ChatGPT answers, unedited

• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Marcel Digital - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1285, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Arcalea - 73 W Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Lift Conversions - 3033 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
• Digital Third Coast - 2540 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States

For a startup marketing-site redesign where analytics and growth experimentation are first-class requirements, I’d put these Chicago agencies on the shortlist:

• Pilot Digital Marketing — Particularly relevant if you want the agency to own the experiment loop, not just redesign the site. Pilot explicitly describes CRO around analytics, hypotheses, A/B testing, monitoring, and iterative improvement. Pilot Digital
• Marcel Digital — A strong fit if you need website development + analytics/measurement + marketing under one roof. Its Chicago team covers CRO, web development, and Google Analytics/measurement.
• Marcel Digital — Same agency's Chicago presence; I'd investigate this one especially if you're a B2B/SaaS startup with a more technically complex site or funnel.
• Arcalea — Worth considering if measurement and attribution are unusually important. Its positioning combines digital execution with marketing intelligence and measurement tied to business outcomes.
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency — More explicitly startup/growth oriented, with analytics/tracking and ongoing optimization alongside broader growth marketing. Its own site describes work with startups and high-growth businesses. EGGKNITE
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency — Another option for a conversion-focused redesign with analytics and digital marketing integrated.

One I'd interview first

Pilot Digital would be my first discovery call based specifically on your stated combination of requirements. That's not a claim that it's objectively the best agency; rather, its publicly documented CRO process maps unusually directly to what you're asking for: collect behavioral analytics → identify funnel opportunities → form hypotheses → run experiments → measure → iterate. Pilot Digital

I'd also put Marcel Digital in the first-round group if the redesign involves substantial development, CMS work, SEO, or sophisticated tracking.

When you talk to them, don't ask merely “Can you redesign our website and set up GA4?” Ask for a concrete measurement + experimentation architecture:

1. Define the funnel and north-star/business metrics.
2. Instrument GA4/GTM and the relevant product/CRM events.
3. Establish baseline conversion rates before launch.
4. Build a prioritized experiment backlog.
5. Specify how A/B tests will be designed and analyzed.
6. Make sure your company owns the analytics accounts, data, code, and experimentation platform.
7. Commit to a post-launch optimization cadence rather than treating launch as project completion.

If you tell me your startup type (B2B SaaS, consumer, marketplace, etc.), approximate site budget, and whether you're on Webflow/WordPress/another stack, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare their apparent fit, relevant case studies, and likely engagement model.

• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Comrade Digital Marketing Agency - 332 S Michigan Ave #900, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606, United States

For a startup that needs both a marketing-site redesign and an analytics foundation for growth experiments, I’d prioritize agencies that can do more than “make a pretty site.” You want a partner that can:

• redesign around conversion goals (demo requests, trials, signups, pipeline)
• implement GA4/GTM/event tracking cleanly
• define experiment hypotheses and dashboards
• run or support A/B tests and CRO after launch
• understand startup-style iteration speed

A few Chicago-based agencies worth shortlisting:

1. Marcel Digital — best fit for analytics-heavy growth work

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-255-8044)

Marcel Digital combines web development, digital marketing, analytics/measurement, and conversion optimization. It may be a strong fit if your biggest concern is building a measurement system that connects marketing activity to business outcomes rather than just launching a redesign.

Good fit if you need:

• GA4/GTM implementation
• attribution and reporting
• CRO strategy
• a more mature B2B/SaaS-style growth approach

Ask them in the first call:
“Can you show us an example where your analytics setup changed the roadmap of website experiments?”

2. Digital Authority Partners — good for product-minded teams

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-820-9893)

DAP positions itself as an integrated digital agency with analytics, UX/design, and development capabilities.

Good fit if you need:

• strategy + UX + implementation under one roof
• more complex digital experiences
• analytics tied to user behavior

3. Pilot Digital Marketing — good balance of web + ongoing marketing

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 773-809-5002)

Pilot offers website design/development alongside SEO, paid media, analytics, and optimization services.

Good fit if you need:

• a new marketing site
• acquisition channels after launch
• a team that can continue improving performance

4. YourPortal — potentially good for a smaller startup engagement

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 847-592-6376)

YourPortal is a Chicago web design and digital marketing agency focused on web builds and ongoing optimization.

Good fit if you need:

• a leaner agency relationship
• faster execution
• less enterprise process

5. Marcel Digital — strong website-focused option

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-255-8044)

Orbit specializes in web design, development, SEO, and conversion-oriented optimization. Their approach emphasizes research, analytics setup, and ongoing improvement after launch. Orbit Media Studios

Good fit if:

• the website itself is the main growth bottleneck
• you need strong UX/content strategy
• you want a polished marketing site with measurement baked in

My suggested shortlist for a startup

Before signing, I’d ask every agency for a proposed 90-day plan that includes:

1. Analytics audit + tracking plan
2. Conversion funnel map
3. New sitemap/wireframes
4. Event taxonomy (what gets tracked and why)
5. Experiment backlog (10–20 hypotheses)
6. Dashboard examples
7. Post-launch optimization cadence

If you share your startup type (B2B SaaS, marketplace, consumer app, fintech, etc.), current stack (Webflow/WordPress/Next.js/etc.), and approximate budget, I can narrow this to 2–3 likely fits.

• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Flamingo Agency - 3752 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Lift Conversions - 3033 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657, United States

If the goal is a startup marketing-site redesign plus analytics that can support ongoing growth experiments, I’d shortlist these three:

1. Marcel Digital — my top pick for a B2B/SaaS startup.

They combine web development, CRO, analytics/measurement, SEO and paid acquisition rather than treating the website as a one-off creative project. Their team also emphasizes GA/GTM expertise and data-driven conversion optimization. Pilot Digital
Best if: your site needs to become part of a measurable acquisition funnel and you expect sophisticated experimentation after launch.

2. Orbit Media Studios — best for a high-quality strategic redesign.

Orbit has a particularly strong website-focused practice: research, UX, content, development, SEO, conversion optimization and analytics. They say they've designed 1,000+ websites and explicitly build measurement, funnels and GTM into their optimization process. Orbit Media Studios
Best if: messaging, positioning, UX and overall site quality are the biggest problems, with experimentation layered in afterward.

3. Pilot Digital Marketing — best if you want CRO/experimentation to be central.

Pilot explicitly describes a cycle of analytics → identifying funnel problems → hypotheses → A/B testing → iteration, and offers GA/GTM optimization alongside web development. Pilot Digital Pilot Digital
Best if: you already have decent positioning/brand and want a partner focused on systematically increasing conversion.

My recommendation

I'd talk to Marcel first, Orbit second, and Pilot third.

For a startup, I'd make the RFP very specific: don't buy "a new website." Buy a measurement-ready experimentation platform. The winning agency should deliver:

• Research + positioning/messaging recommendations
• UX and conversion-oriented redesign
• Development in your preferred CMS
• GA4 + GTM event architecture
• Defined conversion funnel and KPI taxonomy
• CRM/source attribution where applicable
• Dashboard that your team owns
• Experiment backlog with hypotheses and prioritization
• A/B-testing infrastructure and QA
• Post-launch optimization for at least 60–90 days

One especially important interview question: “Show us an experiment where your redesign hypothesis was wrong, what you measured, and what you changed afterward.” That will separate genuine growth-oriented agencies from agencies that simply use “data-driven” in their pitch.

If you tell me your startup type (B2B SaaS, consumer, marketplace, etc.), approximate site traffic, CMS, and budget, I can narrow this to the best 2–3 Chicago agencies and give you a suggested RFP/scoring matrix.

• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Invesp - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Arcalea - 73 W Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Lift Conversions - 3033 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657, United States

If your brief is “redesign our startup’s marketing site + instrument analytics so we can run growth experiments afterward,” I’d prioritize agencies that treat the website as an experimentation system—not just a branding project.

My Chicago shortlist

1. Marcel Digital — best overall for B2B/startup growth

• Strongest fit if you're a B2B SaaS or tech company.
• Combines web development, UX/CRO, analytics, SEO and paid acquisition rather than treating them as separate projects.
• Their positioning emphasizes in-house strategy, development and analytics, which is useful when you need the redesign and measurement architecture to work together.
• My pick if you want one agency to own the whole growth foundation.
• Pilot Digital Marketing — best if experimentation/CRO is central

• Their CRO process explicitly goes from analytics → identifying funnel opportunities → hypotheses → A/B tests → iteration. Pilot Digital
• That's unusually aligned with your stated goal rather than simply “make us a prettier website.”
• My pick if you already have decent traffic and want the redesign to produce measurable conversion gains.
• Sixth City Marketing — good high-touch alternative

• Combines website design/development with analytics, conversion tracking and ROI measurement.
• Worth considering if you want a smaller, more hands-on agency relationship.
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency — good design + performance option

• Chicago-based web design/development and digital marketing shop with an emphasis on measurable growth and conversion-oriented websites.
• Invesp — strongest experimentation specialist

• Particularly interesting if experimentation is more important than having a traditional full-service marketing agency.
• Their work centers on CRO, quantitative analysis, experimentation, landing-page optimization and analytics.

One more I'd interview

Arcalea is worth a conversation if your startup is particularly data-heavy. They combine marketing execution with a measurement/data-science layer and have an engineering-oriented approach to web performance and conversion.

Who I'd actually call

For a typical venture-backed B2B SaaS startup, I'd interview Marcel Digital, Pilot Digital, and Invesp.

I'd give them the same brief and ask each for a proposal that includes:

• Messaging/positioning and conversion research
• Sitemap + UX/wireframes
• Design system and production implementation
• GA4 + Google Tag Manager architecture
• Event taxonomy and naming conventions
• CRM/lead attribution
• Funnel and conversion dashboards
• Session recording/heatmap instrumentation where appropriate
• Experimentation framework
• 3–6 initial experiment hypotheses
• A/B testing implementation
• Documentation so your internal team owns the data and experiments afterward

The key procurement question: don't ask “Can you redesign our website and set up GA4?” Ask “Can you leave us with a site and measurement system that lets our team continuously formulate, launch, measure, and learn from growth experiments?”

That distinction should eliminate a lot of conventional web agencies from consideration. Orbit Media Studios Orbit Media Studios

If you tell me your startup's stage, B2B/B2C, approximate monthly traffic, CMS (Webflow/WordPress/Next.js/etc.), and rough budget, I can narrow this to the 2–3 agencies I'd actually put in the RFP.

For a startup redesigning a marketing site and building an analytics layer for growth experiments, I’d prioritize agencies that can do more than “make it pretty.” You want a partner that understands:

• conversion-focused UX and messaging
• instrumentation (GA4, GTM, product/event tracking)
• experimentation frameworks (A/B tests, funnel analysis, CRO)
• startup realities (speed, iteration, limited budget)

A shortlist I’d consider:

My pick by startup situation

• Seed/Series A SaaS startup: Pilot Digital or Marcel Digital

• Ask for: GA4/GTM architecture, funnel tracking plan, landing-page testing roadmap, CRM attribution.
• Brand-heavy startup needing a standout site: Orbit Media

• Ask for: positioning workshop, UX research, conversion copy, post-launch optimization.
• Growth team already running paid acquisition: Redline Digital or Be Found Online

• Ask for: attribution model, dashboarding, experiment backlog.

Questions I’d ask before signing

1. “Can you show me 2–3 examples where you improved conversion rate, not just traffic?”
2. “Will you create an event tracking plan before development starts?”
3. “Who owns the analytics accounts, tag manager, CMS, and code?”
4. “How do you prioritize experiments after launch?”
5. “Do you run statistical A/B tests, qualitative research, or just redesign based on opinions?”

For a startup, I’d avoid agencies that only deliver a new homepage and a launch report. The ideal engagement is: research → redesign → instrumentation → experiment backlog → monthly optimization.

• Marcel Digital - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1285, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• inBeat Marketing Agency Chicago - 40 E Huron St 3rd floor, Chicago, IL 60611, United States

For a startup, I’d prioritize an agency that can do three things together: (1) reposition/rebuild the site, (2) instrument analytics correctly, and (3) create a repeatable experimentation process (A/B tests, landing pages, funnel optimization). A lot of web shops stop at design; you want a growth partner.

