Site Management
Why Web Agencies Are Slow to Make Changes
"It's just changing one line of text, why does it take a week?" — Sound familiar?
"Slow" Is Common with Web Agencies
You request a minor website change, and the estimate comes back: "We can address this next week." Even when you say it's urgent, you get "We'll check and get back to you" — then days pass.
If you've ever worked with a web agency, you've probably experienced this at least once. Why does it take so long?
Structural Reasons for Slow Responses
Staff Handle Multiple Projects
Web agency staff typically juggle multiple projects simultaneously. Your 'quick fix' has to be squeezed in between larger projects.
Multiple Approval Layers
Sales → Director → Designer → Developer → QA → Delivery. Just passing through internal approval processes can take several days.
Original Staff May Be Gone
When time has passed since the initial build, the original team members may have left or moved. New staff have to understand the code from scratch.
Priority Without Maintenance Contracts
Without a maintenance contract, your request becomes a one-off job with lower priority. Clients with contracts naturally get prioritized.
Agencies Aren't Being Malicious
It's natural to feel frustrated by slow responses, but agencies have their own challenges.
With limited resources serving multiple clients, maintaining a structure for immediate response is difficult. Especially in smaller agencies, one person often wears many hats.
In other words, the structure itself makes 'immediate response' difficult.
How to Get Faster Responses
- Sign a maintenance contract for priority support
- Clearly communicate deadlines when making requests
- Document changes specifically with screenshots
- Maintain relationships through regular meetings
- Increase what you can update yourself (implement CMS, etc.)
The "Do It Yourself" Option
Requesting agency help for every minor change costs both time and money.
Another option is to create a system where you can make changes yourself. By implementing a CMS to increase what you can update, or rebuilding with a simpler structure, you can reduce dependency on agencies.
Reconsider How You Choose Agencies
When building or renewing your next website, we recommend prioritizing 'post-launch support structure' in your selection criteria.
Look beyond just the production cost — consider response speed for maintenance, ease of communication, and staff continuity. Choosing with long-term operations in mind will reduce future frustration with 'slow' responses.
Having Site Management Issues?
If you're frustrated with slow response times or want a system where you can update things yourself, feel free to contact us.