In the vast world of the Internet, there are almost unlimited possibilities to choose between agencies that develop websites. But let’s be more specific, because if you are here, you are considering a 3D website. And 3D is a growing niche with rapidly developing technologies that only a small number of professional agencies can handle.
Your responsibility to choose the right agency for your company is crucial to the success of your project. If you fail in this task and choose an agency that does not specialize in what you need, cannot respond to your needs and is not a good fit for you, then the project will most likely fail.
If you're reading this, it's hopefully before you start a project. Then now is the right time to ensure that this project will be successful.
Now we will go through a precise checklist that, if you follow step by step, will prepare you perfectly for your project.
1. Understand what your business needs
I highly recommend that you start by thinking carefully about what you plan to do here before you choose any agency. You want to do a web project, great. Let’s dive a little deeper.
What financial situation is your company in right now? Do you have enough capital left for your website project? Are there perhaps more useful investments you could be making right now? What are the reasons why you really want to start this web project? What goals do you hope to achieve with this project? Are these goals realistic and are you able to assess them?
You should be able to answer these and many other questions straight away. No agency can work miracles if you don't know exactly why and what your project is for. And no agency will take on the work of taking care of your business strategy. In fact, you can only benefit from this project if you can determine that now is the right time for this investment for your company.
A project like this doesn't normally start out of a whim - on the contrary! It should be an urgent problem that keeps you up at night and makes you think, we need a solution here - which comes in the form of this web project.
Maybe it's a core piece of a new marketing strategy or maybe important information can't be accessed and delivered well through your current web presence. Maybe the accessibility and appearance is far from how you want to position your brand, people start complaining and you realize you need to urgently work on a solution in order to be able to present your products in a higher quality and more immersive way.
All of these factors are important because they decide whether a 3D website is the solution and which agency you need. It might be that you need a marketing agency, not a design agency. Or you're totally on the right path and a creative agency with a focus on 3D is just what you need. You need to figure it out for yourself upfront!
Tip: If the budget for your website is $50-100k or more, always consider a 3D experience. There should be no downside to it. With this budget range you are in the premium segment and can afford a 3D website anyway. It wouldn't be worth skipping 3D if your budget allows it.
2. Get your knowledge skills in shape
You are best prepared to meet any agency if you already know a lot about 3D websites. I'm sure there are many great agencies out there that are willing to help you with their knowledge, but you shouldn't rely on that. This will only cost you only more time and important information could be withheld from you.
By reading this article, you are already on the right path. You need to find out what makes a 3D website different from others, the advantages and disadvantages, the 3 different types, areas of application, costs and important facts and pitfalls.
With this knowledge you will be well prepared for the following steps, so don't forget about doing this.
Tip: You can find extensive articles on all of these topics in our blog. Have a look around, we have linked articles across the page that tie in with this topic and will help you further.
3. Make a realistic assessment of your 3D website project
Now that you have the concentrated knowledge of 3D websites, you should be able to assess your project well and create a plan for yourself. Afterwards you can start looking for agencies.
You write down what type of experience you need to build. You might already have a certain idea or inspiration for your website and collect these in a document. Maybe there are certain details that are important and perhaps you have a concept of how the website experience works. So write it down. You decide whether it is a completely new project or redesign of an existing one. You understand your own bottlenecks and know how extensive the agency's support must be for your project to succeed. You should also know how to implement the website in your marketing strategy. So get to work. In the end you must be able to present all this to an agency when we get to it.
Your project can either be a collaboration in which you take on part and the agency completes the remaining tasks or it may be that you need to outsource all tasks, including the strategy. Relying completely on someone else allows them to do their job as its finest while you can sit back and focus on other areas of your business. But remember, it will require a more experienced agency and cost more.
By writing down all of these requirements, you begin to understand the project better yourself. You will be able to conclude how big your budget must be, what time frame you need for your project to implement it and how much complexity lies behind it.
If you realize that you need a much larger budget to implement your previous plan, you need to replan.
If you have assessed everything well, you will see which agencies are suitable for you and which not. In fact now you can exclude a lot of agencies on sight and focus on the niche that truly meets your requirements. Trust me, you don’t want to end up in the wrong segment with your search or fall for offers that are simply too good to be true. It will only cost you a lot of time, money and your nerves.
