Website Analysis of 1548 Swiss Marketing Agencies

Marketing agencies sell visibility. Many advise SMEs on web presence, SEO, and digital strategy. But what about their own websites? We analyzed 1,548 Swiss marketing agencies. The results are surprising.

The Numbers in Context

53% of marketing agencies have no website. Of the 1,548 companies analyzed, only 733 have their own web presence.

That sounds dramatic. A closer look at the numbers provides some context: The "marketing" industry includes more than just digital agencies. Many entries are sole proprietorships or micro-businesses with one or two employees. Others specialize in traditional marketing. Print products, events, direct marketing. Areas where a website is less central.

Still: For potential new clients searching online for an agency, these providers simply don't exist. And if you help other businesses improve their digital presence, you should be visible yourself.

The Websites That Exist

Of the 733 agencies with a website, we successfully analyzed 677. The average score is 77.6 out of 100 points. A solid result, slightly above the Swiss average.

Score Distribution Overview

Over 93% of marketing websites score at least 60 points. This shows: Those in this industry who have a website usually know what they're doing.

What the Best Do Right

A look at the top performers reveals clear patterns. Websites scoring above 95 points have one thing in common: They practice what they preach.

Clear positioning instead of trying to do everything: The best agencies focus on specific services. Social media marketing, Google Ads, content production. No attempts to offer everything.

Technical excellence: Fast load times, clean code, correct meta tags. The fundamentals are perfect.

Building trust through substance: Case studies, concrete references, real customer testimonials. No empty promises.

Complete legal pages: Imprint, privacy policy, terms and conditions. All present and up to date.

The irony: These websites are often simpler than the industry average. Fewer animations, fewer effects. But faster and better structured.

Where the Industry Does Well

Marketing agencies score particularly well on the basics:

SEO is the star discipline:

Average SEO score of 83.9 points. The highest of all categories.
86.3% have a robots.txt file
77.8% use an XML sitemap

Technical standards are solid:

94.5% have a valid SSL certificate
93.0% meet Core Web Vitals
91.7% are optimized for mobile devices

Accessibility is above average:

97.7% correctly implement ARIA attributes
95.4% have properly labeled forms
90.2% achieve a good accessibility score

Where It Surprisingly Falls Short

The analysis also shows: Even professionals have blind spots.

Performance Remains the Biggest Issue

At 60.3 points, performance is the weakest category. And this from agencies that sell exactly this topic to their clients.

JavaScript optimization: Only 41.5% load scripts efficiently
Page load speed: 23.9% of pages are too slow

The problem: Many agencies use elaborate animations and effects to impress. These often come at the expense of load time. According to a Google study, bounce rates increase by 123% when load time grows from one to ten seconds. The top performers show: Less is more.

SEO Pitfalls Despite Good Scores

The SEO score of 83.9 points masks some problems:

Meta tags: Only 63.2% have SEO-optimized and complete titles and descriptions. An own goal for SEO agencies.
Contradictory robots.txt: Some websites have a robots.txt file that contradicts itself or blocks important pages. A technical detail that confuses search engines.

Color Contrast Is Neglected

Only 40.9% meet the minimum requirements for color contrast. Marketing agencies often design with dark backgrounds and subtle grays. Looks modern, but is hard to read for many people.

Legal Pages Are Often Missing

Imprint/Privacy policy: Only 49.8% have complete legal pages
.ch domain: Only 79% use a Swiss domain

For an industry that sells professionalism, this is an avoidable risk.

Some agencies use .ag domains. The reference to "AG" (the German abbreviation for corporation) is clever, but technically it's the country code for Antigua and Barbuda. This is a disadvantage for Swiss SEO.

Swiss Hosting: Not a Priority

Only 46.4% host their website in Switzerland. For agencies advising Swiss SMEs, local hosting could be a trust factor. But it's rarely used.

The Real Takeaway

The most interesting result isn't the score of 77.6 points. It's the gap between the best and the average.

The top performers consistently practice what they sell: fast, focused websites with clear messaging and clean technology. The average, however, often falls into the "cobbler's children have no shoes" syndrome. Elaborate effects, neglected performance, incomplete legal pages.

For SMEs looking for a marketing agency, this is a good indicator: What does the agency's own website look like?

Key Findings

53% have no website. Many of these are sole proprietors or traditional marketing providers. But for an industry that sells digital presence, this is still a problem.
Those with a website do many things right. SEO and technical fundamentals are above average.
The best focus on substance over show. Top scores correlate with focused, fast websites. Not with elaborate design.
Performance is sacrificed for design. Elaborate effects come at the expense of load time.
Technical details are overlooked. Contradictory robots.txt, missing meta tags, incomplete imprint. Careless mistakes that shouldn't happen to professionals.

What Can Marketing Agencies Do?

Quick wins for immediate improvement:

Optimize JavaScript loading (defer/async)
Check robots.txt for contradictions
Test and adjust color contrasts
Add imprint and privacy policy
Write meta descriptions for all pages

Learn from the best:

Focus on few, clearly communicated services
Substance over show. Real case studies instead of stock photos
Performance over animations. Fast load times win

Conclusion

With an average score of 77.6 points, marketing agencies perform decently. If they have a website.

The industry is diverse. Many entries are sole proprietors or traditional marketing providers. But 53% without a website remains a problem. If you advise clients on their digital presence, you should have one yourself. Anything else undermines credibility.

The good news: The top performers show how it's done. Focused, fast websites that practice what they preach. For everyone else: Your own website is your best business card. Or your worst.

How Good Is Your Website Really?

Does your agency website meet all requirements? Start a free analysis with webscore.ch.