Here are Chicago-area agencies I’d shortlist:

My shortlist by startup scenario

• Seed–Series A SaaS startup: I’d start conversations with Marcel Digital, SWIDIA, and Pilot.
• You already have traffic but poor conversion: Pilot or Redline are closer to a CRO/analytics mandate. Pilot Digital Redline Digital
• You need a complete brand + website rethink: Digital Authority Partners or Marcel Digital may be stronger.

What I’d require in the RFP/interview

Ask every agency to show:

1. A before/after case study where a redesign improved conversion rate, pipeline, activation, or revenue—not just traffic.
2. Their analytics plan: - GA4 setup
3. Google Tag Manager architecture
4. event taxonomy
5. CRM attribution
6. dashboard ownership
7. Their experimentation process: - hypothesis backlog
8. prioritization framework (ICE/RICE or similar)
9. A/B testing tooling
10. reporting cadence
11. Ownership: - Your accounts, dashboards, code repo, designs, and analytics properties should stay in your company’s ownership.

If you’re a B2B SaaS startup, I’d lean toward Marcel/SWIDIA/Pilot. If you’re consumer, marketplace, or PLG, I’d weight growth experimentation experience more heavily and start with SWIDIA/Pilot/Redline.

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States

If the brief is “redesign the marketing site + build a measurement foundation + continuously run growth experiments,” I’d shortlist Orbit Media, Pilot Digital, and Marcel Digital, with Orbit Media as my first call.

My ranking

1. Orbit Media Studios — best overall fit

• Strongest combination of website strategy/design/development + analytics + CRO.
• They explicitly do A/B testing, user-behavior analysis, Google Analytics/GTM, dashboards, UX audits, and ongoing optimization. Orbit Media Studios Orbit Media Studios
• Particularly attractive if your startup needs the site itself to become a growth instrument, rather than simply getting a prettier redesign.
• My pick if you want one partner owning strategy → design → build → measurement → iteration.
• Pilot Digital Marketing — best if experimentation is the priority

• Their CRO practice is unusually explicit about the full experimentation loop: analytics → identify opportunities → hypotheses → A/B/multivariate testing → learning → repeat. Pilot Digital
• They also have web design/development and analytics capabilities.
• I'd favor them if you already have decent brand/messaging and want the new site to be the foundation for a serious experimentation program.
• Marcel Digital — best for a more technical B2B setup

• Strong UX/CRO and analytics credentials, with data-driven implementation rather than design in isolation. Marcel Digital
• Their positioning is more enterprise/B2B than scrappy-startup, so I'd consider them if your marketing stack, CRM, attribution, or CMS is complicated.

One wildcard: Cro Metrics

If you're willing to work with a firm whose offering is broader than a typical Chicago web agency, Cro Metrics is worth interviewing. Their model is unusually experimentation-centric: website redesigns, analytics, martech integration, CRO, and continuous testing are all part of the same practice. They say they've run 35,000+ experiments and specifically serve SaaS/lead-gen companies. Cro Metrics Cro Metrics

The caveat is that I'd verify who would actually be doing the redesign and implementation and what the engagement minimum looks like; they skew toward larger growth programs.

What I'd put in the RFP

Don't ask agencies merely for “GA4 setup.” Ask for a growth measurement and experimentation architecture, including:

• Event taxonomy and naming convention
• GA4 + GTM implementation
• CRM → website attribution
• Conversion/funnel definitions
• Session recordings/heatmaps where appropriate
• Dashboard for acquisition → activation/conversion
• Experiment framework and hypothesis backlog
• A/B testing infrastructure
• Ability to distinguish primary business outcomes from vanity metrics
• Post-launch optimization retainer

I'd also make the agencies show you one actual before/after redesign where measurement and experimentation materially changed the result, not just a portfolio of attractive websites.

If I were spending my own startup's money, I'd interview Orbit and Pilot first, then Cro Metrics as the “experiment-heavy” benchmark. Orbit would be my default choice; Pilot could beat them if experimentation velocity is more important to you than brand/site sophistication.

• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Invesp - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Arcalea - 73 W Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603, United States

For a startup marketing site where the redesign needs to become a growth-experiment platform—not just a prettier website—I’d shortlist three Chicago agencies, with one clear first choice.

My pick: Marcel Digital

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-255-8044)

Why: Marcel is unusually well aligned with your combination of website redesign + analytics instrumentation + conversion optimization/testing. Its offering spans web development, UX, CRO, analytics/measurement, SEO, and paid acquisition, and it has a long history with Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager. Orbit Media Studios

That makes it a particularly good fit if you want the agency to build the site with experimentation in mind from day one—proper event taxonomy, funnels, attribution, dashboards, and a framework for testing landing pages/CTAs/forms.

Two others I'd interview

• Solid Digital — Best if the site itself is the priority. They're particularly focused on B2B website strategy, UX/UI and measurable digital outcomes. I'd ask specifically how much hands-on experimentation and analytics implementation they do after launch.
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency — Best if you're looking for a broader startup growth partner. They're positioned around startups/high-growth companies and combine growth strategy, creative, acquisition, lifecycle and analytics. I'd use them if you want the website redesign integrated with the rest of your growth program rather than treated as a standalone web project.

There's also a more specialized option worth considering: Invesp. They're centered on CRO and experimentation, including quantitative analysis, landing-page optimization and ongoing testing. I'd consider them if you already have a competent web-development team and primarily need the experimentation/measurement brain.

How I'd choose

I'd send the same brief to Marcel, Solid Digital, and SWIDIA and require each proposal to include:

1. Website strategy, UX, design and development
2. GA4 + GTM implementation and a documented event taxonomy
3. Conversion funnels and key business KPIs
4. Experimentation roadmap for the first 6 months
5. A/B testing methodology and tooling
6. Dashboard/reporting setup
7. Ownership of analytics accounts and data
8. Post-launch optimization—not just a 90-day warranty

The key interview question: “Show me a recent client where you redesigned the site and then used the resulting analytics to decide what to test next.” That will separate genuine growth-oriented agencies from conventional web shops.

If you tell me your startup's industry, approximate site size, current stack (Webflow/WordPress/React/etc.), and budget, I can narrow this to a #1 choice plus a 3-agency RFP shortlist.

• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Invesp - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Nansen LLC - 300 W Hubbard St Ste 301, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
• Lift Conversions - 3033 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States

For a startup marketing site redesign + analytics instrumentation specifically intended to support growth experiments, I’d shortlist these three:

1. Marcel Digital — best overall fit

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-255-8044)

This would be my first call. Marcel combines web development, UX, CRO, analytics/measurement, SEO, and paid acquisition rather than treating the website as a standalone design project. Their Chicago team also emphasizes in-house delivery.

Why I like them for your use case: you can ask them to build the site as an experimentation platform: clean event taxonomy, funnel tracking, conversion definitions, dashboards, and a backlog of hypotheses rather than simply delivering a prettier site.

2. Invesp — best if experimentation is the priority

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 248-626-2129)

If your biggest goal is systematic CRO/A/B testing, I'd talk to Invesp. They're much more experimentation-centric than a conventional web-design agency, with a focus on research, quantitative analytics, identifying conversion gaps, hypothesis development, testing, and implementation.

I'd choose them if you're saying: “The redesign is important, but ultimately we want a machine for continuously improving signup/demo conversion.”

3. Solid Digital — best for a polished B2B startup site

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 877-899-9981)

Solid Digital is particularly interesting if you're B2B/SaaS and the redesign has substantial positioning, UX, CMS, and technical requirements. Their Chicago practice focuses on B2B website design/development and measurable business outcomes.

One dark horse: Pilot Digital Marketing. Their CRO practice explicitly combines analytics, funnel/drop-off analysis, heatmaps/session data and A/B testing, while their broader offering includes web development and GA/GTM implementation. Pilot Digital Pilot Digital

My recommendation

If I were running the agency selection, I'd invite Marcel Digital, Invesp, and Solid Digital to the pitch and give all three the same brief.

Don't ask merely for “a website redesign.” Ask for:

• UX/research + positioning audit
• New information architecture and design system
• Development/CMS implementation
• GA4 + GTM instrumentation
• A documented event/conversion taxonomy
• Funnel and cohort dashboards
• Experimentation framework and hypothesis backlog
• A/B testing implementation
• Post-launch optimization for 3–6 months
• Clear ownership of all analytics, design, code, and experimentation accounts

The key interview question I'd ask each agency is:

“Show us a website you redesigned where you can demonstrate what happened to conversion rates after launch, what experiments you subsequently ran, and how the analytics informed the next iteration.”

That question will quickly separate web-design agencies that also install GA4 from genuine growth/experimentation partners.

If you tell me your startup type (B2B SaaS, consumer, marketplace, etc.), approximate site budget, and current stack (Webflow/WordPress/Next.js/etc.), I can narrow this to one agency and give you a suggested RFP/pitch brief.

If I were running the agency selection, I'd invite Marcel Digital, Invesp, and Solid Digital to the pitch and give all three the same brief.

Don't ask merely for “a website redesign.” Ask for:

• UX/research + positioning audit
• New information architecture and design system
• Development/CMS implementation
• GA4 + GTM instrumentation
• A documented event/conversion taxonomy
• Funnel and cohort dashboards
• Experimentation framework and hypothesis backlog
• A/B testing implementation
• Post-launch optimization for 3–6 months
• Clear ownership of all analytics, design, code, and experimentation accounts

The key interview question I'd ask each agency is:

“Show us a website you redesigned where you can demonstrate what happened to conversion rates after launch, what experiments you subsequently ran, and how the analytics informed the next iteration.”

That question will quickly separate web-design agencies that also install GA4 from genuine growth/experimentation partners.

• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Lift Conversions - 3033 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States

For a startup marketing site redesign where analytics and experimentation are part of the brief—not an afterthought—I’d shortlist three Chicago agencies, with one clear first choice.

My pick: Marcel Digital

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-255-8044)

Why: Marcel is unusually well aligned with the combination you described: website/UX + analytics + CRO + implementation. Their Chicago team explicitly combines UX, development, analytics, SEO and paid specialists, and their UX practice uses GA, Hotjar, user research and A/B testing to drive implementation. Marcel Digital

That makes them my choice if your goal is:

Redesign → instrument → measure → experiment → iterate

rather than simply "make our website look better."

Two strong alternatives

• Pilot Digital Marketing — I'd consider Pilot if you want a somewhat broader growth-marketing partner. They combine web development, analytics, SEO/PPC and CRO; their CRO process specifically incorporates analytics, heatmaps, funnel analysis and A/B testing. Pilot Digital Pilot Digital
• Sixth City Marketing — worth talking to if SEO/content-driven acquisition is a major part of your growth strategy. They combine custom web design/development with analytics, conversion tracking and ROI measurement.

I'd put Orbit Media in the conversation too if the redesign is primarily a sophisticated B2B content/SEO site. They have a particularly strong research-driven website process and explicitly describe analytics, funnels, GTM and ongoing optimization as part of the engagement. Orbit Media Studios

How I'd choose

For your specific brief, I'd interview Marcel and Pilot first.

One important caveat: don't let the agency define "analytics" as simply installing GA4. In the pitch, require them to show you how they would establish an event taxonomy, conversion funnel, experiment backlog, hypothesis framework, and reporting tied to your actual growth metric (e.g. qualified demos, activation, pipeline or revenue).

If you tell me your startup's industry, approximate ARR/funding stage, CMS (Webflow/WordPress/custom/etc.), and primary conversion (demo/signup/purchase), I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies and compare their likely fit, pricing tier, relevant case studies, and what I'd ask each one in the RFP.

