How to Fix the 5 Most Common Website Issues
Your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business, and we all know how important first impressions are. When auditing websites, I regularly come across common mistakes that can leave a negative impact on both user experience and SEO performance. In this post, I’ll walk you through the top 5 website mistakes I see and share simple solutions to ensure your website makes a positive and lasting first impression.
1. Confusing Navigation
The Issue:
Visitors often struggle to find what they need on your website if the navigation is complicated or cluttered. When this happens, they’re likely to leave quickly, which hurts your user engagement and conversion rates.
The Solution:
Simplify your navigation by organising your menu into clear, logical categories like Home, Services, About Us and Contact. Limit the number of menu items and make sure all key pages are easy to find. Ensure your navigation is intuitive so visitors can get to the information they need without confusion.
2. Unclear Brand Messaging
The Issue:
If your brand messaging isn’t clear, visitors may not understand what your business does or how it can help them. This can lead to confusion and a high bounce rate, as users quickly move on to other sites that provide clearer answers.
The Solution:
Clarify your messaging right from the start. Your homepage should clearly explain who you are, what you offer, and how it benefits your target audience. Be straightforward and avoid jargon. A concise, strong value proposition will immediately connect with visitors, making them more likely to stay and explore your offerings.
3. Problem: Poor Visual Hierarchy
The Issue:
A lack of visual hierarchy can make your website feel chaotic and difficult to navigate. Visitors may overlook important information, making it harder for them to take action, whether that’s purchasing a product, signing up for a service, or simply learning more.
The Solution:
To improve your website’s visual hierarchy, limit your font choices to just two to keep things consistent. Use H1 for your main headings, H2 for subheadings, and H3 for smaller details. This creates a clear structure that guides the eye, allowing visitors to easily skim through and find key information. Break up long paragraphs into shorter ones to make your content easier to digest, and use bold text to highlight important points or calls to action.
4. Not Mobile-Optimised
The Issue:
With the increasing number of mobile users, a website that isn’t mobile-friendly can turn away potential customers. If your site looks distorted on mobile devices or isn’t easy to navigate, you risk losing traffic and sales.
The Solution:
Ensure your website is mobile-responsive, meaning it automatically adjusts to different screen sizes and provides a seamless experience on smartphones and tablets. Check your website on multiple devices to make sure all elements are visible and easy to interact with. Optimise fonts for readability, make buttons larger for easier tapping, and ensure that all text and images are properly displayed on smaller screens.
5. Problem: Lack of SEO
The Issue:
Even the best-designed website won’t get much traffic if it’s not optimised for search engines. Without proper SEO, your site might not rank high enough for potential customers to find you online.
The Solution:
SEO should be an integral part of your website design. Start by conducting keyword research to identify the terms your audience is searching for, and strategically incorporate them into your content, headings, meta descriptions, and URLs. Ensure that your site loads quickly, includes descriptive image alt text, and has clear internal and external links. By optimising for SEO, you make it easier for search engines to find and rank your site, improving visibility and driving organic traffic.
Conclusion
By addressing these common website issues, you can enhance the overall user experience and improve the effectiveness of your website. Simplifying navigation, clarifying messaging, optimising for mobile, improving visual hierarchy, and integrating SEO will help you create a site that not only looks good but performs well and meets your business goals.
Taking the time to make these changes will ensure that your website is working hard for you, attracting the right visitors, and encouraging them to engage with your brand. If you'd like to take it a step further, I offer Brand Strategy sessions where I conduct a full audit on your website. Together, we’ll go over your content and ensure it’s fully optimised for the best results.