A website built in a day is a template with your logo dropped in. It skips the bits that actually win you customers: knowing who it’s for, what they need to hear, and what proves you’re worth it. That isn’t a website. It’s a placeholder with a price tag.
What do you actually get from a one-day website?
Usually a theme someone bought once and sells fifty times, stock photos of people who’ve never heard of you, and words written in a rush by someone who’s known your business for an hour. “Welcome to my website.” “Quality service at affordable prices.” Sound familiar? It should. It’s on thousands of other sites.
None of that is a crime. None of it sells you, either.
What does generic design cost women in business?
More than it costs anyone else. If you’re a woman running a business, you already get second-guessed: by suppliers, by customers, by the bloke who asks to “speak to the owner”. A generic site doesn’t challenge that doubt. It confirms it. It looks like everyone else, says nothing specific and proves nothing, so people fill the gaps with their own assumptions. Those are rarely generous.
Your website is the one place you control the first impression completely. Wasting it on a template is like turning up to a pitch in someone else’s clothes.
What actually works?
- Words first, design second. Decide what the site needs to say before anyone picks a colour. Design built around real words looks better and sells harder.
- Say who it’s for in the first line. “Electrician in Cardiff for homeowners who want it done right” beats “Welcome” every single time.
- Proof near the top. Reviews with real first names, qualifications, and photos of you and your actual work. Not stock.
- One clear next step per page. Call, book or enquire. Pick one. Three competing buttons is how you get none.
- Built for a phone first. That’s where most people meet you, usually in a hurry. If it’s slow or fiddly there, nothing else matters.
- Accessible by default. Readable text, proper contrast, works with a keyboard and a screen reader. For public sector sites it’s the law. For everyone else it’s good manners and good business.
What are the mistakes I fix most often?
- Stock photos where the owner should be. People buy from people.
- A lovely homepage, and a contact form that’s been emailing nobody for months.
- Huge images that make the site crawl on mobile data.
- A sliding carousel of messages nobody waits around to read.
- No prices, not even a “from”. So people assume you’re too expensive and don’t ask.
- Apologetic words: “just a small business”, “we’ll try our best”. Be proud, or be quiet.
What should I ask before I pay anyone for a website?
- Who writes the words, and when?
- Is it built for my customers, or from a template?
- How fast will it load on a phone, on mobile data?
- Will I own it outright: the site, the domain and the words?
- Can I change it myself without ringing you?
- How will people find it on Google and in AI answers?
- What happens after launch if something breaks?
If the answers are vague, so is the website.
So how long should a website take?
Long enough to do it properly. With my Dragon Fire Process you get a plan with real dates within two working days, and you watch every task tick off on your own project page. Not quick and nasty. Not slow and mysterious. Properly planned, researched and tested. See how I work.
Be bold. Be brave. Be ballsy. Your business isn’t generic. Your website shouldn’t be either.
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