Your website is live, it looks good — but visitors disappear as fast as they arrived? That's frustrating. You've invested time and money, but the conversion numbers are disappointing.
The good news: In most cases, it's the same 5 mistakes that drive visitors away. And the even better news: They can all be fixed. In this article, I'll show you which website mistakes are scaring off your visitors — and what you can do about each one.
1. Slow Load Times: The Invisible Conversion Killer
The problem: Your website loads too slowly. Visitors wait 5, 6, 7 seconds — then they're gone.
The numbers are brutal: 53% of mobile users leave a website if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Every additional second of load time costs you an average of 7% in conversion rate. That means: If your website takes 6 seconds instead of 3 seconds to load, you're losing more than 20% of your potential customers.
How to spot it
Open your website on your smartphone — but not on WiFi, use mobile data instead. Does it feel slow? Then you have a problem.
Professional test: Use Google PageSpeed Insights. Enter your URL and check the results. Especially important are the Core Web Vitals:
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Should be under 2.5 seconds
- FID (First Input Delay): Should be under 100ms
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Should be under 0.1
If any of these values are in the red or yellow zone, you're losing customers every day.
How to fix it
1. Optimize images: This is the main reason for slow websites. Images should be compressed and served in the modern WebP format. A 3 MB JPG file can be reduced to 200 KB — with no visible loss in quality.
2. Enable lazy loading: Images are only loaded when they enter the visible area. This saves an enormous amount of load time.
3. Upgrade your hosting: Cheap hosting for $5/month means slow servers. Invest in proper hosting — that costs $15-25/month and makes a huge difference.
4. Clean up your code: Remove unused JavaScript and CSS. Many websites load dozens of scripts that aren't even needed.
5. Set up caching: Browser caching ensures that returning visitors load the page significantly faster.
With my website projects, performance optimization is always included. A fast website isn't a luxury — it's a must.
2. Not Mobile-Optimized: You're Losing 60% of Your Visitors
The problem: Your website looks great on desktop — but it's barely usable on a smartphone. Text is too small, buttons can't be tapped, you have to scroll horizontally.
The reality is: Over 60% of all website visitors come from smartphones. If your website doesn't work there, you're losing more than half of your potential customers. And it gets worse: Google uses Mobile-First Indexing — meaning the mobile version of your website determines your ranking.
How to spot it
Open your website on your smartphone. Is everything easy to read? Can all buttons be tapped without issues? Do you have to zoom or scroll horizontally? If so — you have a problem.
Professional test: Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test. If the result is "Not mobile-friendly," you're losing revenue every day.
How to fix it
1. Responsive design is a must: Your website needs to automatically adapt to every screen size — from large desktop monitors to small smartphone displays.
2. Touch-optimized buttons: Buttons should be at least 44x44 pixels — otherwise they can't be easily tapped on touch screens.
3. Readable font sizes: Text should be at least 16px. Nobody wants to zoom in on their phone just to read your content.
4. Simplify navigation: The desktop menu with 10 items doesn't work on mobile. Use a hamburger menu or simplified navigation.
5. Optimize forms: Mobile forms should have as few fields as possible and display the right keyboard layout (e.g., number pad for phone numbers).
No excuses: Today there's no reason for a website that isn't mobile-optimized. It's standard — not optional.
3. Unclear Navigation: Visitors Can't Find What They're Looking For
The problem: A visitor lands on your website — and doesn't know where to click next. The navigation is cluttered, confusing, or inconsistent. After 10 seconds of frustrated clicking around, they're gone.
The 3-click rule states: Every important piece of information should be reachable within 3 clicks. If visitors have to search longer, they bounce. And this happens more often than you think — studies show that 38% of visitors leave a website because of poor navigation.
How to spot it
Show your website to a friend or colleague who has never seen it before. Give them a simple task: "Find out how much our service XY costs." If they need more than 30 seconds, your navigation is too complicated.
More warning signs:
- Menu items with unclear labels ("Solutions," "Synergies")
- Too many menu items (more than 7-8 at the top level)
- Hidden or unexpected navigation
- Inconsistent structure (sometimes at the top, sometimes on the side, sometimes nowhere)
How to fix it
1. Clear, understandable labels: Call things what they are. "Services" instead of "Solutions." "About Us" instead of "Our Story." "Contact" instead of "Get in Touch."
2. Logical structure: The main navigation should contain the most important pages — typically: Home, Services, About Us, Portfolio/References, Blog, Contact.
3. Consistent placement: The navigation should be in the same place on every page — ideally at the top (header) and/or at the bottom (footer).
4. Visual hierarchy: More important items should be displayed more prominently. The call-to-action ("Request a Quote") can be more eye-catching than "Legal Notice."
5. Breadcrumbs for deep structures: For websites with many subpages, breadcrumbs (e.g., "Home > Services > Web Design") help with orientation.
6. Search function for content-heavy sites: If you have a large blog or many products, a search function is worth its weight in gold.
With my website projects, the concept phase is crucial — we develop a clear structure together before a single pixel is designed. Because a beautiful website with bad navigation is useless.
4. No Clear Call-to-Action: What Should the Visitor Do Now?
The problem: A visitor is on your website, finds the information interesting — but then what? What should they do now? There's no clear next step. No button, no prompt, no clear instruction. So they do: nothing. They leave the website.
Every page needs a goal. And the visitor needs to understand immediately what you want them to do. Do you want them to contact you? Subscribe to your newsletter? Buy a product? Then tell them — clearly and prominently.
