Why Cookie-Cutter Websites Are Killing Small Businesses (And What to Do Instead)

Somewhere out there, right now, a small business owner is waiting on hold with a “big box” web design company. They’ve been transferred to their fourth department, they’re humming along with the elevator music, and they’re wondering if anybody at this company actually knows their name.

When they finally do get through, the answer is almost always the same: “That’s not included in your package.”

That, my friends, is the problem with cookie-cutter websites.

The Illusion of Cheap and Easy

If you’ve been in small business long enough, you’ve heard it:

• “My nephew can build us a site for free.”

• “My wife’s friend took a class in college, she’ll knock one out.”

• “Why pay for custom when I can drag and drop this myself?”

And sure, on paper it sounds great. Free labor, a quick setup, and you can check “get a website” off your list.

But here’s the dirty little secret nobody wants to say out loud: those template sites aren’t built for you. They’re built to sell subscriptions. They don’t know your customers, your quirks, your brand, or your town. They slap your logo on the same design they sold to fifty other businesses, call it “done,” and send you on your way.

It’s like buying a suit off the clearance rack two sizes too big, then wondering why it looks like you’re wearing your dad’s church clothes.

What It Costs You (That You Can’t See on a Bill)

The price tag might be low, but the hidden costs pile up fast:

• A slow website that sends customers clicking somewhere else.

• An outdated look that makes you seem second-rate before you’ve even said hello.

• Phone numbers that don’t get answered. Emails that don’t get read. Updates that take months.

And here’s the kicker: customers don’t call and tell you they left your site. They just leave.

The Stone Age Web Way

At Stone Age Web, we don’t believe in templates. We believe in people.

When you work with us, you’re not dialing into a call center. You’re calling someone who knows your name, your business, and the fact that you needed that update yesterday. We build websites the way small businesses actually operate: with custom fits, one-on-one conversations, and a focus on making you look like the professional you already are.

No elevator music. No cookie cutters. Just a site that feels like it was built for you—because it was.

The Bottom Line

Big-box companies will keep selling cookie-cutter websites because it’s profitable for them. But it’s costly for small businesses. If you want to stand out, attract real customers, and have a site that works as hard as you do, it’s time to ditch the templates.

Because your business deserves better than your nephew’s “free favor” or a design company that treats you like a ticket number.

Stone Age Web is here to help. Ready to get rid of the cookie cutter? Let’s talk.