Your website doesn't have to be expensive, complicated, or filled with fancy features to be effective.
But it does need to make life easier for the people visiting it.
Sometimes a business loses potential customers because of something surprisingly simple: a missing phone number, confusing navigation, outdated information, or a contact form that doesn't work.
And the frustrating part? You might never know those customers were interested in the first place.
Here are seven common website mistakes that can make it harder for visitors to become customers, along with practical ways to fix them.
1. Making Your Contact Information Hard to Find
Imagine someone is looking for a local contractor to repair their deck.
They visit your website, like the examples of your work, and want to request an estimate.
But your phone number isn't visible. They click through several pages before finally finding a contact form buried at the bottom of the site.
Some visitors will keep looking. Others will move on to the next business.
How to Fix It
Make your contact information easy to find from every important page.
- Include a visible Contact link in your navigation.
- Make phone numbers clickable on mobile devices.
- Use clear buttons such as "Request an Estimate" or "Book an Appointment."
- Keep contact forms short and straightforward.
- Check that your business hours and service area are easy to locate.
Don't make potential customers work to figure out how to give you business.
2. Having a Website That Doesn't Work Well on Phones
Your website might look beautiful on a large desktop monitor.
But what happens when someone opens it on their phone?
Are the buttons too small? Does the text run off the screen? Is the navigation difficult to use?
For many businesses, mobile visitors make up a substantial portion of their website traffic.
A restaurant customer checking your menu while sitting in their car shouldn't need to zoom in, scroll sideways, or fight with a complicated navigation menu.
How to Fix It
Test your website on actual phones, not just a desktop browser.
- Make sure text is readable without zooming.
- Use buttons large enough to tap comfortably.
- Keep mobile navigation simple and organized.
- Check that images and other content fit the screen.
- Test forms, menus, and important links on mobile devices.
A responsive website should adjust to different screen sizes while remaining easy to use.
3. Taking Too Long to Load
Have you ever clicked a website, waited several seconds, and decided it wasn't worth it?
Your customers have probably done the same thing.
Slow websites can frustrate visitors and make it harder for them to find what they need.
Common causes include oversized images, excessive scripts, unnecessary plugins, and poorly optimized page elements.
For example, a photographer may upload dozens of full-resolution photographs directly from their camera.
The images look fantastic, but if every photo is several megabytes, the portfolio may load much more slowly than necessary.
How to Fix It
- Resize images to appropriate display dimensions.
- Use efficient image formats when supported.
- Remove scripts and plugins you no longer need.
- Use lazy loading for appropriate below-the-fold images.
- Review performance using tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights.
Don't become obsessed with achieving a perfect performance score.
Focus on making your website load reliably and feel responsive for real visitors.
4. Not Clearly Explaining What Your Business Does
This happens more often than you might think.
A visitor lands on a homepage filled with beautiful images, inspirational quotes, and phrases like:
"Elevating experiences through innovative solutions and unmatched excellence."
That sounds impressive.
But what does the business actually do?
A new visitor shouldn't have to decode your marketing language to figure out whether you offer the service they need.
How to Fix It
Make sure the top of your homepage clearly communicates:
- What your business offers.
- Who your business serves.
- Where you operate, if location matters.
- What visitors should do next.
For example, a home cleaning company might say:
"Residential and Move-Out Cleaning in the Houston Area. Request a Free Estimate."
It's simple, specific, and immediately useful.
Clear communication is usually more valuable than clever wording that leaves visitors confused.
Clear messaging is also an important part of branding. If you're trying to make your business more recognizable, read our guide to what small businesses often get wrong about branding .
5. Using Outdated or Incorrect Information
Imagine visiting a bakery's website to check its hours.
The website says it's open until 7 PM, so you drive over at 6:15.
The doors are locked. The bakery actually closes at 6 PM now.
That's frustrating for customers, and it can damage their confidence in your business.
Outdated information can include:
- Incorrect business hours.
- Services you no longer offer.
- Old pricing or promotions.
- Disconnected phone numbers.
- Staff members who no longer work there.
- Outdated addresses or service areas.
How to Fix It
Review your website regularly, especially when something changes in your business.
A simple quarterly review can help catch information that might otherwise go unnoticed.
If you have a Google Business Profile or other online listings, make sure those details remain accurate too.
6. Having Broken Links, Forms, or Buttons
A website can look perfectly professional and still have problems behind the scenes.
Maybe the "Book Now" button leads to a missing page.
Maybe a contact form displays a success message but never actually delivers the inquiry.
Or perhaps the social media icons at the bottom of your website don't go anywhere.
These issues can prevent potential customers from completing the actions you want them to take.
How to Fix It
Test your website the way a customer would.
- Click every important navigation link.
- Submit a test message through your contact form.
- Verify that form notifications actually arrive.
- Test booking and checkout processes when applicable.
- Check social media links and downloadable files.
- Review the website after major updates.
Don't assume a form works just because it looks good on the page.
A successful-looking submission doesn't help if the message never reaches your business.
7. Making It Unclear What Visitors Should Do Next
Every important page on your website should have a purpose.
Maybe you want visitors to request a quote, book a session, purchase a product, or contact your team.
But if your website doesn't make that next step obvious, visitors may leave without taking action.
Imagine an online boutique with beautiful product photos and detailed descriptions, but the Add to Cart button is difficult to find.
Or a photographer's portfolio with impressive images but no clear way to inquire about availability.
Those businesses may be making it unnecessarily difficult to become a customer.
How to Fix It
Use clear calls to action that match the purpose of each page.
- "Request a Quote"
- "Schedule a Consultation"
- "View Our Menu"
- "Shop Our Products"
- "Check Availability"
- "Contact Us"
Make important actions easy to find without overwhelming visitors with too many competing buttons.
Bonus: Don't Forget About Accessibility
Accessibility means making your website usable by people with different abilities and needs.
Some visitors rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, or other assistive technology.
Others may have difficulty reading small text or distinguishing colors with poor contrast.
Improving accessibility helps make your website more usable for a wider range of people.
Some useful starting points include:
- Using readable text sizes and sufficient color contrast.
- Adding meaningful alternative text to informative images.
- Making navigation and forms usable with a keyboard.
- Using descriptive labels for form fields.
- Avoiding important information presented only inside images.
Accessibility deserves attention throughout website design and maintenance, not just as an afterthought.
How Do You Know If Your Website Has These Problems?
You don't need to be a web developer to identify many common website issues.
Start by pretending you're a first-time customer.
Open your website on your phone and ask yourself:
- Can I immediately tell what this business offers?
- Can I find its contact information quickly?
- Can I easily navigate between pages?
- Does the website load without frustrating delays?
- Are the services, hours, and other details accurate?
- Do the important buttons and forms work?
- Is it obvious how to take the next step?
If something feels confusing or unnecessarily difficult, there's a good chance other visitors may experience the same problem.
Do These Mistakes Affect SEO?
Some website issues can also affect search visibility.
For example, broken internal links can make important pages harder to discover.
Poor mobile usability, confusing content, and performance problems can also create a worse experience for visitors.
However, fixing these issues doesn't guarantee higher Google rankings.
SEO involves multiple factors, and a good user experience is only part of the picture.
If you're unfamiliar with how search engines evaluate websites, read our guide: What Is SEO, and What Actually Helps Your Business Show Up on Google?
The Bottom Line
You don't need the most expensive website or the latest technology to make a good impression.
Sometimes improving a few basic things can make a meaningful difference in how visitors experience your business online.
Make your website easy to understand, easy to navigate, and easy to use.
Because the goal isn't just to get people to visit your website. It's to help them take the next step when they're ready.