Why It’s Disingenuous for Web Design Firms to Say They “Include Digital Marketing”
Speak to someone offering any web design and you’ll likely hear a pitch something like this:
“We design websites that are SEO optimized.”
Sounds great. Until you realize that what they actually mean is:
“We’ll install Yoast, pick a few keywords, and put your Instagram handle in the footer.”
It’s not just misleading — it’s disingenuous. And here’s why.
Digital Marketing Isn’t a Deliverable—It’s a Discipline
You can’t “package” digital marketing as a line item on a web design quote like it’s stock photography or font licensing. Real digital marketing is an ongoing process rooted in analysis, iteration, and user behavior. It includes:
- Search engine optimization that (may or may not) adapts to algorithm change.
- Create or advise on ongoing content creation strategies and distribution.
- Link building, not just meta descriptions.
- Strategic traffic generation, not just installing Google Analytics.
Saying you “include digital marketing” inside a one-time design project is like saying a treadmill includes fitness. It doesn’t work unless someone keeps getting on the darn thing.
SEO Is Not a Checkbox. It’s a Long Game.
A lot of web design firms will proudly proclaim: “This site is SEO-friendly.”
But real SEO isn’t a friendly checkbox. It’s a grind.
- It’s tracking performance over time.
- It’s responding to what users are searching for this month, not last year.
- It’s evolving your site structure as your business changes.
- It’s fixing broken links, building authority, and staying relevant.
If your web design firm slaps on a few meta tags and calls it a day, you haven’t done SEO—you’ve just made a pretty brochure with keywords no one will ever find.
Digital Marketing Requires Strategy—Not Just Style
Most web designers are visual thinkers. That’s their strength. But digital marketing lives in a different world: data, targeting, engagement, conversions, algorithms and strategy.
A website that converts requires:
- Audience research
- Strategic messaging
- Clear calls to action
- Technical search engine optimization
- Analytics and testing
It’s not about how it looks. It’s about how it performs. And unless your design firm has a dedicated digital marketing strategist—and not just someone who once took a HubSpot course—it’s not marketing. It’s makeup.
Final Thought: Stop Blurring the Lines
Design is important. But design is not strategy. And marketing is not a checkbox.
If a web design firm says their price includes digital marketing, ask what that really means. Then ask how they’ll support you 3 months after launch. If they don’t have a real plan for growth, optimization, and visibility…
They’re not a digital marketing partner. They’re just decorators with a bigger invoice.
At cjmw development, we don’t do design. We do results.
That’s where we draw the line.
Contact us today.
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