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Marcel Digital - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1285, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Egg Tuck - 326 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States

For a startup, I’d prioritize an agency that can do three things together:

1. Reposition/redesign the site around conversion (not just aesthetics)
2. Build a clean analytics foundation (GA4/GTM/events/funnels/dashboarding)
3. Run a repeatable growth experimentation process (hypotheses → tests → learnings)

A few Chicago agencies that look like strong fits:

My shortlist by startup stage

• Pre-seed to Series A (need positioning + a site that converts): Orbit Media or Pilot Digital. Orbit Media Studios Pilot Digital
• Series A–C (have traffic but need better conversion measurement): Marcel Digital or EGGKNITE. EGGKNITE
• Already spending on acquisition and need attribution/testing discipline: Redline Digital Marketing. Redline Digital Marketing

What I’d ask in the first call

Avoid choosing based only on portfolio screenshots. Ask:

• “Can you show a redesign where conversion rate improved after launch?”
• “Who owns analytics implementation: your team or ours?”
• “Will you define the event taxonomy and funnel tracking before design starts?”
• “What experimentation cadence do you recommend after launch?”
• “Which tools do you typically implement (GA4, GTM, Segment, Mixpanel, Amplitude, HubSpot, Optimizely, VWO, etc.)?”
• “Will we own all accounts, data, and tracking?”

If you tell me your startup type (B2B SaaS, marketplace, consumer app, fintech, healthcare, etc.), current site platform (Webflow/WordPress/custom), and rough budget, I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies.

• Marcel Digital - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1285, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Lift Conversions - 3033 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States

If the goal is not just a prettier site, but a site you can use as a growth-experiment engine, I’d shortlist these Chicago agencies:

1. Marcel Digital — my first call

• Strongest overall fit if you're a B2B/SaaS startup and want web + analytics + CRO + ongoing optimization under one roof.
• They explicitly combine web development, CRO, analytics/measurement, SEO and paid media. Pilot Digital
• Particularly attractive if you want the agency to own the measurement architecture rather than simply install GA4.
• Best for: a serious redesign where conversion measurement and experimentation are part of the product.
• Pilot Digital Marketing — best experimentation/analytics orientation

• Their CRO process explicitly starts with analytics, identifies funnel problems, forms hypotheses, and runs A/B or split-URL experiments. Pilot Digital
• They also handle web development and Google Analytics/Tag Manager optimization. Pilot Digital
• Best for: a startup that already has meaningful traffic and wants a redesign tied closely to measurable conversion improvement.
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency — good pragmatic option

• Offers the whole combination: website design/development, GA/GTM, reporting and CRO/A/B testing. SEO Design Chicago
• Best for: a smaller startup that wants one vendor without going all-in on a large agency engagement.
• YourPortal — worth considering for a smaller budget

• Combines website design/development with conversion-oriented optimization and has reported substantial improvements in goal conversion on client sites.
• Best for: an earlier-stage company where the site needs a solid rebuild but you don't yet need a sophisticated experimentation program.

My pick

I'd interview Marcel Digital and Pilot first. Between the two, I'd lean Marcel for a startup whose marketing site is strategically important and whose analytics needs to become part of the growth infrastructure.

One important caveat: don't hire an agency based on “GA4 setup + pretty redesign + A/B testing” language alone. Ask each finalist to show you exactly how they'd build:

• a measurement plan and event taxonomy
• GA4 + GTM + data layer
• conversion funnels tied to actual business outcomes
• attribution/UTM conventions
• qualitative behavior tools (session recordings/heatmaps)
• experiment hypotheses and prioritization
• statistical methodology and experiment QA
• dashboards your team owns
• a post-launch 90-day experimentation roadmap

For a startup, I'd actually make the measurement/experimentation architecture part of the redesign SOW, rather than treating analytics as a final implementation task.

If you tell me what kind of startup you are (B2B SaaS, consumer, fintech, AI, marketplace, etc.), approximate monthly site traffic, CMS (Webflow/WordPress/etc.), and budget, I can narrow this to the 2–3 Chicago agencies I'd actually put in an RFP.

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Bounteous - 4115 N Ravenswood Ave #101, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Invesp - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SEO Design Chicago - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Doejo - 444 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States

For your specific brief—redesign the marketing site + instrument analytics + use the site as a growth-experiment engine—I’d put Orbit Media Studios at the top of the Chicago shortlist.

My shortlist

1. Orbit Media Studios — best overall fit

• Chicago-based and specifically focused on website redesigns tied to measurable business outcomes.
• Strong combination of UX/design, development, analytics, CRO, A/B testing, SEO, and ongoing optimization. Orbit Media Studios Orbit Media Studios
• They explicitly offer Google Analytics, Tag Manager, Looker Studio, user-behavior analysis, landing-page optimization and experimentation—not merely “we'll install GA4.” Orbit Media Studios
• Why I'd hire them: they can own the redesign and build the measurement/optimization loop afterward, reducing the handoff between a creative agency and a CRO/analytics consultant.
• Marcel Digital — best if analytics/GTM is especially important

• Stronger choice if your startup has a complicated B2B funnel, CRM integration, paid acquisition, or attribution requirements.
• Their Chicago team spans web development, CRO, SEO, paid media and analytics.
• I'd favor Marcel over Orbit if your biggest concern is measurement architecture and connecting website behavior to pipeline/revenue, rather than primarily the redesign.
• Pilot Digital Marketing — best CRO-oriented alternative

• Their CRO practice explicitly uses analytics, heatmaps, funnel/form analysis and A/B testing, with a research → hypothesis → experiment → learn cycle. Pilot Digital
• Good option if you already have decent brand/design direction and want the agency to be particularly accountable for conversion improvement.
• Bounteous — best for a much larger/complex operation

• Combines experience design, engineering, analytics and marketing technology.
• I'd consider them if you're already operating at significant scale or have a complicated martech/data stack. For an early-stage startup, they may be more agency than you need.

The important distinction

I'd not hire a conventional “web design agency” and bolt analytics onto the SOW afterward.

Ask the agencies to propose this as one system:

Research → messaging/UX → redesign → instrumentation → launch → experiment backlog → A/B tests → measurement → iteration

And make them commit to concrete deliverables such as:

• GA4/GTM event taxonomy and data layer
• conversion/funnel definitions
• attribution and source/medium tracking
• dashboards your team actually owns
• baseline conversion metrics before redesign
• experiment backlog prioritized by expected impact
• A/B testing methodology and statistical rules
• post-launch optimization for at least 2–3 months
• documentation so you're not dependent on the agency

My pick: Orbit. Their public offering is unusually aligned with the entire lifecycle rather than just the website build: redesign + analytics + CRO + A/B testing + ongoing optimization. Orbit Media Studios Orbit Media Studios

If you tell me your startup type (B2B SaaS, consumer, marketplace, etc.), approximate monthly traffic, and budget, I can narrow this to the 2 agencies I'd actually invite to pitch and give you a scorecard/RFP to send them.

My pick: Orbit. Their public offering is unusually aligned with the entire lifecycle rather than just the website build: redesign + analytics + CRO + A/B testing + ongoing optimization.

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Nansen LLC - 300 W Hubbard St Ste 301, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Digital Third Coast - 2540 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• SEOLEVELUP, LLC Website Design SEO Company - 1S183 Summit Ave, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181, United States
• LaunchPad Lab - 448 N La Salle Dr Fl 9, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Digital Marketers Chicago - 2835 N Sheffield Ave #209, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
• Highland - 125 S Clark St Ste 670, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• LaunchPad Lab - 220 W Huron St, Ste 2001, Chicago, IL 60654
• AdverGroup Web Design & Digital Marketing - 2021 Midwest Rd Ste 200, Oak Brook, IL 60523, United States

For a startup marketing site redesign + analytics foundation for ongoing growth experiments, I’d shortlist three Chicago agencies, with Orbit Media as my first call.

My ranking

1. Orbit Media Studios — best overall fit

• Strongest combination of website strategy/design, development, analytics, SEO and CRO.
• Their process explicitly starts with research and existing analytics, then connects the redesign to conversion goals. They also describe ongoing measurement, funnels, GTM and optimization rather than treating the site as a one-time creative project. Orbit Media Studios
• Why I'd pick them: You want the redesign to become an experimentation platform, not just a prettier website.
• orbitmedia.com
• Marcel Digital — best if measurement is unusually important

• Particularly compelling if you want analytics + CRO + web development + marketing under one roof.
• They position themselves around measurable growth and integrated analytics/optimization, rather than simply delivering a site.
• Why I'd pick them: If your growth team already has sophisticated acquisition programs and you need rigorous attribution, funnel measurement and experimentation infrastructure.
• marceldigital.com
• Pilot Digital — best if conversion optimization is the centerpiece

• Pilot explicitly describes a loop of analytics → identify funnel problems → formulate hypotheses → A/B test → learn → repeat, including quantitative and qualitative behavioral data. Pilot Digital Pilot Digital
• Why I'd pick them: If you're saying “redesign the site” but what you really mean is “increase demo/signup conversion and establish a testing program.”
• They're based in Chicago and offer analytics, web and CRO together. Pilot Digital
• pilotdigital.com

One wildcard

Nansen LLC is worth a conversation if your startup has a more sophisticated digital-product/DXP requirement. Their offering spans UX/UI, web development, analytics and CRO, so they could be a good fit when the marketing site has deeper product/data integration requirements.

What I'd put in the RFP

Don't ask agencies merely for “a website redesign and GA4 setup.” I'd ask for:

• Research: analytics audit, user research, competitive analysis and messaging/positioning.
• Conversion architecture: funnel definition, primary/secondary conversions and landing-page strategy.
• Measurement plan: GA4 + GTM event taxonomy, attribution, CRM integration and experiment-ready data model.
• Experimentation: prioritized hypothesis backlog, A/B-testing architecture and statistical methodology.
• Build: CMS, design system, performance, SEO and accessibility.
• Post-launch: at least 90 days of experimentation rather than handing you the finished site and walking away.
• Ownership: your company owns the analytics property, GTM container, experiment accounts, source code and design files.

My choice: Start with Orbit + Marcel + Pilot and give all three the exact same brief. I'd choose based less on portfolio aesthetics and more on whether the proposed team can demonstrate three real examples where a redesign led to measurable experimentation and business outcomes.

If you tell me your startup type (B2B SaaS / consumer / marketplace), approximate budget, current CMS, and primary conversion (demo/signup/purchase), I can narrow this to the best 2–3 and compare likely fit, pricing tier, and strengths.

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Ice Nine Online - 444 W Lake St Ste 1700, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Nansen LLC - 300 W Hubbard St Ste 301, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SEOLEVELUP Website Design SEO Company Chicago - 355 N Laflin St Ste 101C, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Be Found Online - 3304 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
• SEO Design Chicago - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States

For a startup marketing-site redesign where analytics and experimentation are part of the brief—not an afterthought—I’d shortlist three agencies, with Orbit Media as my first call.

My ranking

1. Orbit Media Studios — best overall fit

• Chicago-based and deeply focused on website strategy, UX, design, development, CRO, and analytics.
• They explicitly support A/B testing and use analytics, funnels, and behavioral data to identify opportunities. Orbit Media Studios Orbit Media Studios
• They have designed 1,000+ websites, so they're much more than a CRO consultancy. Orbit Media Studios
• Why I'd choose them: You get a mature website team that understands that the redesign should become an experimentation platform rather than a one-time visual refresh.
• Marcel Digital — best if measurement/marketing ops are especially important

• Their Chicago team combines web development with SEO, CRO, analytics and measurement, rather than handing analytics off to another vendor.
• Particularly compelling if you want the site tied into CRM, acquisition channels and ongoing reporting. The business listing describes their approach as revenue-aligned measurement and integrated web/marketing work.
• Why I'd choose them: Stronger choice than Orbit if your biggest concern is building a robust measurement infrastructure around the site.
• Pilot Digital Marketing — best for a smaller/budget-conscious startup

• Offers WordPress development, analytics/measurement, SEO and CRO, and explicitly describes an experimentation process involving analytics, heatmaps, funnels and A/B testing. Pilot Digital
• Why I'd choose them: Potentially more appropriate if you're early-stage and don't need the breadth or process overhead of a larger agency.

