You told yourself it would take a weekend. Maybe two weekends, max. You’d seen other people do it! You’d scrolled through Showit templates, bookmarked a few designs you liked, and hyped yourself up with “how hard can a DIY website really be?”
So you sat down with your laptop, opened up the platform, and… immediately had no idea where to start.
What even is a canvas set? How do you upload your brand approved Adobe Fonts? Should your homepage have three sections or seven? Do you need an “About” page or a “Hey There!” page or a “Start Here” page or all three?
Three hours later, you’ve changed the header font size four times, second-guessed every word of your homepage copy, and seriously considered just putting up a “coming soon” page and calling it a day.
And now you’re sitting here wondering: Why does everyone else make this look so easy? Am I just bad at this?
Let me stop you right there, babe.
You’re not bad at this. DIY websites are genuinely hard. And here’s why.
You Don’t Have All The Tools
This is probably the first website you’ve ever built! Which means you’re learning the platform, learning design principles, learning how to write copy, learning what actually converts, and learning what the hell SEO even means—all at the same time.
That’s not a weekend project, babe. That’s an entire skill set.
And sure, you’re smart! You’re resourceful! You could probably figure it out if you threw enough time at it.
But “enough time” usually means weeks (or months) (or even years) of sitting in front of your laptop, staring at a blank canvas, feeling like you’re moving through quicksand while everyone else seems to have their shit together.
That time? You could be spending it actually running your business. Serving clients. Creating offers. Doing literally anything other than Googling “how to make text smaller in Showit” for the third time this week.
It’s A Bigger Task Than You Think
When you decided to DIY your website, you probably thought: “I’ll just put up some basic info. It doesn’t need to be perfect.”
And then you sat down to actually do it and realized: You need to write copy that sounds like you (but also sounds professional? but also isn’t too formal? but also converts?).
You need to find photos that don’t look like everyone else’s stock photos (spoiler: those gorgeous, perfectly styled brand photos you keep seeing? Those aren’t free stock images. Those are custom brand shoots that cost $$$).
You need to navigate platform-specific jargon that makes your head spin. Canvas sets. Breakpoints. Padding. Margin. What is the difference and why does it even matter?
You need to figure out what pages you even need. Do you need a portfolio? A services page or multiple service pages? A contact page or an inquiry form embedded in your homepage? And don’t even get me started on setting up a blog.
And then—then—there’s the comparison trap.
Because you’re scrolling Instagram or Pinterest and seeing these drop-dead gorgeous websites and thinking “why doesn’t mine look like that?”
Here’s why, babe! Those are not DIY websites.
Those are websites designed by professionals. Often by a team of professionals—a designer, a copywriter, a photographer, a brand strategist.
You’re comparing your first-ever DIY website attempt to someone’s polished, professional portfolio piece! Of course it doesn’t look the same!!!
That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It means you’re doing it alone.
The Part That Gets Everyone: Copy
Design? You can figure that out. You’re a creative person. You’ve got an eye for what looks good.
But copy? That’s where people get stuck.
Because writing about yourself is weird. You don’t know what to say, how much to say, or how to say it without sounding like a robot or a motivational poster.
You rewrite your homepage six times and it still doesn’t feel right. You can’t figure out how to explain what you do in a way that’s clear but also compelling. You’re terrified of sounding too salesy or too casual or too formal or too much.
And so you end up with a DIY website that’s technically functional but doesn’t actually sound like you. It sounds like everyone else’s websites smooshed together with a little bit of ChatGPT and a lot of anxiety. And yeah, we can tell.
What About Templates?
Listen, I’m not anti-template. Templates can be great! If you find one you genuinely love that feels like you and isn’t what literally everyone else is using? Hell yes. More power to you, babe!
But even with a template, customizing it is still hard, even if it’s not a fully DIY website.
A template is a starting point, not a finished product. You still have to write the copy, swap out the placeholder images, and figure out how to make it feel like yours instead of just “generic template #101.”
And if you’re using the same template as thousands of other people? It’s even harder to inject your personality, your voice, your vibe into something that was designed to work for everyone.
(Trust me. I’ve been there. I did that. I learned the hard way.)
Customizing a template isn’t inherently easier than starting from scratch—it’s just a different kind of hard.
And you don’t have to do it alone.
You’re Not Failing. It’s Just Hard.
If you’re reading this and feeling seen (and maybe a little attacked), I need you to hear this: You are not incapable. You are not doing it wrong. It’s just actually really effing hard.
And it really is okay to cut your losses and ask for help! You’re not a failure for that.
You wouldn’t try to cut your own hair for the first time the week before your wedding. You wouldn’t DIY your own taxes if you had no idea what a W-2 was. You wouldn’t try to fix your car engine with a YouTube tutorial and a prayer. Would you???
No, I didn’t think so (unless you’re literally crazy). So why are we pretending that building a website—something that represents your entire business and is often the first impression potential clients have of you—should be easy to do alone?
It shouldn’t. And it isn’t! A DIY website is, say it with me, hard.
Here Are Your Options (The Ones I’d Actually Recommend):
Option 1: Custom Web Design
This is the “I want someone to handle all of it” option. You get a fully custom website designed specifically for you, your brand, and your clients. Without stress of figuring it out yourself or finding a template that looks good that isn’t too popular. You just get a website that actually sounds like you and looks like you and converts like you need it to.
If you’re overwhelmed, burned out, or just ready to hand this off to someone who knows what they’re doing, this is for you. Check out my custom design packages here.
Option 2: Template Customization
You’ve got a template you love (or I can help you find one), and I’ll customize it to actually feel like you. We’ll rewrite the copy, swap the design elements, and make sure it’s not just another cookie-cutter site. You get the structure of a template with the personality of a custom design.
This is perfect if you want something faster and more budget-friendly but still want it to feel like yours. Learn more about template customization here.
Option 3: Free 3-part Framework
You’re still in the mindset that DIY is what’s right for you at this stage in your business. Okay, I love it! But if you’re still overwhelmed and not sure where to start, my free 3-part framework can definitely help.
It helps give you clarity on who exactly you’re speaking to, what content should go on your website, and gives you tools to feel confident hitting “publish.”
The Bottom Line
DIY websites feel hard because they are hard.
You’re not failing and you’re not incapable! You’re just trying to do something that requires a bunch of skills you’ve never learned, with tools you’ve never used, while comparing yourself to professionals who’ve been doing this for years.
And you know what? You don’t have to keep doing it alone.
If you’re ready to stop staring at a blank screen and actually get your website done—in a way that feels like you and works for your business—I’m here.
Let’s do this together.
1/15/2026
