Andreas owns a plumbing business. He paid €1,200 for a website. Two months later, he wanted to add online booking.
“That’ll be €400 for the plugin, €200 for configuration, and €50/month for the booking service.”
He called us angry. Not at his developer—at himself for not asking the right questions upfront.
The Feature Upsell Game
Here’s how it works in the traditional website industry:
Month 1: “Your website is €2,000”
- Sounds reasonable
- You get a nice-looking site
- Everything works
Month 3: “You want contact forms? That’s €150”
- The free ones look unprofessional
- The good ones cost money
- You need forms, so you pay
Month 6: “Online booking? €600 setup + €40/month”
- Your competitor added it
- Customers are asking for it
- You’re trapped
Month 12: “SSL certificate renewal: €60”
- Wait, this wasn’t included?
- Also, the hosting went up to €25/month
- And you need SEO tools (€30/month)
- And backup service (€15/month)
By year two, you’re paying €1,800+/year for features that should’ve been included from day one.
Why This Happens (And Why It’s Not Always Malicious)
Most developers aren’t trying to scam you. The problem is how the industry works:
- Low initial quotes win projects – Nobody wants to hear “€5,000 all-in”
- Features cost real money – Premium plugins genuinely cost €50-300 each
- Time is expensive – Configuration takes hours
- Nobody budgets for “maybe later” – You don’t know you’ll need booking until you do
So you end up with “modular pricing”—which sounds flexible but really means “death by a thousand cuts.”
The Real Cost of “Affordable” Website Builders
Let’s talk about the DIY route. Wix, Squarespace, WordPress.com—they all do the same thing:
Hook you with low pricing, then nickel-and-dime you:
Wix Example:
- Basic Plan: €14/month (sounds great!)
- Want to remove their ads? Upgrade to €18
- Need booking? Add €15/month
- Want email marketing? Add €9/month
- Need an online store? Add €23/month
- Total: €65/month
And you still don’t have:
- Real support (only chat bots)
- Developer help when something breaks
- Custom functionality
- The ability to export your data easily
What “Everything Included” Actually Means
When we say StartYour.Website includes “everything,” business owners are skeptical. They’ve been burned before.
So let’s be specific about what’s included in your €20-200/month:
Hosting Infrastructure:
- ✅ Enterprise-grade servers (not shared hosting)
- ✅ SSL certificates (€60/year value)
- ✅ Daily backups (€120/year value)
- ✅ CDN for speed (€60/year value)
- ✅ DDoS protection (€150/year value)
- ✅ 99.9% uptime monitoring
Business Features:
- ✅ Contact forms (unlimited)
- ✅ Booking/appointment systems (€500+ value)
- ✅ Email collection and marketing tools
- ✅ SEO optimization tools (€200/year value)
- ✅ Analytics dashboard (€150/year value)
- ✅ Social media integration
- ✅ Google Maps integration
- ✅ Review display systems
eCommerce Capabilities:
- ✅ Product pages (unlimited)
- ✅ Shopping cart
- ✅ Payment processing (Stripe/PayPal)
- ✅ Inventory management (Business plan+)
- ✅ Coupon codes
- ✅ Shipping calculations
- ✅ Order management
Content & Design:
- ✅ 70+ professional templates
- ✅ Mobile-responsive design
- ✅ Unlimited pages
- ✅ Image galleries
- ✅ Video embedding
- ✅ Blog functionality
- ✅ Portfolio displays
Security & Maintenance:
- ✅ WordPress core updates
- ✅ Plugin updates (we test them first)
- ✅ Security monitoring
- ✅ Malware scanning
- ✅ Firewall protection
- ✅ Spam filtering
Support & Help:
- ✅ Email support (all plans)
- ✅ Live chat (Business+)
- ✅ Phone support (Agency)
- ✅ Knowledge base access
- ✅ Video tutorials
- ✅ Setup assistance available (project-based)
That’s not a feature list. That’s everything you need to run a real business online.
The Conversation That Changes Everything
Here’s what we tell new customers during their demo call:
Customer: “So if I want to add online booking later, how much extra?”
Us: “It’s already included. You just turn it on.”
Customer: “Wait, what about payment processing?”
Us: “Included. Connect your Stripe account and you’re done.”
Customer: “Okay, but what about SEO tools?”
Us: “Already there. Built into every template.”
Customer: “This feels like a trap. What’s the catch?”
