19 web design agencies in comparison

The market of web design agencies is broad. You will find large and small players, specialists and all-rounders. If you are looking for a partner for your web project, you should first think about which criteria are particularly important for the selection of an agency tailored to the task at hand. Our market overview of web design agencies offers good orientation. We have compared 19 agencies on the basis of over 150 criteria. As always, a summary of the comparison is available for download.

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Web design agencies as strong partners

Even if the Germans are certainly not the pioneers in terms of digitalization – more and more companies are generating sales online or at least have an active presence on the Internet. Static pages are becoming fewer. Interactivity, dialog with target groups and an optimal user experience are the order of the day. Today, more than ever, web projects are influenced by the requirements and ambitions of many different departments within a company. Whether it’s sales, HR or customer service, they all want to make the best possible use of the company’s presence on the web. In addition, customer requirements have increased significantly in terms of dialog and information formats. Anyone who wants to reconcile all this needs a partner who can actively support them.

Web design agencies are such partners. The support they provide can be as varied as the projects they are involved in. Whether as a workbench that cushions capacity bottlenecks to a completely outsourced department that is responsible for the web presence – most agencies are very flexible and fit exactly into the setup of their customers. What they bring to the table, however, is more than just manpower. They bring creative impetus, an outside perspective on the client’s technical ecosystem, cross-mandate experience, and staying on top of the latest technical developments. They can also be the external sparring partner for the internal IT department. But of course, there are differences. Anyone looking for a suitable web design agency often finds it difficult – aside from personal recommendations – to choose the best partner from the very wide range on offer.

19 web design agencies in comparison

For our market overview, we have defined over 150 criteria that help in the selection of a web design agency. Based on these criteria, we compared 19 very different agencies. The requirements for an agency vary depending on the task. Accordingly, there can be no “test winner” in our market overview. Rather, we want to help you gain an overview and make a preliminary selection for your individual task. We have included the following agencies in our market overview:

• 42medien
• brandung GmbH & Co. KG
• CREATIVCLICKS
• DMK E-BUSINESS GmbH
• Take off on the Internet
• formwandler interactive
• gradwerk GmbH
• Graphix Düsseldorf GmbH
• LeFox.de
• M3-COMMUNICATION
• MXP GmbH
• pixelpublic GmbH
• SEO-Kitchen Internet Marketing GmbH & Co. KG
• studio1
• Unic
• VERDURE
• Agency vierzehn02
• Webcellent GmbH
• Webedia Brand Services

154 criteria in 9 categories

During the conception of the market overview, we designed a question catalog that, from our point of view, presents the most important criteria for decision-makers when selecting an agency. The result is 154 criteria, which we have divided into 8 different categories. The different categories present the various agencies in detail, examine the diverse expertise, existing services and show legally relevant criteria and pricing models. The bulk of all information here is based on self-reporting by the web design agencies.

• General information: How many employees work permanently for the agency, how many as freelancers? How many customers does the agency have and how high was the turnover last year? In addition, we asked the agencies about their differentiating factor and about their industry focus.
• Service offering of the agencies: The core of the matter. Here, everything revolves around what the agencies offer and in which disciplines they can help their clients.
• Software setup of the agencies: When working with agencies, it is not only important that you “speak the same language” professionally and personally, but also technically. In other words, whether you use the same software tools and programs. Therefore, we asked the agencies about their software setup.
• Experience with content management systems: As a selection criterion for a suitable partner, experience with different CMS is very important. We asked the agencies about their experience with both open source and enterprise CMS.
• SEO competence: Already during the conception of the page structure, but at the latest during the creation of content, search engine optimization content is essential. What Seo competencies do the agencies have in the bag?
• Legal criteria: A classic that is not missing from any of our market overviews: Where are there, for example, DSGVO-relevant places and how do the agencies act?
• Additional services of the agencies: Your project starts with the decision for an agency partner. For the cooperation, it is important to question which service levels the agencies offer.
• Price approach: However, an important part of the decision-making process is also budget planning. Which agency equally fits both your ambitions and requirements as well as the financial framework you are willing to invest.

The agencies in comparison

42media

The agency from Weinheim an der Bergstraße employs three permanent and five freelance staff. More than 120 customers rely on the support of the agency, which achieved a turnover of EUR 222,000 last year.

USP (according to its own statement): “Over 25 years of experience in online business. Fast and flexible.”

References 42medien

brandung GmbH & Co. KG

The Cologne-based agency brandung turned over EUR 10.5 million in 2019. This was made possible with the 150 permanent and ten freelance employees and, of course, the 70 clients the agency serves.

USP (according to its own statement): “Creativity meets tech meets full service: from strategic consulting to concept and design to complete technical development and maintenance, we develop holistic, digital solutions with maximum user experience.”

CREATIVCLICKS

creativ clicks GmbH is based in Chemnitz. 14 permanent and 5 freelance employees together ensured 900,000 EUR turnover, which the agency achieved with 120 customers.

USP (according to its own statement): “Our agency portfolio includes strategic consulting as well as creative-innovative implementation of the developed digital communication measures. We develop strategy together with you, specify the objective and realize. Starting with the architecture and UX design to the final digital product.”

DMK E-BUSINESS GmbH

The DMK E-BUSINESS agency is also based in Chemnitz. With 45 customers, the company generated EUR 2.2 million in 2019. DMK E-BUSINESS employs 35 permanent and 19 freelance staff.

USP (according to its own statement): “Focus on open source development in the area of CMS, CRM + commerce, Agile project implementation, Extensive digitization consulting.”

Take off on the Internet | Take off on the Internet

Behind the brand “Durchstarten im Internet | Take off on the Internet” stands Christina Williger and Mirko Hannig – Durchstarten im Internet GbR. The agency supports in the emphasis small enterprises and Statups and has its seat in Alsbach Hähnlein.

