Why Your New Website Costs a Fortune (Hint: It's You)
If you've read my About Me page, you'll know that by day, I build websites for a living. I've been doing it for nearly 25 years, working on everything from small projects for owner-managed businesses to large-scale builds for pharma companies. In that time, the most common question I get is: "Why are websites so damn expensive?"
The honest, no-bullshit answer is that the single biggest thing that inflates the cost of a website isn't the technology or the design. It's the client.
Case Study: The 18-Month "Quick" Rebuild
Let me give you a real-world example. I have a large national pharmaceutical company as a client. They have the typical corporate setup: board, directors, managers, heads of department... you get the picture.
18 months ago, I started a "simple" website rebuild for them. Knowing what a disaster they are to work with, my initial quote was four times my usual rate. Why? Because every single decision is made by a committee of about ten people, and every decision changes at least once.
We are now 18 months deep into the project. The site has already been designed and built twice. Now, they want to make fundamental changes again because the board has had a shake-up and the new team has "different ideas." My bill so far has increased by 70%. They're on a strict milestone payment program, so hey, knock yourselves out, guys. Keep changing your minds, and I'll keep getting paid.
This story isn't an exception; for a company with layers of management, it's the rule. I call it "Design by Committee," and it's a complete shitshow. The project kicks off with a marketing manager, but then the sales director has "opinions," the CEO needs to sign off on the colours, and the CEO's nephew (who did a graphic design course once) thinks the logo should be bigger.
Trying to build a website by committee is like trying to cook a Michelin-star meal with five head chefs who all have different recipes. The development time quadruples, and every single one of those extra hours goes on the bill.
The "Free Work" Audition
The other classic cost-inflator is the pre-project dance: the demand for in-depth technical briefs, wireframes, storyboards, and multiple design mock-ups before a contract is signed.
Let me translate: you're asking me to do weeks of highly skilled work for free, just for the chance of getting the job. It's like asking an architect to draw up the complete blueprints for your new office before you've even agreed to hire them.
Developers have to price this risk into our quotes for everyone. The good clients, the ones who are ready to go, end up paying more to cover all the time we waste on the tyre-kickers.
My Escape Hatch
This is going to sound arrogant, but after years of this nonsense, I built a filter. I don't work with medium-sized companies anymore. I don't work with small companies run by micromanagers.
My business is now just me, AI (yep, I use it and I'm not ashamed to say so), and external talent when needed. I don't have an office; everything is done remotely from whatever country I happen to be in. And because I pick and choose my clients very carefully, I have a stress-free life and plenty of time to ride bikes and talk mostly bollox.
This isn't a sales pitch; I'm busy enough. It's just the reality.
The Simple (and Cheaper) Alternative
So, for all you business owners wondering why your website quote is so high, here's some free advice: stop trying to be a project manager, a designer, and a developer. You're not. Your job is to find a single, competent person you can trust.
Check their portfolio. Talk to their past clients. Get a feel for them. If you trust them, hire them. Then, get the hell out of their way and let them do the job you're paying them for.
It'll be finished quicker, it'll be better, and Christ, it'll be a hell of a lot cheaper. And that's not bollox.