4. Browse for agencies in the 3D web space
Okay, then let's do some searching. To find agencies we can approach many different ways. Your own preferences can be decisive. Do you want to work with a large agency or with a small studio, can the agency be anywhere, or are you looking for a local contact? You can add more and more specifics here, but remember that you are narrowing your target audience dramatically. Be careful not to take away your best options!
The agencies in the 3D web space can either focus on the immersive side or more on the area of enhanced 3D experiences. This may not always be obvious. However, you can often get a quick overview of their portfolio of projects to see their focus.
Search on Google
In any case, let’s use Google. Throw in a few keywords around your project, add the word agency after them and let yourself be surprised. In our case this could be, for example, 3D websites, immersive experiences, threeJS, webGL or real-time 3D on the web.
Ideally, a list of well-known agencies for 3D websites will appear. You can now look at their websites and include them in your rough selection if the first impression is good.
Browse on X
The best creative agencies are active on social media. I can reveal that X.com in particular is a good place to go to get to know them better. If you already have an agency name, enter it there. X will introduce you to other similar agencies in the area in no time.
This way you can find different agencies and see what they are actively working on and currently discussing. You can also find out more about the people behind the respective agencies. Look on the agency's team page and then search for those guys on X.
Other social media sites such as YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram may also be relevant and you can get valuable information there. Take a look around.
Aks Chat GPT
ChatGPT has scoured the internet and knows pretty much all the companies out there. Start your search by telling ChatGPT what kind of 3D website project you have in mind and that you would like to look for suitable agencies in the space.
ChatGPT can spit out a whole list of agencies with simple prompts and give you more details about the companies' focus and work. It can also find and provide you with links to their websites and social media profiles.
Look for websites and agencies on Awwwards
Awwwards.com is the most famous platform on the Internet where websites are presented and professionally reviewed. The best agencies in every area are represented here. Look around there and search for keywords that match the 3D web. Awwwards will list the agencies and show you their featured projects. This is a perfect opportunity to look at their best portfolio projects and get an impression of them.
Read blogs to hear what others think
If you search the Internet for opinions and reviews, you will most likely come across blogs. Listen to companies' experiences with specific agencies and what they think about who the best agencies are in the area.
We have written other articles on this topic ourselves, for example take a look at “The 10 best creative agencies in the 3D web space”.
See if anyone can recommend a good agency
An honest opinion and experience from someone you know well can sometimes be worth its weight in gold. Take a look around and see if there is someone who has already developed a 3D website with an agency, can tell you about it and possibly make a recommendation.
Always get in touch with multiple agencies
Once you've shopped around, you should have a list of at least 5-10 names to rely on and you'll contact all of them. Remember, your decision to choose the right agency is the most important for the success of the project, so don't approach it half-heartedly.
5. Get in touch with the agencies on your list
The first contact will usually be via email. You can either leave your information on an agency's website so they can contact you or you can write them an email to their official address.
In any case, you should already include the most important information about your project once you contact them. Don’t waste any time and effort here. The best form for this is using a detailed project brief.
We have written a separate article on how to brief a project well. You will learn what every project brief must include and get a simple step-by-step instruction to get you started.
If you really need an NDA, request one or send your template and have it signed. No agency should have a problem with this if the NDA is fair.
6. Schedule meetings
Email is just a means to an end. You want to get to know the people behind the agency to whom you would like to hand over responsibility for your project. So after a short back and forth, suggest an appointment and plan a meeting.
Great! Let’s assume you're in the meeting and you might meet one or more people from the team. They introduce themselves, you introduce yourself and you start talking about the project. With an excellent briefing there shouldn't be much left and nothing needs to be explained to you since you already know a lot about 3D websites. And the time is not wasted either because the agency knew before the meeting whether they could help you or not - and signaled this. Your excellent project brief made it possible.
You now have the chance to delve deeper into the matter and talk about the process, circumstances and strategy of the project. In an initial meeting, the agency should ask you lots of detailed questions that deal with the details of your project and get to know you and your situation very well.
If an agency is constantly talking about what they can offer you and what the perfect solution is for you, then that's not a good sign. Your conversation should make up the majority and if your project is highly complex, then this understanding, strategy and planning phase can extend over several meetings.
Think of it a bit like a doctor's appointment. The doctor will ask you questions until he makes a clear diagnosis and can then prescribe a specific medication.