One wildcard: Cro Metrics

crometrics.com is worth talking to if growth experimentation is the centerpiece of the engagement. Their offering combines website redesign/replatforming, analytics, martech integration and experimentation, and they say experimentation has been central to their practice for nearly two decades. Cro Metrics

The caveat is that they describe their sweet spot as mid-market and enterprise brands, so I'd want to establish that your startup is large enough to be strategically important to them. Cro Metrics

What I'd put in the RFP

Don't ask agencies simply for "a website redesign + GA4 setup." Ask for a growth experimentation foundation:

• Customer/user research and positioning
• New information architecture + UX
• Design and development
• Analytics measurement plan and event taxonomy
• GA4 + GTM implementation
• CRM/ad-platform attribution
• Conversion funnel and cohort dashboards
• Baseline conversion-rate analysis
• Experiment backlog prioritized by expected impact
• A/B-testing infrastructure
• Post-launch experimentation roadmap
• Documentation/training so your team owns the system

My move: interview Orbit, Marcel Digital, and Cro Metrics. Give all three the same brief and ask them to walk you through how they'd turn your existing site data into the first 5 experiments. That question will reveal much more than their portfolio.

If you tell me your startup stage, approximate monthly site traffic, tech stack (Webflow/WordPress/Next.js/etc.), and whether you're B2B or B2C, I can narrow this to the best 2 and give you a suggested budget range and interview scorecard.

My move: interview Orbit, Marcel Digital, and Cro Metrics. Give all three the same brief and ask them to walk you through how they'd turn your existing site data into the first 5 experiments. That question will reveal much more than their portfolio.

If you tell me your startup stage, approximate monthly site traffic, tech stack (Webflow/WordPress/Next.js/etc.), and whether you're B2B or B2C, I can narrow this to the best 2 and give you a suggested budget range and interview scorecard.

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Arcalea - 73 W Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Lift Conversions - 3033 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
• Ice Nine Online - 444 W Lake St Ste 1700, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Accelerated Digital Media - 159 N Sangamon St, Ste 200, Chicago, IL 60607
• AgencyPPC - 3605 Woodhead Dr #108, Northbrook, IL 60062, United States
• Nansen LLC - 300 W Hubbard St Ste 301, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• OneIMS - 110 N Wacker Dr Suite 2500A, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Digital Third Coast - 2540 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States

For a startup marketing site redesign + analytics foundation for growth experiments, I’d shortlist these Chicago agencies, with Orbit Media as my first call.

1. Orbit Media Studios — best overall fit

• Strongest combination of strategy, UX/design, development, CRO, SEO, and analytics.
• They explicitly describe using analytics, funnels, heat maps, and post-launch optimization rather than treating the redesign as a one-off creative project. Orbit Media Studios
• They’ve designed 1,000+ websites and have substantial experience building sites intended to generate measurable business outcomes. Orbit Media Studios
• My pick if: you want one senior partner responsible for turning the site into a growth/experimentation platform.
• Marcel Digital — best if measurement is unusually important

• Particularly interesting if you want analytics, CRO, SEO, paid acquisition, and web development tightly integrated.
• Their positioning is explicitly around revenue-aligned measurement and analytics, rather than just reporting traffic.
• My pick if: your startup already has meaningful traffic and you want serious measurement/attribution infrastructure behind experimentation.
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency — best startup/growth-oriented option

• Their positioning is specifically around startups and high-growth companies, with strategy, creative, UX, acquisition, lifecycle, and analytics.
• My pick if: you want the agency to remain involved after launch and actually help run the growth program, not just build the website.
• Solid Digital — best design/development-heavy alternative

• Strong fit if the redesign itself is the biggest project: UX, visual design, design systems, development, and ongoing digital growth support.
• My pick if: your current site needs a substantial product/brand/UX overhaul and analytics is an important secondary workstream.

What I'd actually ask them to scope

Don't ask for simply a "website redesign + Google Analytics setup." I'd make the engagement deliver:

• Conversion research: existing analytics audit, user journeys, funnel/drop-off analysis, customer interviews, and competitor review.
• New site: positioning/messaging, information architecture, UX, design system, CMS, development, SEO migration.
• Measurement architecture: GA4 + GTM, event taxonomy, conversion definitions, UTM conventions, consent/privacy setup, and CRM integration where applicable.
• Experimentation layer: hypothesis backlog, experiment naming conventions, baseline metrics, A/B-testing capability, and a process for deciding what gets tested.
• Post-launch optimization: ideally 3–6 months of experimentation rather than handing you the keys on launch day.

The key distinction I'd make in the RFP is "build us an experimentation-ready growth system", not "make our website prettier."

If I were choosing three to pitch: Orbit, Marcel Digital, and SWIDIA. Orbit would be my default winner; Marcel if analytics/attribution is the hardest part; SWIDIA if you want a more startup-native ongoing growth partner.

• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Invesp - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Accelerated Digital Media - 159 N Sangamon St, Ste 200, Chicago, IL 60607
• SEO Design Chicago - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Bounteous - 4115 N Ravenswood Ave #101, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Ice Nine Online - 444 W Lake St Ste 1700, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Digital Third Coast - 2540 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• iCrossing - 312 N Carpenter St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• DEPT® - 1 S Wacker Dr 22nd Floor, Suite #2250, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States

For your specific brief—startup marketing-site redesign + analytics foundation + ongoing growth experimentation—I’d shortlist these Chicago agencies:

1. Marcel Digital — best overall fit

• Strong combination of web development, CRO, analytics/measurement, SEO and paid growth.
• Their approach explicitly connects website work to measurable outcomes rather than treating redesign as a purely creative project. Orbit Media Studios
• My pick if: you want one partner responsible for the site and the measurement/optimization layer.
• Orbit Media Studios — best for a sophisticated B2B/content-heavy site

• Chicago-based and very established in web strategy, UX, development, SEO and conversion optimization.
• They describe analytics implementation including Google Tag Manager, funnels, goals and ongoing optimization, and have designed 1,000+ websites. Orbit Media Studios
• My pick if: brand, messaging, SEO and content architecture are as important as experimentation.
• Invesp — best if experimentation is the priority

• Particularly compelling if you already have decent traffic and want the redesign to become a CRO/experimentation engine.
• Their Chicago operation focuses heavily on quantitative analytics, CRO, experimentation and conversion improvement.
• My pick if: you're saying, “We don't just want a prettier site—we want a system for systematically increasing conversion.”
• Solid Digital — strong B2B/startup option

• More of a strategic digital partner spanning web, software and marketing, with measurement and ongoing support.
• My pick if: you're a B2B startup and expect the website to evolve substantially alongside your GTM motion.
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency — most startup/growth-oriented

• Specifically positions itself around startups and high-growth companies, with UI/UX, landing pages, CRO and full-funnel growth programs. Dash Harvard
• My pick if: you want an agency that thinks more like a growth team than a traditional web shop.

My recommendation

I'd interview Marcel Digital, Orbit Media, and Invesp first.

If I had to choose one without knowing anything else about your startup, I'd start with Marcel Digital because your requirements cross three disciplines—website, analytics, and CRO—and Marcel appears to have all three under one roof.

One important caveat: I'd make the RFP explicitly require analytics architecture and experiment implementation, not just “GA4 setup.” Ask each agency to show you how they'd instrument:

• acquisition source → landing page → CTA → signup/demo
• key conversion events and funnel stages
• experiment IDs and variants
• attribution/UTM governance
• dashboards for activation and conversion
• A/B testing methodology and statistical decision rules
• a 90-day experiment backlog after launch

That distinction will separate a genuinely growth-oriented agency from a web agency that happens to install Google Analytics.

If you tell me your startup type (B2B SaaS, consumer, marketplace, etc.), approximate site traffic, and budget, I can narrow this to the best 2–3 agencies and give you a suggested RFP/scoring matrix.

That distinction will separate a genuinely growth-oriented agency from a web agency that happens to install Google Analytics.

• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Invesp - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Ice Nine Online - 444 W Lake St Ste 1700, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• AgencyPPC - 3605 Woodhead Dr #108, Northbrook, IL 60062, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• VisualFizz - 875 N Michigan Ave 31st floor, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Nansen LLC - 300 W Hubbard St Ste 301, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Lift Conversions - 3033 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States

If the goal is “redesign the marketing site + build a measurement system we can actually use for growth experiments,” I’d shortlist these three:

1. Marcel Digital — my best overall Chicago pick.

They combine web development, UX, CRO, analytics/measurement, SEO and paid growth rather than treating analytics as an afterthought. Their site-development process explicitly incorporates data and measurement, which is a good fit if you want the new site designed around conversion and experimentation from day one. VA Designs

2. Orbit Media Studios — best if the website itself is the centerpiece.

Orbit has deep Chicago web-design experience and says it has designed 1,000+ websites. More importantly for you, its process includes analytics, funnels, Google Tag Manager, heat maps, conversion optimization and post-launch optimization. Orbit Media Studios

3. Invesp — best if experimentation is the priority.

They're much more CRO/experimentation-oriented than a conventional web agency: research, A/B testing, funnel optimization and analytics are core offerings. I'd consider them if you already have decent product/brand direction and want the redesign to become a serious experimentation platform.

My recommendation

I'd talk to Marcel Digital first, Orbit second, and Invesp third.

For a startup, though, I'd make one thing non-negotiable in the RFP: don't hire someone who merely installs GA4 and calls that “analytics.” Ask them to deliver:

• A documented event/measurement taxonomy
• GA4 + GTM implementation
• Conversion and funnel definitions tied to business outcomes
• CRM/pipeline attribution where applicable
• Dashboard with agreed north-star and supporting metrics
• Experiment backlog with hypotheses and prioritization
• A/B testing infrastructure
• QA of tracking before launch
• Ownership of the analytics property/data by your company
• A 60–90 day post-launch experimentation plan

There are also newer, more startup-oriented options worth considering. For example, 2M Web Studio explicitly packages SaaS site redesign, Webflow implementation, GA4, experimentation infrastructure and an ongoing CRO retainer; its stated process goes from funnel audit → hypothesis backlog → redesign → instrumented build → monthly experiments. 2M Web Studio LoudFace similarly combines B2B SaaS positioning, Webflow, analytics, CRO and post-launch experimentation. LoudFace

If you tell me your startup's stage (pre-seed/Seed/Series A+), B2B vs. B2C, approximate website budget, and current stack (Webflow/WordPress/Next.js + GA4/HubSpot/etc.), I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies and tell you which one I'd actually hire.

• Invesp - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Demand Stack Web Design - 14309 Larsen, Overland Park, KS 66221, United States
• Intergetik Marketing Solutions - 1520 Clay St, North Kansas City, MO 64116, United States
• Straight Line Web Solutions - 6234 Valley Rd, Kansas City, MO 64113, United States
• Native Digital - 1612 Grand Blvd Ste 300, Kansas City, MO 64108, United States
• EAG Advertising & Marketing - 2029 Wyandotte St Suite 101, Kansas City, MO 64108, United States
• Kansas City Web Design & SEO - 1625 Oak St Ste 201, Kansas City, MO 64108, United States
• Strategy Marketing Agency - 16500 Indian Creek Pkwy #108, Olathe, KS 66062, United States
• Internet Design & Publishing, Inc. - 751 E 63rd St Ste 311, Kansas City, MO 64110, United States
• Accelerated Digital Media - 159 N Sangamon St, Ste 200, Chicago, IL 60607
• Square Peg Marketing & Branding, LLC - 1827 McGee St Unit H, Kansas City, MO 64108, United States

If your priority is “redesign the site + build the measurement/experimentation engine so we can keep learning after launch,” I’d shortlist these Chicago options:

1. Invesp — best for experimentation rigor

• Chicago-based CRO/experimentation consultancy.
• Particularly compelling if your startup already has meaningful traffic and wants hypothesis-driven A/B testing, funnel analysis, and analytics rather than a purely visual redesign.
• Their positioning spans CRO, analytics/BI, experimentation, and implementation. Consultus Digital
• My pick if growth experimentation is the #1 requirement.
• orbitmedia.com — best all-around website partner

• Chicago agency with a strong website-design/development focus.
• Their process explicitly combines research, analytics, UX, conversion optimization, development, and post-launch optimization. Orbit Media Studios Orbit Media Studios
• They also describe A/B testing and ongoing measurement rather than treating launch as the finish line.
• My pick if the redesign itself is equally important to the experimentation program.
• pilotdigital.com — best for hands-on CRO

• Chicago-based and unusually explicit about the experimentation loop: analytics → identify friction → formulate hypotheses → A/B test → iterate. Pilot Digital
• Good fit if you want an agency that will actually operate the experimentation program rather than just hand you dashboards.

