The traditional web design model goes like this: you pay $5,000–$15,000 upfront, wait 6–12 weeks, and get a website. Then you're on your own. Any changes? That'll be $80–$150/hour. Hosting? Extra. Security updates? Extra. The site slowly decays until, 3 years later, you do it all over again.
I think that model is fundamentally broken. Here's why I do things differently.
A website is a living thing
Your business evolves. Your services change. Your market shifts. Your competitors update their sites. A website that's "finished" the day it launches is already falling behind.
The monthly model means your website evolves with your business. New service? I add it. New testimonial? I put it front and centre. Seasonal promotion? Done. You never have to worry about whether a change is "worth" the hourly rate.
Aligned incentives
Here's the critical difference: with a one-time fee, the agency's incentive is to finish your project as quickly as possible and move on. They've already been paid. They're not invested in your long-term success.
With a monthly model, I only succeed if you stay. My incentive is to make your website so good, so effective, and so well-maintained that you'd never want to leave. That alignment changes everything.
Lower barrier to entry
Not every business has $10,000 to spend upfront on a website. But most can invest $159–$757/month in a tool that actively drives revenue. My model makes professional web design accessible to businesses of every size.
Everything included
No surprises, no extras, no "that'll cost you" conversations. Your monthly fee covers:
- Custom website design and development
- Unlimited change requests
- Hosting and uptime monitoring
- SSL security
- Performance optimisation
- Dedicated account manager
- Ongoing improvements and updates
The bottom line
A one-time fee gives you a snapshot. A monthly partnership gives you a website that grows with your business, stays current, and continuously improves. For a fraction of the cost.
Thanks for reading.
If any of this hit home, that is usually the sign it is time to build. I handle the whole thing, end to end.