7. Ask all agencies the same important questions and draw your conclusions
Of course, your questions should not be neglected. Because you want to know everything about this agency.
- What does their process look like?
- What will it cost to work with you?
- What experience do you have with these projects?
- To what extent can they support me?
- What do they think about my project?
- How would they implement it and how much time and effort would it cost?
- What will communication look like?
- Can we monitor the process regularly?
- How can we make sure we can give our feedback?
etc.
Many important questions can arise here for each individual project. As a rule, your goal with your questions should be to find out whether you are dealing with a competent agency that would act in your best interest. If this is the case, such an agency will be willing to listen to you and help you where they see errors and opportunities in your plan and strategy. A good agency cares about the success of your project and wants to act as an excellent consultant for you. That is, if they see that your current plan has flaws, they will tell you openly and help you make it better. Or if there is a cheaper, better solution or they see that they’re not a good fit for your project, they will give their honest opinion.
So collect facts and data about the companies and, above all, look at their previous portfolio. This is what the agency has delivered so far. You have to assume that your project will fall into the same range of quality. Get a personal impression from the people you meet and rely on your feelings. If the people seem strange to you, you don't like them, or you feel uncomfortable, don't do business with them.
If strange things happen during the exchange phase, don't let that put you off. Slow response times or problems in communication are a reliable indication that things will not get better once the actual projects begin, even if someone claims otherwise. Overall, if you have any questions and concerns, be sure to ask them.
You can remember the following saying: Only do business with whom I know, like and trust. Remember this phrase and check whether you have reached this point before starting your project.
8. Get proposals from multiple agencies and compare them with each other
You exchanged ideas, spoke to agencies and worked your way down to a few agencies. Ultimately, from those who are left you request a detailed proposal.
Tip: Don't ask for a proposal from everyone and don't do it right away. Work your way forward slowly, ditching the bad options along the way. Then put a lot of time and effort into getting to know the agencies that are left. This saves you time and requires fewer agencies to put in the effort they need to put together a good proposal. An agency could also easily charge between $1-5k to create a proposal, depending on the project. It's not uncommon. If you rule out agencies after the process who are not able to get back immedeately with an elaborate proposal, you're surely taking away your best options. Understand that the best agencies don't have to fight for customers, they can choose them because they are desired.
This proposal should contain important information about the implementation of the project, the individual steps, costs, time periods and conditions for the project. No proposal is fixed; on the contrary, you can always discuss it with the agency and freely negotiate individual conditions and the price.
Discuss, negotiate and compare them, see the differences, similarities and whether one sounds fair or unrealistic if the assessments differ widely. Separate yourself from the proposals that are not an option for you and focus on one or two.
9. Make a decision and kickstart your project
Yes, I know the effort so far has been extensive and several weeks have passed. This is good because it means that you care about your project and make sure it is successful. You can pat yourself on the back because you've done most of your work so far.
You can make a decision based on your personal preferences. Is it the price, can one agency implement the project faster or do I simply trust the other to have more competence? Am I looking for a long-term partner or do I just want to have a small part implemented?
The agencies that have made it this far should be a great asset to work with. If you do your job well, you will find agencies that are fair, care about you, and will willingly act in your best interests. You should be looking forward to working together with them, so make your decision, you have all the information you need!
Good luck!
Summary
Finding the right agency presents you with a big task that will take you several weeks. Understand that your preparatory work and investment largely depend on the success of the project. If you misjudge your project, accept an offer that is too good to be true or you do not inform yourself and thus end up in a bad position where you can’t properly assess projects, you must take responsibility. So do better!
First make sure to decide what you really need, what your project is about and inform yourself about 3D websites, then you can start looking for options. Be careful when exchanging information, don't just compare facts but also rely on your book feeling from time to time. Be realistic with your budget and requirements. Nobody will sell you a Bugatti for the price of a Toyota.
Make sure you have enough options that you can compare to make a well funded choice. The best indicators for quality and performance are from an agency's previous projects. Take a look at them and think about whether you would be happy with a project of similar quality. A really good agency will want the best for you, even against its own interest, and will take its position alongside you as a loyal advisor.
If you’ve done everything right you’re left with a few proposals from really good agencies to choose from. Make a decision and get your project started finally. Be a fair customer to this agency and they will love working with you!