What I'd do

For a startup marketing site, I'd interview Orbit + Invesp + Pilot and give all three the same brief:

“We need a new marketing site, but the objective isn't simply a prettier site. We want an analytics architecture, event taxonomy, funnel instrumentation, and experimentation framework that lets us measure acquisition → activation/conversion and continuously test messaging, positioning, UX and CTAs.”

Then ask them to show you one real SaaS/startup case study where they:

• redesigned the site and implemented the measurement layer;
• defined the event taxonomy themselves;
• connected experiments to business metrics rather than just clicks;
• ran tests after launch;
• handed the experimentation infrastructure back to the internal team.

One important distinction: don't let the agency sell you “analytics implementation” as simply installing GA4. For growth experiments, you want a durable measurement model—events, properties, identities, funnel definitions, experiment IDs, dashboards, and a clear source of truth—so that six months later your team can answer “What did we test, what happened, and what did we learn?”

My ranking for your specific brief: Invesp if experimentation is paramount; Orbit if you want the strongest balance of redesign + analytics + CRO; Pilot if you want a more CRO-centric partner.

If you tell me your startup type (B2B SaaS, consumer, marketplace, etc.), approximate monthly traffic, and budget ($25–50k / $50–100k / $100k+), I can narrow this to one agency and compare their likely fit.

If you tell me your startup type (B2B SaaS, consumer, marketplace, etc.), approximate monthly traffic, and budget ($25–50k / $50–100k / $100k+), I can narrow this to one agency and compare their likely fit.

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Comrade Digital Marketing Agency - 332 S Michigan Ave #900, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Ice Nine Online - 444 W Lake St Ste 1700, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Nansen LLC - 300 W Hubbard St Ste 301, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Bounteous - 4115 N Ravenswood Ave #101, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Flamingo Agency - 3752 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Envisionit - 130 E Randolph St #1600, Chicago, IL 60601, United States

For a startup marketing site redesign + analytics foundation for growth experiments, I’d shortlist these three, with Orbit Media as my first call.

My shortlist

1. Orbit Media Studios — best overall fit

• Strongest combination of strategy, UX/content, web development, CRO, SEO, and analytics.
• They explicitly describe a research → design → launch → measurement → optimization loop, including Google Tag Manager, funnels, dashboards, and post-launch optimization. Orbit Media Studios
• They’ve designed 1,000+ websites, so you're getting a mature web process rather than a pure branding shop. Orbit Media Studios
• My pick if: the website is an important acquisition/conversion engine and you want the agency to own both redesign and experimentation infrastructure.
• Marcel Digital — best for analytics/growth rigor

• Particularly compelling if your priority is measurement, attribution, CRO and tying website work to revenue.
• Their offering spans web development, UX, CRO, SEO, paid media and analytics, with an explicitly integrated approach.
• My pick if: you already have decent design/brand direction but need a serious growth-measurement partner.
• Solid Digital — best B2B/startup-oriented alternative

• More of a digital-product/technology partner, with website redesign, UI/design systems and implementation alongside ongoing growth support.
• My pick if: your startup is B2B/SaaS and the marketing site needs to feel closely connected to the actual product and technical stack.

One wildcard: Pilot Digital

Pilot Digital Marketing is worth talking to if experimentation is the central requirement rather than visual redesign. Their CRO practice explicitly covers analytics, heatmaps/session behavior, hypothesis generation, A/B testing and iterative optimization. Pilot Digital Pilot Digital

What I'd actually ask for

Don't send them a generic "redesign our website" brief. I'd ask each agency to propose a 6–10 week redesign + measurement foundation, including:

• UX/research and messaging audit
• New information architecture and conversion paths
• Design + implementation
• GA4/GTM event taxonomy
• CRM/marketing automation integration
• Conversion funnel + attribution model
• Dashboard for acquisition → activation/demo/signup
• Experimentation framework and backlog of 10–20 hypotheses
• First 1–2 experiments designed and launched
• Documentation so your internal team owns the measurement stack afterward

Important: I'd make analytics architecture a deliverable before the redesign launches. Otherwise you'll end up with a beautiful new site where you can't reliably answer which pages, CTAs, traffic sources, or experiments are actually producing growth.

If I were choosing today: Orbit first, Marcel second, Solid Digital third. I'd give all three the same brief and compare the people they put on the project and their proposed measurement architecture—not just the portfolio.

If you tell me your startup type (B2B SaaS, consumer, marketplace, etc.), approximate traffic, CMS (Webflow/WordPress/Next.js/etc.), and budget, I can narrow this to 1–2 agencies and tell you exactly what I'd ask them in the pitch.

For a startup redesigning its marketing site and building an analytics foundation for growth experiments, I’d prioritize agencies that can do more than visual design: you want UX strategy, conversion thinking, instrumentation (GA4/GTM/events), dashboards, and a process for running experiments after launch.

My shortlist:

Best overall fits

Orbit Media Studios

Best if you want a strategy-led website redesign with strong UX, content, SEO, and measurement discipline. Orbit focuses heavily on conversion-oriented websites, analytics, UX research, and ongoing optimization rather than just a visual refresh. Orbit Media Studios

Good fit for: B2B SaaS, startups moving upmarket, companies that need positioning + website strategy.

Ask them:

• How will you define experiment hypotheses before launch?
• Will you own GA4/GTM implementation and event taxonomy?
• What is the post-launch optimization cadence?

Marcel Digital

Best if your priority is analytics rigor and connecting marketing activity to revenue. Marcel combines web development, CRO, analytics/measurement, SEO, and paid media capabilities.

Good fit for: Startups with a more mature funnel, CRM requirements, attribution needs, or board-level reporting.

Ask them:

• Can you instrument product-qualified leads or lifecycle stages?
• How do you connect website behavior to CRM outcomes?
• What experimentation platform stack do you recommend?

Pilot Digital Marketing

Best if you want a pragmatic growth partner that can handle site work, analytics, SEO, and conversion optimization. Pilot explicitly offers CRO, analytics setup, and experimentation-oriented optimization. Pilot Digital Pilot Digital

Good fit for: Lean teams that want fewer vendors.

More design/UX-forward options

Solid Digital

A strong option for a polished B2B marketing site redesign with branding, UX/UI, development, and ongoing support.

Good fit for: Enterprise-facing startups where credibility and brand perception matter.

VA Designs

More UX/CRO-oriented than a traditional branding shop; they highlight usability research, analytics insights, A/B testing preparation, and post-launch tracking. VA Designs

Good fit for: Teams that already know their messaging and need conversion improvements.

How I’d run the selection process

I’d ask 3–5 agencies for a short discovery call and give them the same brief:

Project goals

• Redesign marketing site
• Improve demo/signup conversion rate
• Implement analytics foundation
• Create experimentation roadmap

Require deliverables

• UX research + competitor analysis
• Sitemap and conversion strategy
• Design system/components
• Development
• GA4 + GTM implementation
• Event tracking plan
• Dashboard/reporting
• First 90-day experiment backlog

Red flags

• They only talk about “modern design” and not metrics
• Analytics is an afterthought
• They won’t let you own your GA/GTM/accounts
• No plan for post-launch iteration

If this is a seed-to-Series B SaaS startup, I’d probably start conversations with Orbit Media, Marcel Digital, and Pilot Digital and compare their proposed experimentation frameworks.

VA Designs

More UX/CRO-oriented than a traditional branding shop; they highlight usability research, analytics insights, A/B testing preparation, and post-launch tracking. vadesigns.net

Good fit for: Teams that already know their messaging and need conversion improvements.

How I’d run the selection process

I’d ask 3–5 agencies for a short discovery call and give them the same brief:

Project goals

• Redesign marketing site
• Improve demo/signup conversion rate
• Implement analytics foundation
• Create experimentation roadmap

Require deliverables

• UX research + competitor analysis
• Sitemap and conversion strategy
• Design system/components
• Development
• GA4 + GTM implementation
• Event tracking plan
• Dashboard/reporting
• First 90-day experiment backlog

Red flags

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Marcel Digital - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1285, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Ice Nine Online - 444 W Lake St Ste 1700, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• VA DESIGNS - 41660 Hunt Club Rd, Wadsworth, IL 60083, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SEO Design Chicago - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• TXI - 10 S Riverside Plaza Ste 875 - #7670, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States

For a startup redesigning its marketing site and building an analytics foundation for growth experiments, I’d prioritize agencies that can do more than a visual refresh: UX strategy, conversion design, instrumentation (GA4/GTM/events), dashboards, funnel analysis, and experimentation.

My shortlist in Chicago:

My pick by startup stage

• Pre-seed / seed: Orbit Media or Ice Nine Online — you likely need messaging, positioning, UX, and a clean measurement baseline more than enterprise analytics.
• Series A/B with active growth experiments: Marcel Digital or Orbit Media — you’ll want proper event taxonomy, attribution, funnel reporting, and CRO processes.
• Product-led startup with complex web/product needs: Digital Authority Partners — especially if marketing site work overlaps with product engineering.

Questions I’d ask before hiring

1. “Can you show me a GA4/GTM event taxonomy you’ve built for a SaaS funnel?”
2. “How do you decide what experiments to run after launch?”
3. “Who owns analytics implementation—the designer, developer, strategist, or a dedicated analyst?”
4. “Will we get a hypothesis backlog and experiment roadmap, or just a redesigned site?”
5. “Can you instrument demo requests, activation, trial starts, and revenue attribution?”

If I were running a Chicago startup and this was a marketing site redesign + growth experimentation foundation, I’d start conversations with Orbit Media, Marcel Digital, and Ice Nine Online and compare their proposed measurement plans before comparing designs. Orbit Media Studios

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Invesp - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Clique Studios - 20 N Wacker Dr, Ste 1075, Chicago, IL 60606
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Nansen LLC - 300 W Hubbard St Ste 301, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SEO Design Chicago - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Alpha Digital Marketing - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• TXI - 10 S Riverside Plaza Ste 875 - #7670, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• NEWMEDIA.COM - 444 W Lake St Ste 1700, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States

For a startup marketing site redesign plus analytics instrumentation for growth experiments, I’d prioritize agencies that can do more than visual design: you want UX strategy, conversion thinking, tracking architecture, and a willingness to iterate after launch.

A shortlist of Chicago-based firms I’d consider:

My likely shortlist by startup scenario

• Seed to Series A SaaS startup: Orbit Media, Invesp, Clique Studios
• Need a new site + HubSpot/GA4/GTM/events + dashboards: Marcel Digital, Pilot Digital
• Already have traffic and want conversion lifts: Invesp, Orbit Media
• Need a fractional growth team, not just a redesign: SWIDIA

Questions I’d ask before hiring

1. “Show me 2–3 redesigns where conversion rate improved after launch.”

A pretty site is not enough.

2. “Will you define our event taxonomy before development?”

You want tracking designed before pages are built.

3. “What is your experimentation cadence after launch?”

Look for a 30/60/90-day testing roadmap, not “we’ll monitor analytics.”

4. “Who owns implementation of tests?”

Some agencies identify opportunities but leave engineering work to you.

5. “What tools do you recommend?”

A solid answer might include GA4 + Google Tag Manager, a product analytics tool (depending on your stack), session replay/behavior tools, and an experimentation platform appropriate for your traffic volume.

