A Cautionary Tale of Hiring a Web Developer for Messaging Strategy

One of my first clients dropped $6K on a beautiful website redesign right before I met him. Great design, perfect functionality, but he was upset.

Because there was zero strategy behind the words.

The developer did exactly what they were hired to do (make a functional website). 

But the copy was generic "we provide excellent service" nonsense. You know, the kind of copy that sounds like it was written by a robot who learned English from corporate brochures.

It wasn't the developer's fault. 

Writing messaging strategy wasn't in their job description. That's like hiring a chef and expecting them to also redecorate your restaurant.

Most business owners hire web designers thinking strategic copy is also included in the package. 

Unless your designer specifically advertises copywriting services, you're paying for pretty pictures with zero strategy behind the words that actually make people buy (which is kind of the whole point of the website).

I don't develop websites. 

That's a whole skill set that includes user experience, SEO, maintenance, and functionality. I think I'd rather watch paint dry than spend a day doing that.

What I do best is weave a story for your brand so that we can use that in your homepage. It's designed to actually explain the value of your business, and get your target audience to perform a specific action.

My process: I mock up the words and design in Canva or Figma, then hand it off to your developer (or mine) so they can make it functional.

So when you hire anyone to do website work, make sure you understand fully what you're paying for. It may or may not be what you think it is.