How to spot it
Open every page of your website and ask yourself: "What should the visitor do here?" If you need more than 3 seconds to think about it — then the visitor definitely doesn't know either.
More warning signs:
- No prominent buttons or links
- Too many CTAs (5 buttons, all equally prominent)
- Vague wording ("Learn more" — about what?)
- CTAs hidden at the bottom of a long page
How to fix it
1. One main goal per page: What is the ONE thing the visitor should do on this page? That's your primary call-to-action.
2. Eye-catching design: Your CTA button should stand out visually — different color, larger, prominently placed. It should immediately catch the eye.
3. Clear wording: "Book Your Free Consultation Now" is better than "Contact." "Request a Quote" is better than "Learn More."
4. Above the fold: The most important CTA should be in the visible area — without scrolling. This is called "above the fold."
5. Repeat multiple times: On longer pages (e.g., service pages or landing pages), the CTA can appear multiple times — at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end.
6. Build trust: Next to the CTA, you can place trust signals: "Free & no obligation," "Response within 24 hours," customer reviews.
Examples of clear CTAs:
- Homepage: "Book Your Free Consultation"
- Service page: "Request a Quote Now"
- Blog post: "Read Similar Articles" or "Subscribe to the Newsletter"
- Portfolio: "Request a Similar Project"
Check out my portfolio page or services page — on every page, it's clear what the next step is.
5. Missing SEO Fundamentals: Google Can't Find You
The problem: Your website is live, looks good, works technically — but nobody can find it. You're ranking on page 5 of Google. That means: practically invisible.
The harsh truth: 75% of users never click past page 1 of Google search results. If you're not on page 1, you don't exist for most potential customers.
Many website owners think: "The website looks good, that should be enough." No — design alone doesn't bring visitors. You need SEO fundamentals so Google understands what your website is about and shows it for relevant searches.
How to spot it
1. Google yourself: Search for your most important keywords + your city (e.g., "web design Miami"). Do you show up on page 1? No? Then you have an SEO problem.
2. Check your meta tags: Right-click on your page, then "View Page Source." Search for <title> and <meta name="description">. Are they meaningful? Or do you just see "Home" and "Welcome"?
3. Google Search Console: Set up Google Search Console. There you can see which keywords you're being found for (or not).
How to fix it
1. Keyword research: What terms are your potential customers searching for? Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs can help. Focus on 3-5 main keywords.
2. Optimized meta tags: Every page needs a unique title tag (50-60 characters) and a meta description (150-160 characters). These are displayed in Google search results.
Example:
- Bad: "Home | My Website"
- Good: "Web Design Miami — Professional Websites from €2,500 | YB Digital"
3. Structured data (Schema Markup): This helps Google understand your content better. LocalBusiness, FAQs, reviews — all of this can be marked up with structured data, earning you Rich Snippets in search results.
4. Internal linking: Link relevant pages within your website. This helps Google understand your structure and distributes "SEO power" across all pages.
5. Mobile optimization and speed: As mentioned above — both are official Google ranking factors. Without being mobile-friendly and having fast load times, you don't stand a chance at good rankings.
6. Content quality: Google loves helpful, in-depth content. A blog with practical articles (like this one) helps you get found for relevant searches.
7. Sitemap and robots.txt: Create an XML sitemap and submit it to Google. This helps the search engine find and index all your pages.
SEO is not a sprint, it's a marathon. Results don't come overnight — but if you get the fundamentals right, you'll steadily gain more organic traffic over time.
With all my website projects, SEO fundamentals are always included — structured data, optimized meta tags, technical SEO. Because a website that nobody can find is wasted money.
Bonus: More Common Mistakes
The 5 mistakes listed above are the most critical — but there are more that can drive visitors away:
Too much text without structure: Endless blocks of text without paragraphs, subheadings, or lists are off-putting. People scan websites — they don't read them word for word.
Poor readability: Font too small, too little contrast (light gray text on a white background), illegible fonts.
Outdated design: A website that looks like it's from 2010 signals: "This company is behind the times." Design trends change — your website should look modern.
Missing contact information: If visitors can't easily reach you, you lose trust. Phone number, email, contact form — everything should be easy to find.
Legal issues: Missing or incomplete legal notice, no privacy policy, no cookie banner — that's not just unfriendly, it can get expensive (legal notices and fines).
Conclusion: Small Mistakes, Big Impact
The 5 website mistakes we've discussed are extremely common — and extremely costly. Each one costs you visitors, trust, and revenue every single day. The good news: They can all be fixed.
Here's the key takeaway:
- Speed: Optimize your load time to under 3 seconds
- Mobile: Responsive design is a must, not a nice-to-have
- Navigation: Clear, intuitive structure — everyone should find what they're looking for
- Call-to-Action: Every page needs a clear next step
- SEO: Without basic SEO, nobody will find you on Google
You don't have to tackle everything at once. Start with the biggest problem — usually it's speed or mobile optimization. Fix that, measure the results (bounce rate, time on site, conversions), and then move on to the next one.
If you're not sure where to start, or you need help with optimization: Let's talk about it. I'll analyze your website for free and show you which mistakes are costing you the most customers — and how to fix them.
Your website should work for you, not against you. Fix these 5 mistakes, and you'll see: More visitors stay longer, click more, and become customers.
Interested in more practical tips? Check out my other articles:
- How Much Does a Website Cost? — Realistic prices and cost factors
- How Long Does a Website Take? — A realistic timeline for your project
- Hiring a Web Designer: What to Consider — The complete guide to choosing a provider