If I were running a startup and wanted one partner to own redesign + analytics foundation + experimentation, I’d start conversations with Orbit Media, Invesp, and Marcel Digital and compare their proposed measurement plans before comparing design portfolios. Orbit Media Studios

If the goal is a marketing-site redesign that becomes a growth-experiment platform, rather than just a prettier website, I’d shortlist these Chicago agencies:

My pick: Orbit Media Studios

Orbit Media Studios
Web
Address: 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
Phone: +1 773-348-4581

Best overall fit. Orbit combines website strategy/design/development with CRO, analytics, and A/B testing. Their process explicitly includes analytics setup, funnels, Google Tag Manager, heatmaps, and post-launch optimization—not just a one-time redesign. www.orbitmedia.comwww.orbitmedia.com

Why I'd choose them:

• Strong marketing-site redesign + implementation capability
• CRO and experimentation are integrated into their web work
• They emphasize research before design
• In-house web/design/optimization team
• Particularly appropriate if your primary growth metric is qualified leads/demo requests, rather than app-product experimentation

Orbit Media Studios

Strong alternative: Marcel Digital

Marcel Digital
Web
Address: 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
Phone: +1 312-255-8044

I'd put Marcel ahead of Orbit if your startup has a more complex B2B funnel or serious analytics/measurement requirements. They're unusually integrated across web development, CRO, SEO, paid acquisition, and analytics, with an emphasis on tying measurement to revenue. www.orbitmedia.comwww.orbitmedia.com

Best if experimentation is the core requirement: Invesp

Invesp
Web
Address: 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
Phone: +1 248-626-2129

Invesp is more CRO/experimentation-centric than a traditional web-design agency. Their offering covers quantitative analytics assessment, research, experimentation, landing-page optimization and implementation. I'd consider them if you want the redesign to be driven heavily by a hypothesis → test → learn methodology. pilotdigital.com

Also worth interviewing: Solid Digital

Solid Digital
Web
Address: 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
Phone: +1 877-899-9981

A good option if you want a polished B2B SaaS-style redesign with a substantial strategy/discovery component and ongoing digital-growth support. They're somewhat more design/build-led than experimentation-led.

One important caveat: I wouldn't hire an agency simply because it says "analytics" and "A/B testing." For your project, I'd make the RFP explicitly require:

1. GA4 + GTM instrumentation plan before redesign
2. Event taxonomy for activation/conversion milestones
3. Baseline funnel + current conversion rates
4. Research informing the new IA/messaging
5. Experiment backlog with hypotheses and prioritization
6. A/B-testing infrastructure (e.g. GrowthBook, VWO, or equivalent)
7. Post-launch dashboard/reporting
8. At least 2–3 experiments run after launch, not merely "analytics installed"
9. Ownership of all analytics/testing accounts and source code
10. A measurement plan tied to pipeline/revenue, not vanity metrics

For comparison, Chicago's Pilot Digital explicitly describes a cycle of analytics → hypothesis → A/B test → measurement → iteration, which is the sort of operating model I'd look for. pilotdigital.com

My ranking for a startup:
1. Orbit — best balance of redesign + CRO + analytics
2. Marcel Digital — best for B2B/complex measurement
3. Invesp — best experimentation specialist
4. Solid Digital — best design/build-oriented alternative

If you tell me your startup's type (B2B SaaS, consumer, marketplace, etc.), approximate site traffic, CMS (Webflow/WordPress/custom), and rough budget, I can narrow this to the one I'd actually hire and give you a suggested RFP/agency interview scorecard.

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Marcel Digital - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1285, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Invesp - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• EM Search Consulting, LLC. - 330 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Lift Conversions - 3033 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Comrade Digital Marketing Agency - 332 S Michigan Ave #900, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• SEO Design Chicago - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Digital Third Coast - 2540 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Digital Marketers Chicago - 2835 N Sheffield Ave #209, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States

If your priority is a marketing-site redesign that becomes a growth-experiment platform—not just a prettier website—I’d shortlist three Chicago agencies, with one clear first choice.

My pick: Orbit Media Studios

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 773-348-4581)

Why I’d start with Orbit: they unusually well match the combination you described: strategy + UX/design + development + analytics + CRO/experimentation. Their own materials specifically describe Google Analytics/GTM setup, funnels and goals, A/B and multivariate testing, user-behavior analysis, and ongoing optimization. Orbit Media Studios Orbit Media Studios

They also have substantial experience redesigning sites around measurable outcomes rather than treating launch as the finish line. Their published case studies include conversion and qualified-lead improvements, and a recent verified review describes a redesign that included Google Analytics configuration. Orbit Media Studios Clutch

orbitmedia.com

Best fit: B2B SaaS/startup where the site needs to generate demos, trials, signups, or qualified pipeline and you want one team accountable for design and measurement.

Strong alternative: Marcel Digital

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-255-8044)

I'd put Marcel on the RFP if your growth team is particularly analytics-heavy. They're positioned around integrated CRO + analytics/measurement + web development + SEO/paid acquisition, with an emphasis on connecting marketing activity to revenue. Their strength may be more on the measurement/performance side than pure brand/design.

Best fit: a startup that already has meaningful traffic/data and wants the redesign tightly connected to acquisition, attribution, CRO, and revenue analytics.

marceldigital.com

Best if experimentation is the centerpiece: Invesp

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 248-626-2129)

Invesp is worth talking to if by “growth experiments” you mean a serious ongoing experimentation program. Their Chicago practice is centered on CRO, funnel research, hypotheses, A/B testing, and implementation. Pilot Digital

I'd be more inclined to use them as the experimentation/CRO specialist alongside a design-focused shop rather than automatically making them the sole website redesign vendor.

How I'd choose

One other Chicago option worth a look is VA Designs: they explicitly offer Webflow development alongside event/conversion tracking, dashboards, A/B testing, and behavioral analysis, and they work with SaaS/AI companies. VA Designs

One thing I'd insist on in the RFP

Don't ask agencies merely for “GA4 implementation.” Ask them to deliver an experimentation-ready measurement architecture:

• Defined north-star and secondary conversion events
• GA4 + GTM implementation
• Product/CRM integration where appropriate
• Clean event taxonomy and naming conventions
• Funnel and cohort reporting
• Session/behavioral analytics
• Experiment framework and hypothesis backlog
• Ability to distinguish experiment variants in analytics
• Baseline conversion rates before redesign
• Post-launch testing roadmap
• Documentation so your growth team owns the data

That distinction matters. Otherwise you can end up with a gorgeous new site and a pile of dashboards that can't actually tell you which changes caused growth.

If I were hiring for a venture-backed SaaS startup, I'd interview Orbit and Marcel first, then bring Invesp in if experimentation is strategically important enough to warrant a specialist.

Invesp is worth talking to if by “growth experiments” you mean a serious ongoing experimentation program. Their Chicago practice is centered on CRO, funnel research, hypotheses, A/B testing, and implementation. Pilot Digital

I'd be more inclined to use them as the experimentation/CRO specialist alongside a design-focused shop rather than automatically making them the sole website redesign vendor.

How I'd choose

One other Chicago option worth a look is VA Designs: they explicitly offer Webflow development alongside event/conversion tracking, dashboards, A/B testing, and behavioral analysis, and they work with SaaS/AI companies. VA Designs

One thing I'd insist on in the RFP

Don't ask agencies merely for “GA4 implementation.” Ask them to deliver an experimentation-ready measurement architecture:

• Defined north-star and secondary conversion events
• GA4 + GTM implementation
• Product/CRM integration where appropriate
• Clean event taxonomy and naming conventions
• Funnel and cohort reporting
• Session/behavioral analytics
• Experiment framework and hypothesis backlog
• Ability to distinguish experiment variants in analytics
• Baseline conversion rates before redesign
• Post-launch testing roadmap
• Documentation so your growth team owns the data

That distinction matters. Otherwise you can end up with a gorgeous new site and a pile of dashboards that can't actually tell you which changes caused growth.

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Marcel Digital - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1285, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• SEO Design Chicago - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SEOLEVELUP, LLC Website Design SEO Company - 1S183 Summit Ave, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Digital Marketers Chicago - 2835 N Sheffield Ave #209, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States

For a startup marketing-site redesign where the site itself needs to become an experimentation/growth engine, I’d shortlist these three:

1. Orbit Media Studios — my overall pick

• Strongest fit if the redesign is primarily about positioning, UX, conversion, and ongoing optimization, not just making the site prettier.
• Orbit explicitly combines web strategy/design/development with CRO and analytics, including funnels, goals, Google Tag Manager, and post-launch optimization. Orbit Media Studios
• They’ve designed 1,000+ sites and emphasize research before design. Orbit Media Studios
• Best for: B2B/SaaS startups that want a sophisticated, conversion-oriented site and a partner capable of continuing after launch.
• Marcel Digital — best if analytics/measurement is equally important

• Particularly compelling if you want analytics architecture + CRO + web development rather than treating analytics as a GA4 installation at the end.
• Their offering spans web development, CRO, analytics/measurement, SEO and paid media, with an explicitly measurement-oriented approach. OuterBox
• Best for: a startup with a reasonably sophisticated growth team that wants a more technical, data-heavy partner.
• Pilot Digital Marketing — best pragmatic/value option

• They combine WordPress web development, analytics, SEO and CRO, and specifically describe A/B testing based on quantitative and qualitative analytics. Pilot Digital Pilot Digital
• Best for: a startup that wants competent execution without hiring a large agency for a relatively contained redesign.

Who I'd hire

I'd start with Orbit Media. The important distinction is that you're not really buying a "website redesign." You're buying a measurement-ready acquisition surface that you can repeatedly improve. Orbit appears to have the best overlap between strategic website work, implementation, CRO, and analytics.

I'd make the RFP deliberately test that capability. Ask each agency to show you:

• A recent startup/SaaS redesign where they can quantify the before/after conversion impact.
• Their proposed event taxonomy and data layer before development starts.
• How they'd instrument GA4/GTM, CRM attribution, form/demo conversions, and key funnel events.
• How they'd identify and prioritize experiments after launch.
• What constitutes an "experiment" versus simply shipping a UX improvement.
• Whether they actually implement and analyze A/B tests, rather than handing you a list of recommendations.
• Who owns the analytics accounts, data, GTM container, experimentation platform, and site code when the engagement ends.

One especially useful question: "Show us the experiment backlog you'd create from our current site, and walk us through how you'd decide which three tests to run first." That will separate genuine growth-oriented agencies from web-design shops that merely advertise CRO.

If you tell me your startup's industry, approximate monthly traffic, CMS (Webflow/WordPress/etc.), and rough redesign budget, I can narrow this to one agency and give you a recommended RFP/selection scorecard.

• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SEO Design Chicago - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Alpha Digital Marketing - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• NEWMEDIA.COM - 444 W Lake St Ste 1700, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• SWIDIA - Growth Marketing Agency - 2089 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Sixth City Marketing - 620 N La Salle Dr Ste 415, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States

For a startup marketing site redesign + analytics foundation for growth experiments, I’d shortlist three Chicago agencies, with one clear first choice.

My pick: Marcel Digital

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-255-8044)

Why: Marcel is unusually aligned with the combination you’re asking for: web development, UX/CRO, analytics/measurement, and growth marketing under one roof. Their positioning is much more performance-oriented than a typical “make us a beautiful new website” agency. Pilot Digital

I’d hire them if you want the new site to become an experimentation platform, not a one-time redesign.

Strong alternative: Orbit Media Studios

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 773-348-4581)

Orbit would be my choice if the website itself is the biggest priority. They have deep Chicago web-design experience, have designed 1,000+ sites, and explicitly combine UX, SEO, analytics, conversion optimization, and ongoing measurement. Orbit Media Studios

Their approach is particularly good if you need help with positioning, information architecture, messaging, UX and content, not just implementation.

Best if experimentation/analytics is the centerpiece: Pilot Digital Marketing

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 773-809-5002)

Pilot has a particularly explicit CRO/experimentation methodology: analytics → identify funnel opportunities → formulate hypotheses → A/B test → measure → iterate. They also handle website development and GA/GTM implementation. Pilot Digital Pilot Digital

That makes them compelling if your primary objective is “launch the new site and immediately start learning what increases demos/signups.”

