. Some hire us for email marketing or social media management to help with customer retention. Plus, our team can produce ad layout and design, print collateral and more. See our Rebrand Roadmap for a helpful, prioritized checklist.
Sometimes, when a company cuts ties with its digital marketing agency, the company learns it owns nothing and it will cost thousands of dollars to keep the website, or the agency will take it down. At KickCharge, we don’t believe that’s how a partnership should work.
Many companies own their websites but cannot access them or the tools that ensure their operation. This hamstrings them from making improvements, such as updating the content, and presents challenges when seeking a third-party assessment of online health.
KickCharge not only provides clients with direct access to these platforms, but we also train you so that you’re equipped to maintain your website on your own, if you choose.
Ensure you have administrative access to the following tools and accounts associated with your website:
Securing the locations and credentials of these accounts in advance will ensure a smooth transition if you decide to change vendors in the future.
If you’re considering overhauling your web presence, look beyond agencies’ price tags. Examine the terms to ensure you’re buying your new website, not leasing it.
The KickCharge Creative team would be happy to answer your questions about the nuts and bolts of building a new website. Contact us today online or call 908.835.9000.
