SmartSites: Reviews, Pricing, and Alternatives

Are you looking at working with a digital marketing agency to help you with your marketing?

One of the top digital marketing agencies is SmartSites.

To help you decide if they are a good fit for your needs we have done a thorough review of how they operate and what their clients have to say about their service.

SmartSites overview

SmartSites is located in New Jersey, U.S.A, and was founded by Alex and Michael Melen. Since their launch in 2011, they have helped hundreds of clients implement digital marketing strategies.

SmartSites has four main services that they offer:

• Web design – they can design your website as well as brand materials such as your logo.
• Ecommerce – they can help to start and manage an online store for you.
• SEO – they help clients with ensuring your website ranks high in searches so that you can grow organic traffic.
• PPC – they can help with setting up and running successful pay-per-click ad campaigns for you.

Depending on your specific requirements they can design a package of services that they will carry out for you as a one-off, or on a monthly basis.

If you choose to work with the company, you simply go to their website and you can either fill out a form and they will arrange a call with you or you can call them up directly on their toll-free phone number to discuss your needs with one of their client managers.

Unlike other digital agencies or if you work with freelancers you will get a very high level of customer service from SmartSites, however, this higher level of service usually means it will cost you a lot more than other options.

SmartSites Reviews

SmartSites reviews on G2.com are very good. As of April 2021, they have an overall rating of 4.9 stars out of 5 from over 66 reviews.

After reading through the reviews, it seems pretty clear that the company produces quality work that the vast majority of their clients are happy with. There is the odd client that wasn’t satisfied with the work they received but these reviews are very much in the minority. There is also a lot of mentions that the company provides incredibly good customer service.

Features

• Full-Service Agency – SmartSites can help you with every aspect of your digital marketing and website strategy. Their integrated approach means you can work with them on everything from website design to cost-per-click advertising campaigns. 
• Transparent Pricing – the company will give you a detailed quote before starting any work for you.
• Human Touch – when you work with SmartSites you will be able to jump on a call with the company whenever you need to ask questions or seek advice. Some other online agencies do everything through email only.
• Experienced Company – SmartSites have launched hundreds of new websites and worked with hundreds of clients since launching in 2011. This shows they have a track record of success.

Pros

• SmartSites can help you with every aspect of your website and digital marketing strategy. Their in-house team can design and develop your website, optimize your content for SEO, and organize PPC campaigns to help drive traffic to your website.
• SmartSites gives each client a dedicated client manager to deal with. This means you only have to deal with a single person within the company.
• The company has operated for nearly 10 years and has a track record of success with helping hundreds of clients launch new websites. If you’re a bit nervous working with a newer digital agency SmartSites might be a good choice for you.
• The company will give you a detailed quote without any obligation to agree to work with them. This also helps reduce any risks with working with them.

Cons

• SmartSites offers a high level of service but for this high level of service, you will be charged a lot more money than if you work with freelancers or some other agencies.
• Outsourcing all of your digital marketing to a 3rd party can mean reduced costs in the short term but in the long term, it means that it is much more difficult to bring your marketing in-house. For many brands, unique marketing is one way they can build a competitive advantage, when it is outsourced this is hard to do.
• The company focuses on designing and developing websites, SEO, and running PPC campaigns. If your digital marketing strategy requires other services like content writing you might be better off working with a content writing agency.

Prices

The amount SmartSites charge depends on the specifics of what services you require. But G2.com has some ballpark figures for how much you can expect to pay for three of their main services. 

• Website design and development services start at $125 per hour.
• Outsourced SEO packages start at $2,000 per month for a package of SEO services.
• PPC management costs from $500 per month – this includes setting up and running your PPC ad campaigns.

These prices are close to what other similar agencies charge; however you will find much lower prices when you hire freelancers on platforms like Upwork.

Top SmartSites alternatives

SmartSites offers a great service for businesses but they are not your only option. It’s always a good idea to do your homework before agreeing to spend lots of money on a service.

Please check out our reviews of some of their top competitors by clicking on the links below. Hopefully, they help you make a more informed choice.

Final thoughts

SmartSites are an experienced digital marketing agency with a track record of success. They offer a high level of customer service which is especially good if you don’t know much about digital marketing and need to ask a lot of questions and get lots of advice.

However, if you want to pay less for digital marketing and you want to work more closely with your marketing team then you should consider working with a team of freelancers that one day you can make employees.