Honest Comparison
Digital Harvest vs Traditional Agencies.
Most agencies sell retainers for effort. We'd rather be paid for results.
Traditional Agencies may make sense if…
- Large companies needing full-service brand, media buying and PR
- Businesses with substantial budgets and internal marketing leadership
- Multi-channel campaigns spanning TV, print, paid media and events
- Organizations that need a dedicated account team
Digital Harvest may make sense if…
- Narrow, deliberate focus: websites, SEO and hosting only
- Pay-Per-Result SEO — you pay for rankings achieved, not hours logged
- You work directly with the people building and optimizing your site
- Recommendations that include "you don't need this" when that's the truth
Where It Gets Limiting
What To Watch For With Traditional Agencies
- Retainers bill for hours whether or not rankings or leads move
- The people you meet in the pitch often aren't the people doing the work
- Scope tends to sprawl across channels, diluting focus on what actually drives leads
- Reporting can emphasize activity metrics over booked work
- Minimums frequently exceed what a local business should be spending
Side By Side
The Practical Differences.
Scope
- Traditional Agencies
- Full service
- Digital Harvest
- Websites, SEO, hosting
SEO pricing
- Traditional Agencies
- Monthly retainer
- Digital Harvest
- Pay-Per-Result
Who does the work
- Traditional Agencies
- Often junior staff
- Digital Harvest
- The people you talk to
Minimum commitment
- Traditional Agencies
- Typically 6-12 months
- Digital Harvest
- Results-based
Reporting
- Traditional Agencies
- Activity-heavy
- Digital Harvest
- Rankings and leads
Best fit
- Traditional Agencies
- Large budgets
- Digital Harvest
- Businesses that need leads
Our Verdict
The Honest Answer.
If you need brand campaigns and media buying, hire an agency built for that. If you need to be found and to convert what you're already getting, focused beats full-service.