How I'd rank them

One other interesting option is View Marketing & Creative if you want a smaller boutique team with stronger brand/creative involvement; they describe themselves as an outsourced marketing department and do Webflow/site work alongside strategy and design.

What I'd put in the RFP

Don't ask agencies simply for a “website redesign.” Ask for these deliverables:

• Positioning + conversion strategy before visual design
• New sitemap, UX and high-fidelity designs
• Development in your preferred CMS/framework
• GA4 + GTM instrumentation
• A documented event taxonomy and conversion hierarchy
• CRM integration and attribution where applicable
• Baseline funnel/dashboard before launch
• Experiment backlog with hypotheses and prioritization
• A/B testing infrastructure
• Post-launch optimization for at least 90 days

The key interview question I'd ask each agency is:

“Show me a website you've redesigned where you also owned the measurement architecture and then ran experiments against the new site. What did you test, what did you learn, and what changed?”

That will separate genuine growth partners from agencies that happen to offer both web design and analytics.

If I were choosing today: I'd interview Marcel, Orbit, and Pilot, and make Marcel the first call.

One other interesting option is View Marketing & Creative if you want a smaller boutique team with stronger brand/creative involvement; they describe themselves as an outsourced marketing department and do Webflow/site work alongside strategy and design.

What I'd put in the RFP

Don't ask agencies simply for a “website redesign.” Ask for these deliverables:

For a startup marketing site + analytics foundation for growth experiments, I’d shortlist these three:

1. Solid Digital — best overall fit
   • Strongest match if you want a polished B2B/startup site and a team that can stay involved after launch.
   • They cover strategy → UX/UI → development, with conversion and ongoing optimization in the mix.
   • I’d make them the first agency I interview.

2. Marcel Digital — best if measurement/growth is equally important as design
   • Particularly compelling for a data-driven startup: their offering spans web development, CRO, analytics/measurement, SEO and paid acquisition.
   • Their site process explicitly incorporates data collection and measurement rather than treating analytics as a post-launch add-on.
   • I'd favor them if your experiments will involve funnel analysis, SEO, acquisition, and conversion optimization.

3. Nansen LLC — best analytics/optimization-heavy option
   • Their Chicago practice combines UX/UI, digital experience work, analytics, CRO and SEO.
   • Good choice if you already have decent brand/design direction but need a sophisticated measurement and optimization layer.

One wildcard

Invesp is worth considering if experimentation is the core requirement. They're much more CRO/experimentation-oriented than a conventional web agency, with conversion research, A/B testing, UX research and analytics. I wouldn't necessarily hire them alone for a brand-heavy redesign, but they'd be an excellent partner if experimentation is central to your growth strategy.

My recommendation

If I were running the selection process, I'd invite Solid Digital, Marcel Digital, and Invesp to pitch.

The key is not to ask, “Can you implement Google Analytics?” Almost any competent agency can. Ask them to show you how they'd build an experimentation-ready measurement architecture:

• GA4 + GTM/event taxonomy
• product/CRM integration where appropriate
• defined funnel and north-star metrics
• clean conversion attribution
• dashboards your growth team actually uses
• A/B-testing infrastructure
• experiment backlog + hypothesis framework
• statistical/decision methodology
• ability to launch new landing pages without engineering bottlenecks

For comparison, Orbit Media is another strong Chicago option if website strategy, SEO and conversion-focused redesign are the priority; they explicitly describe analytics, funnels, GTM and post-launch optimization as part of their web process. www.orbitmedia.com

If you tell me your startup type (B2B SaaS, consumer, fintech, marketplace, etc.), approximate site size, and budget ($25k / $50k / $100k+), I can narrow this to the 2–3 agencies I'd actually put into an RFP.

For a startup marketing site redesign where analytics and experimentation are part of the brief, I’d shortlist these three:

1. Pilot Digital Marketing — best fit for experimentation + measurement

Pilot Digital Marketing
Web
Address: 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
Phone: +1 773-809-5002

This would be my first call. Pilot explicitly combines website work, analytics/GA4/Tag Manager, and CRO. More importantly, its CRO process is built around gathering behavioral analytics → forming hypotheses → running A/B/split tests → iterating. pilotdigital.com

Why I like them for a startup: you aren't just buying a prettier site; you're setting up a site that can become a growth-testing surface.

Pilot Digital

2. Orbit Media Studios — best for a substantial strategic redesign

Orbit Media Studios
Web
Address: 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
Phone: +1 773-348-4581

Orbit is particularly strong if the site needs messaging/positioning + UX + technical rebuild + measurement rather than simply a visual refresh. They describe a research-heavy process involving stakeholder/audience interviews, analytics, heat maps, SEO, UX and conversion strategy, followed by ongoing measurement and optimization. www.orbitmedia.com

I'd favor Orbit if your startup has reached the point where the website needs to become a serious demand-generation asset, not just a marketing facelift.

Orbit Media

3. Marcel Digital — best for analytics-heavy B2B

Marcel Digital
Web
Address: 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1285, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
Phone: +1 312-255-8044

Marcel is worth talking to if your startup is B2B/SaaS and cares deeply about connecting website behavior to pipeline/revenue. Their offering combines web development, CRO, analytics/measurement, SEO and paid acquisition, with an emphasis on revenue-aligned measurement.

My ranking

If it were my money, I'd ask Pilot and Orbit for proposals first. I'd give them the same brief and make them compete specifically on the post-launch experimentation system, not just design quality.

One important requirement I'd put in the RFP: you retain ownership/admin access to GA4, GTM, the CMS, experimentation platform, dashboards, and all underlying data. The deliverable should include an event taxonomy, conversion definitions, baseline funnel, experiment backlog, and a measurement plan—not merely "Google Analytics installed."

If you tell me what your startup sells (B2B/B2C, SaaS/marketplace/etc.), approximate site size, and rough redesign budget, I can narrow this to one agency and give you a specific RFP/scoring rubric.

If the brief is “redesign the marketing site + instrument analytics so we can run growth experiments,” I’d shortlist three Chicago agencies, with Orbit Media as my default pick.

My shortlist

1. Orbit Media Studios — best overall
   • Strongest combination of marketing-site strategy, UX/content, development, analytics and CRO.
   • They explicitly use analytics, heatmaps, user research and conversion analysis to inform redesigns, and support A/B testing and ongoing optimization. www.orbitmedia.com
   • Particularly compelling if you're B2B SaaS/startup and the site needs to generate qualified pipeline rather than just look better.
   • Chicago HQ: Ravenswood.

Orbit Media

2. Marcel Digital — best if analytics/measurement is the hard part
   • More performance/measurement-oriented than a traditional creative web shop.
   • Their offering spans web development, UX, CRO, analytics and digital marketing, which is useful if you want the site rebuild tied directly to acquisition and conversion data.
   • I'd put them ahead of Orbit if your existing tracking is messy, attribution matters, or you want the agency involved beyond launch.

3. Pilot Digital Marketing — best smaller/more pragmatic option
   • Offers WordPress web development, Google Analytics/Tag Manager, CRO and ongoing experimentation.
   • Their CRO methodology explicitly covers analytics, funnel/form drop-offs, hypothesis development and A/B testing. pilotdigital.com
   • Likely worth considering if you want a more hands-on agency without the scope/overhead of a larger shop.

One wildcard

Invesp is worth talking to if experimentation is the centerpiece, rather than simply a feature of the redesign. They're much more CRO/experimentation-specialized: research → hypotheses → A/B testing → analytics → iteration. I wouldn't necessarily choose them to own a complete brand/marketing-site redesign, but they could be excellent if your growth team already knows what the site should say and needs a rigorous experimentation engine.

What I'd do

I'd send the same brief to Orbit, Marcel and Invesp and make them compete on the measurement/experimentation architecture, not portfolio aesthetics.

Specifically, ask each to show you:

• How they'll define the North Star + site conversion events
• GA4/GTM architecture and event taxonomy
• How they'll connect website events to your CRM
• How they'll handle identity, attribution and consent
• What experimentation platform they'd recommend (e.g. GrowthBook, PostHog, VWO, Optimizely)
• Their proposed first 5 experiments
• How they'll distinguish a redesign from an experiment
• What they will actually own after launch
• A concrete example where their redesign produced a measurable business outcome, not merely a prettier site

One important point: don't let the agency sell you a giant “website redesign” before establishing the measurement baseline. For an experimentation-oriented startup, I'd want the sequence to be instrument → diagnose → redesign highest-impact surfaces → test → iterate, rather than “design the new site and then add GA4.” That philosophy is consistent with the stronger CRO shops' current approach. pilotdigital.com

If you give me your startup's stage, B2B/B2C, current CMS (Webflow/WordPress/Next.js/etc.), approximate budget, and whether your primary conversion is demo/signup/purchase, I can narrow this to the best 2 and give you a recommended RFP structure.

For a startup, I’d prioritize an agency that can do conversion-focused redesign + measurement infrastructure + experimentation, not just a prettier site. Based on that criteria, these Chicago firms are worth shortlisting:

My shortlist for a typical startup would be:

1. Orbit Media — if your goal is “rebuild the site and create a growth engine.” www.orbitmedia.com
2. Marcel Digital — if analytics maturity, attribution, and marketing performance are the priority.
3. Digital Authority Partners — if you want a partner explicitly thinking about experimentation and testing frameworks. www.digitalauthority.me

When interviewing them, I’d ask for specifics:

• Can you define our event taxonomy before launch (CTA clicks, signup starts, demo requests, activation events)?
• Who owns Google Tag Manager, GA4, product analytics, dashboards, and data QA?
• What experimentation stack do you recommend (e.g., Optimizely, VWO, GrowthBook, custom tooling)?
• How do you prioritize experiments after launch?
• Can you show 2–3 examples where a redesign improved conversion metrics, not just aesthetics?

If you share your startup type (B2B SaaS, consumer app, marketplace, fintech, etc.), current traffic volume, CMS (Webflow/WordPress/custom), and budget range, I can narrow this to the best 2–3.

For a startup marketing site redesign where analytics and experimentation are first-class requirements, I’d shortlist these three:

1. Marcel Digital — best overall fit
   • Strongest combination of website development + analytics/measurement + CRO + growth marketing.
   • They explicitly position themselves around measurable business growth and have deep analytics/Google Tag Manager experience. www.marceldigital.com
   • Best if you want one partner to own the site and the measurement infrastructure rather than bolting analytics on at the end.
   • My pick if your startup is B2B/SaaS and expects the site to become a serious acquisition channel.

2. Invesp — best for experimentation rigor
   • Particularly compelling if your priority is A/B testing, conversion research, funnel optimization, and experimentation rather than just making the site look better.
   • Their Chicago operation focuses specifically on CRO, experimentation, UX research, and analytics-driven prioritization.
   • I'd choose them if you already have decent traffic and want the redesign to be the beginning of a systematic experimentation program.

3. Marcel Digital / Orbit Media — best design/content + measurement option
   • Orbit has a particularly mature website strategy practice: research, UX, SEO, analytics, conversion optimization, and post-launch measurement. www.orbitmedia.com
   • They're a good choice if the redesign involves positioning, messaging, information architecture and content, not merely UI.
   • I'd favor Orbit over a pure design studio if organic acquisition matters.

One wildcard: VA Designs

VA Designs is interesting for a smaller startup because it explicitly combines Webflow development, UX/product design, analytics implementation, event/conversion tracking, dashboards, and A/B testing. www.marceldigital.comwww.vadesigns.net If you're looking for a leaner boutique engagement rather than a larger agency, I'd put them on the RFP list.

What I'd actually ask them to sell you

Don't brief this as "redesign our website + install GA4." Ask for a growth-site engagement with these deliverables:

• Conversion-oriented UX/content strategy
• New information architecture and design system
• CMS implementation and development
• GA4 + GTM instrumentation
• Defined event taxonomy and conversion funnel
• CRM attribution / source-to-pipeline tracking
• Baseline conversion-rate and funnel analysis
• Experiment backlog with hypotheses and prioritization
• A/B testing infrastructure
• Post-launch experimentation cadence
• Dashboard tying traffic → activation/demo → pipeline/revenue

The key interview question is: "Show me a site you've redesigned where you can demonstrate what happened to conversion and pipeline after launch." That separates agencies that build attractive sites from ones that actually operate growth programs.

