From Turning Down Work to Delivering 50+ Websites
How a 15-person marketing agency in the North of England built a six-figure web design revenue stream — without hiring a single developer.
| Detail | About the Agency |
|---|---|
| Agency type | Full-service digital marketing agency — SEO, PPC, social media, and content marketing |
| Team size | ~15 employees across account management, marketing, and creative |
| Location | North of England |
| Web design capability before | None — relied on freelancers or turned down web projects entirely |
| Web design capability now | Full WordPress design, development, eCommerce, hosting, and ongoing support — all delivered through TOA |
The Challenge
This agency was good at what they did. Their clients trusted them with SEO, paid media, and content. But there was a recurring problem: clients kept asking, "Can you do our website too?"
The agency's founders faced a familiar dilemma. Their clients wanted a one-stop shop. Websites were the natural extension of the marketing work they were already doing — redesigns to support SEO campaigns, landing pages for PPC, eCommerce builds for clients expanding online. But the agency had no in-house development capability.
They'd tried freelancers. The results were inconsistent: missed deadlines, communication gaps, and quality that varied wildly from one project to the next. One bad handoff nearly cost them a long-standing client relationship.
The alternative — hiring developers — felt like a gamble. A senior WordPress developer would cost £45,000–55,000 per year before you factor in management overhead, training, holiday cover, and the risk of hiring the wrong person. And one developer wouldn't cover the range of skills needed: design, front-end, back-end, eCommerce, server management, QA.
So they kept saying no to web projects. And every time they said no, they knew their clients might find an agency that could say yes to everything.
The Solution
The partnership with TOA started with a single website project — a modest brochure site for one of their existing clients. The brief was straightforward: design and build a clean, modern WordPress site in three weeks.
What made it work from day one was the white-label model. To the agency's client, there was no third party involved. TOA's developers joined calls using the agency's email addresses. Project updates went through the agency's own systems. The client saw a seamless team.
How the Process Works
- The agency sends a brief. Sometimes it's a detailed scope document; sometimes it's a rough conversation summary from a client call. TOA works with both.
- TOA produces a quote and timeline. The agency marks it up — typically 40–60% — and presents it to their client as their own.
- TOA builds, the agency manages. Development, design, testing, and deployment are handled by TOA. The agency stays in front of the client, managing the relationship and approvals.
- TOA joins client calls when needed. For complex technical discussions, a TOA developer joins calls as part of the agency's team — using the agency's email and presenting as their in-house developer.
- Ongoing support transfers to TOA. After launch, the website goes onto a care plan. TOA handles hosting, updates, security patches, and client support tickets — all white-labelled under the agency's brand.
The Results
What started as a single project quickly became the agency's fastest-growing revenue stream.
Project Volume
Over 18 months, the agency has delivered more than 50 website projects through the partnership — from quick landing pages (2–3 hours) to complex, multi-phase enterprise builds (80+ hours). The pipeline has grown steadily, with 16 projects currently in progress at any given time.
| Project Type | Typical Size | Examples Delivered |
|---|---|---|
| Brochure / corporate websites | 15–35 hours | Professional services, construction, engineering firms |
| eCommerce builds | 30–50 hours | Product catalogues, WooCommerce, payment integration |
| Enterprise / complex builds | 50–90 hours | Multi-site frameworks, retailer portals, API integrations |
| Landing pages & microsites | 2–8 hours | SEO landing pages, campaign microsites, recruitment pages |
| Redesigns & rebuilds | 25–45 hours | Full website refreshes for existing clients |
The Landmark Win
The real proof of concept came when the agency was invited to pitch for a major manufacturer's website — a £40,000 project with a complex scope: retailer portal system, product catalogue with regional filtering, multi-site framework, and an ongoing digital marketing retainer.
They were up against an established web development agency with an in-house team of developers. Thanks to the TOA partnership, they presented a compelling technical proposal — complete with site maps, user journeys, wireframes, and a phased delivery plan — and won the project.
That single project would have been impossible 18 months earlier. The agency simply didn't have the technical credibility or delivery capability to compete at that level.
Revenue Impact
The agency typically marks up TOA's development costs by 40–60%. On a 30-hour project quoted at £50/hour by TOA (£1,500), the agency bills their client £2,100–2,400. That's £600–900 in gross profit per project — for work they didn't have to hire for, manage, or deliver themselves.
Across 50+ projects at an average of 20 billable hours each, that's a conservative estimate of £30,000–45,000 in gross profit from web services that previously didn't exist in their business.
Plus recurring hosting and care plan revenue on every site launched — a growing base of monthly income that compounds with each new project.
What Changed for the Agency
- New revenue stream: Web design and development went from £0 to a significant portion of agency revenue
- Higher client retention: Clients no longer need to go elsewhere for websites — the agency is their one-stop shop
- Bigger pitches: The agency now confidently pitches for projects they would have walked away from before, including £40k+ enterprise builds
- Recurring income: Every website launched creates a new hosting and support contract, building a predictable monthly revenue base
- Zero hiring risk: No developer salaries, no recruitment costs, no management overhead. The web team scales up and down with demand
Could This Be Your Agency?
If your clients keep asking "can you do our website too?" and you don't have a good answer — let's talk. No pitch deck, no pressure. Just a 15-minute conversation about how it could work for you.
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