Perfectly executed work needs no introduction

For those who still don't know you - introduce yourself again.

My name is Alexander Netsov, from the city under the hills. For most of my conscious life, I have been developing various types of businesses, always focusing on ensuring that every client receives what I would want to receive if I were in their place.

How did the creation of Web to Spec come about? Can you tell us where the name came from and what it means?

The story is quite interesting. I worked at a Sofia agency, then freelanced, and later decided to focus on the family business.
In 2018, I created a quick and optimized WordPress site for it, which I gradually improved, and eventually, we reached seven-figure revenues.
The turning point was in March 2020 when Bulgaria closed almost everything due to Covid. Many businesses went bankrupt, but for us, it had the opposite effect - an unprecedented amount of work.
This revealed a massive problem - due to the high traffic, the site kept crashing, and we eventually had to move it to another hosting company. There, I met the chief system administrator, who said he had never seen such a well-functioning WordPress site.
I blushed, took a screenshot of that message, and told myself, “Wow, someone appreciates what I do.”. Subsequently, this person introduced me to two others who needed websites. They were very satisfied, and so, through recommendations, we are here now.
The name came from my passion for cars and a term used there - “torque to spec,” which means “tightening to factory specifications.” This symbolizes perfectly executed work.
I decided to carry this meaning into everything we do, and the agency's name symbolizes the development of web projects with the same precision.

Web to Spec develops websites, engages in design and marketing all in one - was this a deliberate choice, or did it happen gradually?

At the beginning of the adventure, I certainly did not plan to engage in advertising activities. Circumstances led me to get involved in marketing after the agency we were paying in a previous business did not do its job.
I decided that I could do it better. At that moment, I started a 60-day period where I went to bed and woke up with marketing strategies in my head. Later, I experimented a lot with Meta Ads, Google Ads, and a few months later, I already had stable results behind me.
After that, I launched Web To Spec, found a strong marketing person to lead that part of the company, and the rest is history. Currently, about 40% of our work is marketing and scaling businesses.

Has a client ever initially doubted that your proposed approach would yield results, only to be pleasantly surprised by the outcome?
In fact, this is quite a common occurrence. We have a more unconventional approach, both to the marketing part and to the websites.

In marketing, there is an incredibly wide field for expression. It is a double-edged sword; while you have the freedom to achieve incredible results, there is also the possibility of completely messing things up. There, we apply simple but effective approaches that scale very sustainably over time, and our clients are happy.
In the programming part of many of our projects, we rely on WordPress as a platform. Due to its popularity, many people have had bitter experiences with it. When we take things into our own hands and show how a WordPress site should look and work, we usually hear, “This can't be WordPress.”

You say that Web to Spec is a trusted digital partner, not just another agency - how is this trust proven in practice, rather than just declared?

I really dislike the phrase “digital agency.” In recent years, it has become a byword for companies that do mediocre work and do not take responsibility for their actions.
Our goal is not to be a third party for the business (agency), but to be a partner who is part of the business, and together we move forward. The best proof of this is our long-term clients.

What happens when a certain action strategy does not develop as it should? How does the team react at such a moment?

We have had moments when we do everything “to spec” (by the book), and yet things do not work out. Especially in the AI era, where we rely on the Meta algorithm and the Google algorithm, this is not such a rare occurrence.
We always try to approach rationally, trace the problem, and take consistent steps to resolve it. This helps us quickly get things back on track and continue building sustainably.

If you could leave one message for everyone who reads this interview - what would it be?

Do your work “to spec” even when no one is watching. Our entire business today started from a message from someone who simply noticed well-done work. Do not chase recognition - chase quality. Recognition comes afterward.