Why small businesses overpay for websites

You're paying for the agency, not the website

A typical agency quote has to cover account managers, project managers, a sales team, an office and a healthy margin. Those people may be great at their jobs, but very little of that cost ends up in the website you get. A standard five-page business site is not a big technical job with modern tools.

Hourly billing rewards slow work

When a project is quoted by the hour, every round of changes, every meeting and every email adds to the bill. There's no reason for anyone to get it done quickly. Fixed-price quotes flip that around: the builder carries the risk, not you.

The quote isn't the final price

Common extras that show up after you've signed:

• Charges for every change after launch
• Hosting and maintenance plans that cost more than the hosting itself
• Copywriting, photos or "SEO setup" billed separately
• Fees to hand over your domain or files if you leave

Some of the work is quietly outsourced

Some designers sell you a local service, then send the build offshore for a fraction of what you paid. Outsourcing isn't always bad, but you deserve to know who's building your site and where your money is going. Ask directly.

You pay before you see anything

Most web designers ask for a big deposit up front, based on a mockup or a promise. If the finished site isn't what you pictured, you've already paid. That's the biggest reason people feel ripped off.

How to avoid overpaying

Before you sign anything, ask:

• Is this a fixed price, and what exactly is included?
• Who actually builds the site, and where are they?
• What do changes cost after launch?
• Do I own my domain and my website?
• Can I see the site before I pay the full amount?

How we do it differently

We're two founders who build every site ourselves. No outsourcing, no middlemen, no hidden costs: the quote is the price. And we build your site first, so you see it live before you spend a cent.