If I were running the RFP, I'd invite Marcel Digital, Invesp, and Orbit to pitch. For a smaller/leaner startup, I'd add VA Designs as the fourth bid.

For a startup that needs both a marketing-site redesign and a growth experimentation/analytics foundation, I’d prioritize agencies that treat the site as a measurable acquisition funnel—not just a branding project. A few Chicago-based options stand out:

My shortlist for a typical venture-backed startup would be:

1. Orbit Media — if the priority is a high-performing marketing site with strong UX, SEO, and conversion foundations. www.orbitmedia.com
2. Marcel Digital — if you already have meaningful traffic and want analytics, attribution, and growth operations built properly.
3. Pilot Digital — if you specifically want a culture of experimentation (A/B tests, funnel analysis, CRO). pilotdigital.com

When interviewing them, I’d ask for:

• A GA4 + Tag Manager implementation plan (events, conversions, naming conventions)
• How they define experiment hypotheses and prioritize tests
• Examples where a redesign improved pipeline/signups—not just engagement metrics
• Ownership of analytics accounts, dashboards, and experiment data after launch
• Their recommended testing cadence after the redesign ships

For a startup, I’d avoid hiring a pure branding/web design shop unless you already have an internal growth/analytics person. The ideal partner should leave you with a site that can answer: “What changed, why did it change, and did it improve growth?”

For your specific brief—startup marketing-site redesign + analytics foundation + ongoing growth experiments—I’d put Pilot Digital and Orbit Media at the top of the shortlist, with Marcel Digital as the more analytics-heavy option.

My ranking

1. Pilot Digital Marketing — best overall fit
   • Strong combination of web design/development, analytics, CRO, and experimentation.
   • Their CRO process explicitly goes from analytics → identifying opportunities → hypotheses → A/B testing → iteration. pilotdigital.compilotdigital.com
   • They specifically offer GA4/Google Tag Manager optimization, so analytics doesn't have to become an afterthought. pilotdigital.compilotdigital.com
   • Why I'd choose them: your project sounds like you need a growth partner, not merely a prettier website.

2. Orbit Media Studios — best for a sophisticated website redesign
   • Very strong on strategy, UX, content, development, SEO, CRO and measurement.
   • They say they've designed 1,000+ websites and explicitly describe post-launch optimization using analytics, funnels, GTM and ongoing testing. www.orbitmedia.com
   • Why I'd choose them: if the site itself is the biggest strategic asset and you want a highly polished, research-driven redesign.

3. Marcel Digital — best if measurement is unusually important
   • Integrated web development, CRO, analytics/measurement and digital marketing, with a particularly strong measurement orientation. www.marceldigital.com
   • Why I'd choose them: if you're serious about connecting website experiments to CRM/pipeline/revenue rather than just measuring form submissions.

4. Ice Nine Online — worth adding for a smaller B2B startup
   • Chicago-based and founder-led, with B2B web design, GA4/analytics, conversion tracking and attribution capabilities.
   • I'd consider them if you want a smaller team and more hands-on attention.

5. Solid Digital — good B2B website specialist
   • Particularly worth considering if you're building a substantial B2B marketing site and want strategy → UX/UI → development → ongoing growth support.

What I'd actually do

I'd send the same tightly scoped RFP to Pilot, Orbit and Marcel and make them compete on the growth system, not just the redesign.

Ask each agency to include:

• Current-site analytics/tracking audit
• Information architecture + positioning/messaging process
• UX research and conversion strategy
• Design + development
• GA4/GTM event taxonomy
• CRM integration and attribution
• Experimentation roadmap for the first 6 months
• A/B testing methodology and tooling
• Post-launch optimization cadence
• Specific definition of what they will own vs. what your team owns

The key interview question I'd ask is:

“Show us an example where you redesigned a marketing site, established the measurement infrastructure, and then used experiments to improve business outcomes after launch. What did you test, what did you learn, and what changed?”

That question will quickly separate a web-design agency that happens to offer analytics from a genuine growth/experimentation partner.

My pick: Pilot if experimentation is the priority; Orbit if the redesign/brand experience is the priority; Marcel if rigorous measurement and revenue attribution are the priority.

If the goal is a startup marketing-site redesign plus a measurement/experimentation foundation for growth, I’d shortlist these three:

1. Orbit Media Studios — best overall fit

Orbit Media Studios
Web
Address: 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
Phone: +1 773-348-4581

This would be my first call. Orbit is unusually strong at combining research, UX, web development, conversion optimization, and analytics rather than treating analytics as an afterthought. Their process explicitly incorporates quantitative/qualitative research, existing analytics, heatmaps, funnels, GTM, and post-launch optimization. www.orbitmedia.com

Why I'd pick them: You want a site that becomes an experimentation platform, not just a prettier brochure. Orbit's approach maps well to that.

2. Marcel Digital — best if measurement/growth is equally important as design

Marcel Digital
Web
Address: 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
Phone: +1 312-255-8044

Marcel is particularly compelling if your startup has a B2B/SaaS-style funnel and you care about tying the site to pipeline. Their capabilities span web development, CRO, analytics/measurement, SEO and paid acquisition, with an emphasis on revenue-oriented measurement.

I'd put them ahead of a pure design studio if you're expecting the agency to help answer questions like “Which landing page actually produces more qualified opportunities?”

3. Pilot Digital Marketing — best pragmatic/value-oriented option

Pilot Digital Marketing
Web
Address: 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
Phone: +1 773-809-5002

Pilot combines WordPress web development with analytics, SEO and CRO. More importantly, their CRO practice describes an actual experimentation loop: analytics → identify funnel opportunities → formulate hypotheses → A/B testing → measure the winner. pilotdigital.com

That's a good fit if you're a relatively lean startup and don't want a huge agency engagement.

One wildcard: VA Designs

VA Designs is worth considering if design quality and modern SaaS/startup aesthetics are weighted more heavily. They specifically work with AI startups and SaaS companies and offer analytics implementation, event/conversion tracking, A/B testing, and behavioral analysis. www.vadesigns.net

My ranking for your specific brief

One important caveat: I wouldn't hire anyone based solely on “GA4 implementation.” For a growth-oriented redesign, I'd make the agency responsible for an event taxonomy, funnel definitions, experiment framework, analytics QA, dashboards, and post-launch testing cadence. The redesign should be built around those measurement requirements from day one.

If you tell me what kind of startup you are (B2B SaaS, consumer, marketplace, fintech, etc.), approximate site traffic, and your rough redesign budget, I can narrow this to the 2 agencies I'd actually send an RFP to.

If your brief is specifically “redesign the marketing site + instrument analytics so we can run growth experiments,” I’d put Orbit Media Studios at the top of the shortlist.

My shortlist

1. Orbit Media Studios — best overall fit
Orbit is unusually aligned with the combination you're asking for: website strategy/design/development, analytics, CRO, A/B testing, and ongoing optimization are all part of its offering. Its redesign work explicitly connects the site to measurable outcomes, and it supports Google Analytics, Tag Manager, Looker Studio, user-behavior analysis and experimentation. www.orbitmedia.com

That makes them my first call if the website is intended to become a growth-experiment platform rather than simply a prettier marketing site.

Orbit Media Studios

2. Marcel Digital — best if analytics/measurement is especially important
Marcel has a strong measurement and performance-marketing orientation alongside web development, CRO and SEO. I'd consider them if your startup already has a sophisticated growth/marketing stack and wants the agency to integrate the site tightly with CRM, acquisition and analytics.

Marcel Digital

3. Solid Digital — strong alternative for a B2B startup
Solid Digital looks particularly relevant if you're looking for a polished B2B site redesign with a continuing growth/optimization relationship rather than a one-off design project.

Solid Digital

4. Digital Authority Partners — broader growth partner
Worth considering if you want the agency to extend beyond the website into acquisition, SEO, CRO, analytics and potentially product/software work. I'd favor the first three if the website itself is the central project.

What I'd ask them for

Don't simply ask for a “website redesign.” Give each agency essentially the same brief:

• Redesign + rebuild around your highest-value conversion paths.
• Measurement architecture before design: event taxonomy, funnel definitions, attribution, dashboards and data ownership.
• Experimentation infrastructure: ability to test messaging, CTAs, landing pages, forms and navigation without requiring a full engineering cycle.
• Baseline → hypotheses → tests → learning: establish a prioritized experimentation roadmap.
• Instrumentation QA: make analytics acceptance criteria part of the launch, not an afterthought.
• Post-launch optimization: ideally a 3–6 month testing engagement rather than disappearing after launch.

One particularly good sign with Orbit is that its stated CRO process starts with analytics/user-behavior analysis and then moves into test prioritization and A/B testing, rather than treating analytics as merely reporting. www.orbitmedia.comwww.orbitmedia.com

My recommendation: interview Orbit + Marcel + Solid Digital, and make them respond to the same hypothetical experiment during the pitch. For example: “We believe changing our homepage positioning could increase qualified demo requests. How would you instrument, design, launch, and evaluate that experiment?” Their answers will tell you much more than their portfolios.

If you tell me your startup's stage, B2B/B2C, approximate site size, tech stack, and rough redesign budget, I can narrow this to one agency and give you a concrete RFP/pitch-scorecard.

For a startup, I’d prioritize an agency that can do three things together: (1) reposition the site for conversion, (2) implement a reliable analytics foundation, and (3) run a repeatable experimentation loop (A/B tests, funnel analysis, iteration). A lot of web design shops can do #1; fewer are strong at #2 and #3.

Here are the Chicago agencies I’d shortlist:

My ranking for your specific brief (“redesign + analytics + growth experiments”):

1. Digital Authority Partners — strongest match if experimentation and measurement are core requirements. www.digitalauthority.me
2. Pilot Digital Marketing — strongest if you want a leaner CRO/testing partner after the redesign. pilotdigital.com
3. Orbit Media Studios — strongest if the marketing site itself is the main growth asset and you want polished UX plus measurable outcomes. www.orbitmedia.com

When interviewing them, I’d ask:

• “Can you show a website redesign where analytics changed the design decisions?”
• “Who owns our event taxonomy and tracking plan?”
• “Which tools do you implement (GA4, GTM, Mixpanel, Amplitude, Segment, Hotjar, Optimizely, etc.)?”
• “How do you decide what experiments to run?”
• “Will you still be involved 90 days after launch to optimize?”

For a startup, I would avoid hiring a pure branding/design studio unless you already have someone internal who owns analytics and growth. The ideal partner should leave you with a measurement system and experimentation backlog, not just a prettier homepage.

For a startup that needs both a marketing-site redesign and a measurement system for growth experiments, I’d prioritize agencies that understand conversion optimization, analytics instrumentation, and iterative testing—not just visual design.

My shortlist of Chicago agencies to evaluate:

My ranking for your specific brief:

1. Marcel Digital — if your startup is B2B SaaS or has a serious demand-gen motion.
2. Orbit Media — if the site itself is the main growth lever (messaging, UX, SEO, conversion).
3. Solid Digital — if you need a polished enterprise-quality SaaS marketing site.
4. Ice Nine Online — if you want a smaller, more hands-on partner.

When interviewing them, I’d ask for a proposal that includes:

• Analytics foundation
  • GA4 + Google Tag Manager architecture
  • event taxonomy
  • CRM attribution (HubSpot/Salesforce/etc.)
  • dashboarding
  • experiment reporting

• Growth experimentation
  • funnel audit
  • conversion hypotheses
  • A/B testing roadmap
  • landing page experiments
  • post-launch optimization cadence

• Website redesign
  • user research/interviews
  • messaging strategy
  • information architecture
  • design system
  • CMS choice (Webflow, WordPress, HubSpot CMS, custom)

A good agency should not just hand over a redesigned site; they should leave you with a measurement system and a backlog of experiments so your team can keep improving conversion after launch.