Most people judge a website on how it looks. I judge it on how much money it makes you. A website either drives growth or drains your budget. There is no middle ground.
As a Chartered Marketer and Fractional CMO with technical design and web development knowledge, I look at websites very differently from a typical designer or developer. Design matters, of course, it does, but design does not generate a pipeline on its own. A good website is a strategic business asset. It should attract the right traffic, generate quality leads, nurture prospects and deliver measurable ROI. If it is not doing that, it is not a good website.
I speak to business owners all the time who have spent thousands on a new site, only to be left wondering why it is not delivering enquiries. The truth is simple… they paid for a website, and not a strategy.
That is the difference between what I build and what most web developers build. I approach a website with the same mindset I bring to a marketing function. Structure. Intent. Commercial performance. Long-term scalability. Everything tied together.
Strategic Website Design vs Cosmetic Builds
There is a huge difference between a website that looks good and a website that works hard for your business. Anyone can take a WordPress theme, swap out the colours, and make something look modern. That does not make it a high-performing website.
The websites I design or oversee are not cheap, and there is a reason for that. They are built around your customer journey, your growth goals, your CRM, your funnel and your long-term marketing strategy. They are built to generate revenue, as well as compliments.
A strategic website is:
- Designed around your customer journey.
- Structured for SEO from day one.
- Integrated with your CRM and automation tools.
- Built to convert with clear user flows.
- Backed by analytics and reporting that actually mean something.
A low-cost site may look fine on the surface, but without these layers, it is just a digital brochure. It sits there, looks nice, and does very little.
Why Most Developers Do Not Build High-Performing Websites
This is not a dig at developers. They do their job, and they do it well, but their job is not the same as mine.
Most developers are not marketers. They are not focused on SEO architecture, funnel strategy, behavioural psychology, CRM integration or your cost per acquisition. They build what you ask for. Not what your business actually needs to grow.
Most business owners do not know what to ask for. They ask for a website. And that is exactly what they get. A website. Not a growth engine.
This gap between what companies need and what they think they need is where most of the problems begin.
The Hidden Layers That Make a Website Perform
A website built by someone who understands marketing behaves very differently from a website built by someone who understands templates. It is the unseen layers that make the difference.
SEO Architecture
SEO should be baked into the structure from the first line of code. Proper headings, internal linking, clean URLs, metadata, schema and a keyword strategy underpinning every page.
I am continually shocked by how many websites launch with none of this in place. No plan. No structure. No research. Then the owner wonders why they never appear on Google.
Conversion Focused Content and UX
Good content reflects the customer and their intent, not the company. It answers questions, addresses pain points and leads people to a logical next step.
UX is not just about looking sleek. It is about clarity and momentum. A user should always know where they are and what to do next. I design flows that reduce friction and increase enquiries.
CRM Integration and Automation
This is where most cheap sites start to fall apart. A contact form that sends an email is not enough.
Your website should feed your CRM automatically. Every enquiry should be tracked, segmented and nurtured. No lost leads. No manual juggling. When I build a website, it becomes part of your sales engine, not separate from it.
Analytics and Reporting
If you cannot measure it, you cannot optimise it.
I do not launch sites without GA4, Search Console and proper event tracking. Your website should tell you what is working, what is not and where the opportunities are. Data is not optional; it is foundational.
SEO Still Matters in an AI First World
People keep asking if SEO is dead because of AI. The answer is no.
AI still depends on clear, structured, well-optimised content. If your website is messy, inconsistent or technically weak, it becomes invisible to both AI tools and search engines. AI has not replaced SEO. It has exposed bad SEO.
The Real Cost of Cheap Sites
I have seen too many businesses pay four or even five figures for a website that delivers nothing. One recent example says it all.
A business owner came to me after paying £4,500 for a brand new site. It looked good. Clean visuals. Modern feel. The problem was obvious. It was generating zero leads.
When I ran technical scans, the issues were fundamental. No sitemap. Every page had the same meta title and description. Over 50 low-content pages. No keyword strategy. No structure. No tracking. It had been built to look modern, but not to perform.
He had spent his entire marketing budget on a site that was never going to work. When I reviewed the quote from the developer, everything became clear. There was no mention of SEO. No technical optimisation. No strategy. Just design and build.
This is far more common than people realise. Business owners assume a website includes the elements that make it perform. They assume a developer will think about SEO. They assume modern means effective.
It does not. A website should be an investment that compounds. Not something you rebuild six months later because the phone is not ringing.
Your Hardest-working sales person
Your website should be your hardest-working salesperson. It should attract prospects, convert them, nurture them and feed your CRM while you sleep. If it is not doing that, it is not doing its job.
As a Fractional CMO, I build websites with commercial intent. With strategy. With structure. With performance baked in, not as a pretty brochure, but as a growth asset.
If your current website is not delivering or you are about to invest in a new one, I will tell you the truth, fix what is broken and build something that finally works.
A website should not drain your budget. It should drive your growth.