Blog
Straight talk
on the web.
Thinking on web hosting, performance, and why most small businesses are paying twice what they should.
Your agency charges to maintain your site, then charges again when their updates break it
You pay a monthly retainer for maintenance. Then an update breaks the site and they invoice you to fix it. The retainer was supposed to cover that.
Web agencies won't touch you unless you spend thousands
You called three agencies. Two never replied. The third quoted £4,000 to build, plus £150 a month. Here is why agencies behave like this, and what to do about it.
Your UK agency might not be doing the work themselves
You hired a local UK studio. The work is being done 4,000 miles away by someone you have never spoken to. Here is how to tell, and what it means for your site.
Your agency charges monthly for a site they have not touched in 18 months
Your agency bills you every month but the site has not changed since the day it launched. Here is what that fee actually covers and how to stop paying for nothing.
Your agency contract says they own the copyright to your website design
You paid for the site. The contract says they own it. That clause is more common than you think - and more fixable.
Your agency says a 10-second load time is normal. It is not.
A 10-second load time is not normal, not acceptable, and not your fault. Your agency is hoping you do not check.
Your agency sent you a bill for work you never asked for
An invoice lands for work you never asked for. The agency says it was necessary. You have no record of agreeing to any of it. Here is how to handle it.
Your website images are huge and nobody told you
A single 5MB photo on your homepage will tank your load time on mobile. Here is how to check what your agency uploaded, and what they should have done before publishing.
Your agency blames you every time something goes wrong
The contact form stopped working and your agency says you must have changed something. The site is slow and apparently that is your hosting choice. There is a pattern here.
Your agency says your site needs a full rebuild but cannot explain why
Your agency says your site needs a full rebuild costing thousands. Ask what is actually wrong and you get vague answers about it being old or outdated. Here is what to ask before signing off.