These poor souls are frustrated as hell because no one will listen to them. It's analogous to the buildings that architects and engineers understand so well. They exist for a reason, as housing, office space, or whatever. A web site deserves the same type of positioning. It is not simply a brochure for the company that sits, like a magazine on a table, hoping that someone will pick it up and page through it.
All business owners have to think what they want to accomplish with their site.
Each aspect needs to be refined and focused individually. For example, one engineering company I know of first addressed the recruitment issue. This is all followed up by links to the major engineering schools, associations, and recruiting agencies. It looks good, just as a building should. It has a purpose for being there, and, like any meaningful structure, its purpose is clear to the passerby or the web surfer.