When You Hire Your Friend to Build Your Website

And other stories that end in awkward group texts

There is a special kind of silence that falls across the Zoom room when someone says, “My friend is building our website. She’s not technically a web designer but she’s really creative and said she could knock it out in a weekend.”

We nod. We smile. We resist the urge to ask whether that weekend happened in 2015.

Look. We know how it starts. You’re trying to be smart. You’re trying to be scrappy. Your business is still growing and someone close to you offers to help. Maybe they dabble in design. Maybe they know a little code. Maybe they once opened Wix and survived. It feels like a win. A money-saving, time-saving, relationship-affirming decision.

Until it’s not.

What often begins as a favor ends with missed deadlines, confusing navigation, and a homepage that somehow includes glitter text and a broken contact form. And the part no one tells you? Fixing a well-intentioned mess almost always costs more than doing it right the first time.

Your Website Is Not a Hobby

We need to stop treating websites like scrapbooks. Your site is not a digital business card. It is not a fun little project. It is your storefront, your pitch deck, your publicist, your 24-hour salesperson, and your first impression all rolled into one. If your site is confusing or broken or just plain sad, it is quietly repelling the very people you are trying to reach.

And if it was built by someone who “knows Photoshop” or “used to blog on Tumblr,” you probably already know what we’re about to say next.

Friends Don’t Let Friends Build Their Brand

We’ve seen it all. We’ve seen a homepage that linked to nowhere because the buttons weren’t real. We’ve seen a service page that listed prices in Comic Sans. We’ve seen sites that were never indexed by Google because someone forgot to turn the lights on behind the scenes. None of this was done with bad intentions. But intention doesn’t equal impact.

Even worse, the second you need something updated, your “developer” is nowhere to be found. They got a new job. They’re busy. They moved on. And you are stuck with a site that feels like a digital shrug.

The Real Cost of That Free Website

We’ve had clients come to us six months post-launch saying their “free” website cost them leads, credibility, and more stress than they care to admit. They’re embarrassed to send people to it. It doesn’t reflect their brand. It doesn’t grow with them. It doesn’t work.

What it does do is create friction. Every time a visitor lands on a slow-loading page or squints at a wonky layout or hits a dead end, that is a chance lost. And when you are trying to grow a business, those little moments add up.

What You Deserve Instead

You deserve a site that looks good and works better. One that tells your story and makes it easy for your audience to say yes. One that is strategic, not just pretty. One that is built by people who understand how design, copy, user experience, mobile responsiveness, SEO, and conversion strategy all work together.

You don’t need a friend with free time. You need a team with a plan.

At Fat Bird Marketing, we build sites that scale with you. We get inside your brand. We ask questions. We write your copy. We organize your content. We actually test buttons before sending the site live. Wild, we know.

And because we’ve seen what happens when you hand off your business to a well-meaning cousin with Canva, we make sure every single detail is designed to help you grow, not just get by.

This Is Bigger Than a Website

This is about how you show up in the world. This is about what you want your clients to feel when they find you online. This is about whether your brand is being taken seriously or getting passed over because it looks like it was built in a weekend by someone who still owes you a favor.

So here’s our advice. Hire a friend to watch your dog. Hire a friend to help paint the office. But when it comes to your digital home? Bring in the pros.

We promise to make it fun. We’ll even let you pick the playlist while we wireframe.

Crayons sharpened. Coffee hot. Chaos welcome.