USP (according to its own statement): “We always start with the definition of a clear (online) marketing strategy and a marketing roadmap to achieve optimal results later on. All measures are based on concrete result targets. We offer numerous added values, e.g. in the form of cooperation for legal services or support in purchasing, as well as through advantageous offers from partners.”

formwandler interactive

Molchkragen Media GmbH is the company behind formwandler interactive. It is based in Frankfurt am Main and employs four permanent and 10 freelance staff. The agency has 75 clients.

USP (according to its own statement): “Full service in communication for customers: Starting with logo, business stationery and website, we accompany our clients on the path to professional presentation and automated customer acquisition.”

gradwerk GmbH

With five permanent and three freelance employees, the agency gradwerk from Lübeck serves its approximately 500 customers. As a result, it achieved a turnover of EUR 600,000 in 2019.

USP (according to its own statement): “gradwerk has already been the digital agency for around two decades when it comes to creative concepts, excellent design and sustainable software development. Unique is the combination of creative performance and unique marketing software.”

References gradwerk

Graphix Düsseldorf GmbH

The Grafix Düsseldorf agency employs ten permanent and five freelance staff. Grafix Düsseldorf can count 25 companies among its customer base.

USP (according to its own statement): “A full service agency, everything from one source. Our agency combines the services of a classic agency with those of an online and social media agency, including video and moving image services.”

References Grafix Düsseldorf

LeFox.de

The agency LeFox Webdesign & SEO is located in Dortmund. With seven permanent employees, the company serves its 170 customers.

USP (according to its own statement): “We not only create websites according to customer specifications , but also think about how the website will be a complete success already during the development.”

References LeFox.de

M3-COMMUNICATION

The agency M3-COMMUNICATION is located in Fulda. Six permanent employees and one freelancer look after the company’s 70 customers.

USP (according to its own statement): “In M3 you have a partner who can support you holistically as a full-service agency as well as selectively with specialist expertise. Our focus is, according to our guiding principle, on “corporate communication for the outside and for the inside”. Our customers appreciate fast response times, good planning, transparent cost structures as well as a view beyond the end of their nose.”

References M3-COMMUNICATION

MXP GmbH

MXP GmbH has its agency headquarters in Stadtbergen. 30 employees, 26 of them permanent and 4 freelancers, serve the company’s approximately 400 customers. In 2019, MXP generated sales of EUR 2.1 million.

USP (according to its own statement): “More than digital: we take a holistic view of digitization projects, especially with regard to strategy and processes that are interlinked with web projects.”

References MXP GmbH:

pixelpublic GmbH

pixelpublic GmbH works at its headquarters in Baden.Baden with a team of eleven permanent employees. 900 companies belong to the customer base and in 2019 a turnover of 900,000 EUR was realized.

USP (according to its own statement): “pixelpublic combines the services of a classic advertising agency with the competencies of a digital agency.”

SEO Kitchen Internet Marketing GmbH & Co. KG

The agency SEO-Küche Internet Marketing is located in Kolbermoor. It employs 100 people and has a customer base of 1,500 companies.

USP (according to its own statement): “Every support runs with us as individually as our customers are. We adapt to each of our customers in order to meet their needs and wishes. We are also happy to provide you with holistic online marketing support and make your website even more palatable for Google and your target group. Web design and online marketing holistically to your taste.”

References Seo-Kitchen

Studio1®

Studio1® Kommunikation GmbH has its headquarters in Heilbad Heiligenstadt and another location in Berlin. The agency employs 40 permanent staff and three freelancers. Studio1’s customer base includes approximately 900 clients. The company was able to achieve a turnover of EUR 3.0 million in 2019.

USP (according to its own statement): “As a full-service agency, we have been accompanying companies on their way to the digital transformation of their business and communication processes for almost 30 years, ensuring distinctive presences – both online and offline. From web design to video to data modeling and custom programming – we make communication multimedia, digital and future-proof.”

References Studio1

Unic

The agency has offices in Munich and Karlsruhe in Germany. With 250 permanent employees and around 20 freelancers, the company achieved sales of 37 million euros in 2019.

USP (according to its own statement): “We make digital human! We are convinced: only when technology and user needs merge, useful solutions for companies and users are created.Expectations for digital touchpoints are high – we realize digital projects with you that pick up users, understand them and accompany them on their journey.”

VERDURE

VERDURE Medienteam GmbH employs 33 permanent and 7 freelance staff. 60 companies are part of the customer base and a turnover of EUR 2.6 million was generated with them in 2019. The agency is based in Stuttgart.

USP (according to its own statement): “Digital needs heart. We are the digital agency at the human touchpoint for holistic solutions that are simply a joy to use.”

Agency vierzehn02

The agency vierzehn02 is based in Munich and serves 16 clients.

References Agency vierzehn02

Webcellent GmbH

Webcellent GmbH is an agency based in Paderborn, Germany. The team consists of 15 permanent employees and has achieved a turnover of 990,000 EUIR with the customer base of 300 companies e2019.

USP (according to its own statement): “We accompany our customers into the digital world and help them achieve a decisive competitive advantage and predictable success. With over 15 years of experience in online marketing, IT and e-commerce, as well as managing multi-million euro marketing budgets, we have helped many clients from a wide range of industries measurably increase sales, customers, employees and image.”

References Webcellent

Webedia Brand Services

Berlin-based Webedia Deutschland GmbH employs 250 permanent and 50 freelance employees who take care of the agency’s approximately 50 clients. Turnover in 2019 amounted to EUR 15.0 million.

USP (according to its own statement): “Insights. Content. Data. Everything from a single source. We make content marketing performant.”