What is a digital marketing agency?
A digital marketing agency is a business you hire to market your business online. Instead of hiring several specialists yourself, you work with one team. It plans the work, does it and reports back on what it brought in.
Most agencies offer some or all of these services:
- Web design: building or improving the website that all your other marketing points people to.
- Search engine optimisation (SEO): helping your pages show up when people search on Google. Our guide to SEO in digital marketing explains how it fits with the rest.
- Local search: getting your Google Business Profile and map listing ready for nearby customers.
- Paid ads: pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns on search engines and social media, where you pay when someone clicks.
- Social media: planning, writing and posting content, and replying to comments.
- Email marketing: newsletters and follow-up messages to people who have agreed to hear from you.
- Reporting: tracking calls, enquiries and sales so you can see what is working.
You do not need every service. The right mix depends on how your customers find businesses like yours today.
Full-service or specialist: which kind of agency do you need?
A full-service agency handles most channels under one roof. A specialist agency does one thing, such as search or paid ads, in depth. Small businesses often do best with one team that joins up the website, search and ads, because each part feeds the others.
- A full-service agency fits when you want one contact, one plan and one report across every channel.
- A specialist fits when one channel already brings most of your work and you want to push it further.
- Either way, ask who does the work. Some agencies use their own staff and some hire in freelancers.
What does a digital marketing agency not do?
An agency cannot fix a weak offer, answer your phone for you or promise the top spot on Google. It also should not own your accounts. Knowing the limits up front stops you paying for things no agency controls.
- It cannot promise rankings. Google's own guide, do you need an SEO?, warns against anyone who claims a special relationship with Google or promises the top result.
- It cannot turn slow replies into sales. If enquiries sit unanswered for days, more enquiries will not help.
- It should not hold your accounts. Your domain, website, Google Business Profile, ad accounts and visitor stats should stay in your name.
- It does not take the responsibility off you. The same Google guide reminds owners that they are responsible for the actions of any company they hire.
How do digital marketing agencies charge?
Most agencies charge in one of three ways. There is a monthly fee for ongoing work, a fixed price for a project such as a new website, or an hourly or day rate. Money spent on ads is usually paid on top, straight to the ad platform.
Whichever way an agency charges, check these points in the quote before you sign:
- What is included each month, written as tasks you can check, not only as hours.
- Whether the money for ads sits inside the fee or is paid on top.
- How long the minimum term is, and how you leave if it is not working.
- Who owns the website, the words and the photos if you part ways.
A clear quote is a good sign in itself. If you cannot tell what you are paying for, ask before you agree to anything.
Rather have it done for you? We build your website free, it goes live in days, and you pay nothing for the first 14 days. No card needed. See how the free 14-day trial works.
What should you ask a digital marketing agency before you hire one?
Ask for proof, a plan and plain answers about ownership. Google's guide suggests asking for examples of past work, what results to expect and over what time, and how success will be measured. Then add the questions below.
- Can you show me work for businesses like mine, and may I speak to one of those clients?
- What will you do in the first three months, and what will you need from me?
- Which numbers will you report, such as calls, enquiries or sales, and how often?
- Who will do the work, and who is my main contact?
- Will my website, domain and accounts stay in my name?
- How do you collect reviews and send marketing emails within UK rules?
- What happens to my website and content if I leave?
Listen to how they answer as much as to what they say. A good agency asks about your customers, your area and what makes your business different before it talks about tactics.
Which UK rules should a marketing agency follow for you?
An agency works in your name, so its marketing has to meet the same rules you do. Two areas catch small businesses most often: marketing emails and texts, and online reviews. Here is a short summary, not legal advice.
- Emails and texts: the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has guidance on electronic mail marketing. It explains that you can usually only email or text individuals who have specifically consented. There is a limited exception for your own previous customers, often called the soft opt-in.
- Reviews: the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has a short guide on publishing consumer reviews. It says businesses must not write fake reviews or commission others to write them.
If a campaign touches either area and you are unsure, speak to a qualified legal adviser before it goes live. A good agency will be happy to work within that advice.
When is it worth hiring a digital marketing agency?
It is worth it when your time is better spent running the business, and you want one team responsible for being found online. It is less worth it if you have no time to answer the enquiries it brings in.
Here is an illustrative example, not a real firm. A family-run kitchen fitter in Derby gets most of its work by word of mouth. The website is five years old, the Google Business Profile has few photos and nobody posts on social media. A sensible first three months might look like this:
- Month one: rebuild the main service pages, complete the Google Business Profile and set up enquiry tracking.
- Month two: write two guides that answer common customer questions, and start asking happy customers for reviews.
- Month three: test a small local search ad campaign and compare enquiries with month one.
The exact plan matters less than the thread running through it. Every step links to calls and enquiries the owner can count. If you would like to try a few steps yourself first, our small business marketing ideas are a good place to start.
Why does your website matter most when you hire an agency?
Nearly every ad, post and search result sends people to your website. If the site is slow, unclear or awkward on a phone, the visitor leaves and the money spent bringing them there is lost. That is why the website comes first.
At Buzzozo we start with the site itself. Our web design team builds a fast, mobile-friendly site designed for your business. Then our SEO service helps the right people find it, and our social media marketing gives them reasons to visit. Before any of that, we agree a search plan built around what your customers actually type.
If you would rather hand all of this to one team, that is what we do. Buzzozo is a UK digital marketing company. You can see every service we offer, and every published price, on our what Buzzozo does and what it costs page.
Our Website plan starts at £149 a month. It covers custom design, UK hosting, security and small changes on request, all looked after for you. You can compare what each plan includes on our plans and prices page. Want to see your new site before you decide? Start your free 14-day trial. No card needed.
Common questions
What does a digital marketing agency do day to day?
It plans campaigns, writes and designs content, updates your website, manages ads and social posts, and checks the numbers. Most of the work happens behind the scenes, with a regular report that shows you what changed and what it brought in.
Is a digital marketing agency worth it for a small business?
It can be, if the agency links its work to calls, enquiries or sales you can count, and you have time to answer the new leads. If enquiries already go unanswered, fix that first.
Can a digital marketing agency promise results?
No honest agency can promise a set ranking or number of sales, because search engines, ad platforms and buyers are outside its control. It can commit to the work, the reporting and clear targets it aims for.
How long does digital marketing take to work?
Paid ads can bring enquiries soon after they go live. Search and content work usually takes months to build, because new pages need time to be found and trusted. Ask any agency for a realistic timeline before you sign.