That Friend Who Makes Websites? 5 Huge Risks for 2025

The Tempting Offer You Can't Refuse?

We all have one. That tech-savvy friend who casually mentions, "Oh, you need a website? I can build one for you for cheap... or maybe just for pizza and beer." It sounds like a dream come true for a startup or small business owner on a tight budget. You get a website, save a ton of money, and help a friend out. What could possibly go wrong?

As we head into 2025, the digital landscape is more complex and competitive than ever. Your website isn't just a digital brochure; it's your primary sales tool, your brand's first impression, and a critical piece of your business infrastructure. Relying on a well-meaning but non-professional friend can expose your business to significant, and often hidden, risks. Before you shake hands on that seemingly unbeatable deal, let's explore the five huge risks you're taking when you hire 'that friend who makes websites'.

Risk 1: The 'Availability' Black Hole and Lack of Support

In the beginning, everything is great. Your friend is enthusiastic and responsive. The initial design comes together, and you're thrilled. But then, life happens. Your friend gets a demanding new job, goes on a month-long vacation, or simply loses interest in the project. Suddenly, your urgent request to fix a broken contact form goes unanswered for days, then weeks.

The Problem of No SLA (Service Level Agreement)

When you work with a professional agency or freelancer, you sign a contract that includes an SLA. This document legally guarantees response times, uptime, and maintenance schedules. It's a professional commitment.

• With a friend: Their primary obligation is to their full-time job and personal life. Your website emergency will never be their top priority.
• With a professional: Your website is their priority. Their business reputation and income depend on upholding their end of the agreement.

In 2025, a website that is down or buggy for even a few hours can mean significant lost revenue and reputational damage. Without a formal support structure, you're left hoping your friend has a free evening to get you back online. Hope is not a business strategy.

Risk 2: The Security and Compliance Minefield of 2025

Website security and data privacy are no longer optional extras; they are legal and ethical necessities. The consequences of a breach are severe, including hefty fines, loss of customer trust, and potential legal action.

Is Your Friend an Expert in GDPR, CCPA, and Secure Coding?

The web is riddled with vulnerabilities. Professional developers spend their careers learning to mitigate them. They understand:

• Secure Coding Practices: Protecting against common attacks like SQL injection and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).
• Data Privacy Laws: Implementing sites that comply with regulations like GDPR in Europe and CCPA in California, which affect businesses globally.
• Secure Infrastructure: Properly configuring servers, SSL certificates, and firewalls.
• Regular Maintenance: The constant need to patch plugins, themes, and server software to close security holes.

A hobbyist developer might build a site that looks good, but is it secure? If your customer data is breached through a vulnerability on the site your friend built, the legal and financial liability falls squarely on your business, not on them. It's a massive gamble with your company's future.

Risk 3: Stunted Growth and the Scalability Ceiling

Your business is designed to grow, but is your website? A simple brochure site built by a friend might serve its purpose for the first few months. But what happens when you're ready to scale?

• You want to add an e-commerce store.
• A marketing campaign goes viral, and your traffic suddenly spikes 1000%.
• You need to integrate with a CRM or a third-party booking system.

A website built on a shaky foundation or with messy, undocumented code (often called 'technical debt') can't handle this growth. It will crash under heavy traffic, be impossible to integrate with other systems, or be so convoluted that any new developer you hire will quote you a fortune just to figure it out. Often, the only solution is to scrap it and start over—erasing any initial savings and then some.

Technical Debt is Real Debt

Professional developers build with the future in mind. They use clean, well-documented code, choose scalable hosting solutions, and employ frameworks that allow for future expansion. A friend, focused on getting something live quickly and cheaply, may inadvertently build you into a technological corner you can't escape without a complete and costly rebuild.

Risk 4: The Critical SEO & Performance Gap

A beautiful website that no one can find is nothing more than an expensive piece of art. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the science of getting your site to rank on Google, and it's baked into the development process by professionals.

Why Performance and SEO Go Hand-in-Hand

In 2025, Google's ranking factors are highly sophisticated and heavily dependent on user experience and technical performance. A professional focuses on:

• Core Web Vitals: Metrics like page load speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Slow sites are penalized heavily.
• Mobile-First Indexing: Ensuring the site works flawlessly on mobile devices, where most users are.
• Structured Data (Schema): Telling search engines exactly what your content is about, leading to rich snippets and better visibility.
• Logical Site Architecture: Creating a clear URL structure and internal linking that helps Google crawl and understand your site.

Your friend might know to put keywords in a title tag, but do they know how to optimize image formats for speed, implement lazy loading, or configure server-side caching? This performance gap is the difference between appearing on the first page of Google and being buried on page ten. The lost opportunity cost can be astronomical.

Risk 5: The Awkward 'Business is Business' Conversation

This is perhaps the most overlooked risk. Mixing friendship and finances is a delicate dance. What happens when things go wrong?

• You're not happy with the design, but you feel bad asking for major revisions.
• The project is taking months longer than expected, impacting your business launch.
• You discover the site is full of bugs, and your friend gets defensive when you point them out.
• Worst of all, you need to fire your friend and hire a professional to fix the mess.

These conversations are incredibly difficult and can permanently damage a valuable friendship. A professional contract with a developer has clear terms, deliverables, and termination clauses. It's purely business. With a friend, the lines are blurred, and emotions run high. Is saving a few thousand dollars worth potentially losing a friend and creating a massive headache for your business?

Friend vs. Professional: A Head-to-Head Comparison

Investing in Your Digital Foundation

Hiring your friend to build your website can feel like a clever shortcut, but as we've seen, the path is filled with risks that can cripple your business before it even gets off the ground. The initial cost savings are often a mirage, quickly evaporating when you're faced with a security breach, a site that can't grow with you, or the need for a total rebuild.

In 2025, your website is not an expense; it's an investment in the core infrastructure of your business. By hiring a professional, you're not just buying code; you're buying expertise, security, scalability, and peace of mind. You're building a solid foundation that will support your business goals for years to come. Sometimes, the best way to support a friend is to keep your business and your friendship separate.