Hosting Lock-In Horizon

AI website builders bundle generation with hosting, so the real switching cost arrives after launch, not before. An agency can spin up a client site on 10Web or Lindo in an afternoon, but migrating that site to another host later means re-platforming content, re-pointing DNS, rebuilding forms, and re-testing integrations on the client's dime. The framework asks one question per prospect: how long until this client wants to leave, and what does leaving cost them? Short-horizon clients (campaign landing pages, seasonal promos) tolerate lock-in because the site is disposable. Long-horizon clients (retainers past 18 months) turn lock-in into a renewal negotiation the agency loses if the platform owns the domain and CMS. Model the exit cost before quoting the retainer, not after the client asks for their files.