Us: “No catch. This is just how it should work.”
Why We Can Do This (And Others Can’t)
Fair question. How can we include €2,000+ worth of features for €20-50/month?
Three reasons:
1. Scale Economics
We’re running on Multisite Ultimate. One platform, hundreds of sites. When we add a feature, every customer gets it. When we negotiate with payment processors, we get volume pricing. We pass those savings down.
Traditional agencies build custom sites. Every feature is coded from scratch. That’s expensive.
2. We’re a Development Agency
We build these features ourselves. We’re not reselling other people’s plugins at markup. The booking system? We built it. The eCommerce functionality? We built it.
We don’t pay per-customer licensing fees because we own the code.
3. Different Business Model
Most web companies make money on upsells:
- “Want email? Buy this plugin”
- “Need faster hosting? Upgrade”
- “Want support? That’s extra”
We make money by keeping customers long-term. If your site works well and you’re happy, you stay. That’s worth more than squeezing €400 out of you for booking.
The Features You Didn’t Know You’d Need
Here’s what happens with traditional websites:
Month 1: “I just need a simple site” Month 3: “Actually, I need contact forms” Month 6: “Customers want to book online” Month 9: “I should be selling my products” Month 12: “I need email marketing”
Each time: “That’ll be extra.”
With StartYour.Website, all of this is already there. You don’t use it day one? Fine. But when you need it in month three, you just turn it on.
No calls. No quotes. No “that’ll be extra.”
What’s Actually Extra (Let’s Be Honest)
We’re not a charity. Some things cost extra:
Setup Assistance (Project-Based):
- Complex eCommerce configuration (100+ products)
- Custom booking workflows
- Content writing and SEO strategy
- Professional photography
- Logo and brand design
Why these cost extra: They require hours of human time specific to your business. We quote them fairly and deliver quality work because we’re an actual design/development agency.
But the difference? We quote upfront. No surprises.
The Feature Insurance Policy
Think of StartYour.Website as feature insurance.
You’re paying €20-50/month knowing that when you need:
- Video backgrounds
- Advanced galleries
- Member areas
- Event calendars
- Multi-language support
- Email automation
- SMS notifications
It’s already there. No phone calls, no quotes, no waiting.
That’s worth more than the price difference.
The Question Sophie Asked
Sophie runs a consulting business. Smart woman. During her demo she asked:
“What’s stopping you from adding features next year and charging me extra for them?”
Honest answer: Nothing legally. But practically? Our reputation.
We’re a real agency in Bucharest with our name on this. If we started playing the upsell game, we’d lose customers and damage our reputation. Not worth it.
Plus, our model works because we include everything. That’s our competitive advantage. Why would we abandon it?
What This Means for Your Budget
Traditional website (first year):
- Site build: €2,500
- Booking plugin: €400
- Form plugin: €150
- SEO tool: €200
- Backups: €120
- Security: €150
- Hosting: €180
- Support calls: €400
- Total: €4,100
StartYour.Website (first year):
- Business plan: €600/year (€50/mo)
- Everything included
- Total: €600
Savings: €3,500
But more importantly: No surprise charges.
The Real Value: Predictability
Running a business is chaos. Revenue fluctuates. Expenses appear from nowhere. Staff calls in sick. Equipment breaks.
Your website shouldn’t add to that chaos.
€20, €50, or €200 per month—you know exactly what it costs. No surprises. No “by the way, that feature you wanted is €300 extra.”
That predictability? That’s the actual product.
The Upgrade Path That Makes Sense
Start at €20/month (StartUp plan):
- Test everything
- Make sure it works for your business
- Use it for a few months
Need more? Upgrade to €50/month (Business):
- Multiple domains if you expand
- Advanced features
- Priority support
Running an agency? Go to €200/month (Agency):
- Manage 100 client sites
- White-label everything
- Dedicated support
The features don’t change. You just get more capacity and better support.
What We’re Really Selling
It’s not features. Every website has features.
We’re selling certainty.
Certainty that your site will work tomorrow. Certainty that features won’t cost extra. Certainty that someone will answer when you need help. Certainty that you can focus on your business.
That’s worth more than €50/month.
Tired of “that’ll be extra”?
Start your free 48-hour demo – Every feature included. No credit card required.
P.S. – If you’ve been burned by feature upsells before, we get it. That’s literally why we built this. Try the demo—everything actually is included.
