Big Agency or a Partner? 10 Questions to Ask Before You Sign

Large medical marketing companies are easy to say yes to. They have big client lists, slick demos and a sales team that answers every question on the first call. The harder questions are the ones about what happens after you sign.

Ask these ten before you commit your practice to anyone, including us.

1. Who owns my website and my domain?

Get it in writing. Some companies own the design, the code or even your domain name while you are a client. Know what is yours, and when.

2. Can I take my website with me if I leave?

Some companies build every client on their own system. If you leave, the system stays with them, and you rebuild somewhere else. Ask exactly what you walk away with.

3. How long is the contract, and does it renew on its own?

Ask how long you are committed, whether it renews automatically, and how much notice you must give to cancel. Put a reminder on your calendar.

4. Do you work with other doctors in my specialty in my city?

A company with thousands of clients may also work for the practice down the street. Ask directly, and ask whether they will promise not to in writing.

5. When I need a change, who do I talk to, and how fast will they answer?

Is it a named person or a ticket queue? Ask how long a simple change usually takes. Then ask a current client.

6. Where is your team?

Ask who will actually build your site, write your content and answer your requests, and where they are. You deserve to know who is doing the work.

7. Is my site custom, or a template other practices use?

Ask to see three sites they built for doctors in your specialty. If they look the same, yours will too.

8. Is my content written for me, or shared with other clients?

Many companies use the same procedure and condition pages across many practices. Ask whether your pages will be written for you and approved by you.

9. What happens to my listings, reviews and accounts if I leave?

Your Google profile, your analytics and your online listings should be in your name. Ask who controls them today and what you get back on the way out.

10. What will you show me every month?

Ask what they report, how often, and who walks you through it. And be wary of anyone who guarantees you the number one spot. No one can honestly promise a ranking.

A good partner is happy to answer every one of these questions in writing.

How We Answer Them

• After your first 12 months, your website and domain are yours. If you ever leave, we transfer everything to you.
• We work with one doctor per specialty, per city.
• You work directly with the people doing your work.
• Every site is custom designed and coded from scratch, with content written for you and approved by you.

Read the story of why one surgeon left a big medical agency, or ask for your free Position Report to see where you stand in your city.