I've been building websites for small businesses for a while now, and I keep seeing the same few problems come up before a project even starts. Not bad clients, just stuff nobody tells you when you decide, "okay, I need a website."
Sharing in case it helps someone who's at that stage right now.
- "I just need a simple website"
Almost everyone says this. Then on the call it turns into booking, a blog, a gallery, payments, and a members area. Totally fine, but "simple" means something different to everyone.
What helps: before talking to anyone, write down what you want people to do on your site. Call you? Book? Buy? Fill a form? That one list makes scoping 10x easier.
- Not knowing if it'll actually bring customers
Many owners see a website as a cost, so they keep putting it off. Fair. A pretty site that does nothing is a waste of money.
What helps: think of it as a lead source. Ask yourself where your customers come from today and how the site should support that. If most of your business is word of mouth, your site's main job might be to earn trust when people Google you.
- Getting quotes from $300 to $10k and having no idea why
This one confuses people the most. The difference is usually in custom design vs. template, how much functionality there is, who writes the content, and whether there's support after launch.
What helps: ask every person you talk to what's included and what's not. You'll quickly see you're comparing different things.
- Trying DIY first and getting stuck
Nothing wrong with Wix or Squarespace. Some businesses should use them. But I've lost count of how many people come to me with a half-finished builder site they gave up on after 3 weekends.
What helps: be honest about your time. If you'd rather spend those weekends running your business, that's your answer.
- Content (the silent project killer)
Seriously, this delays more websites than anything technical. The site is ready, and then it sits for weeks waiting on the About page text and photos.
What helps: start gathering content before you hire anyone. A few good photos, a short description of each service, some reviews from happy customers. Doesn't need to be perfect.
- Forgetting about costs after launch
Domain, hosting, email, updates, and someone to call when something breaks. People often don't think about this until month 3.
What helps: ask upfront what the yearly running cost looks like and who handles maintenance. And make sure the domain and hosting are in your name.
Source: r/Businessowners · by /u/clever-coder