> Creating efficient pages takes time from a competent developer, which costs money upfront, but saves server resources over time.

Not trying to be a contrarian just for the sake of it, but I don't think this has to be true. Choice of technology or framework also influences how easy it is to create an efficient page, and that's a free choice one can make*

* Unless you are being forced to make framework/language/tech decisions by someone else, in which case carry on with this claim. But please don't suggest it's a universal claim