You paid for the pixels. Now make sure they aren’t chasing people away. Here are five common red flags that quietly drain leads and sales, plus practical fixes you can implement this week.
1) Your site feels slow or janky
People won’t wait. As page load time rises from 1s to 3s, the chance of a bounce jumps 32% (src: Think with Google). Conversion rates also drop sharply as load time creeps past 4 seconds across thousands of landing pages (src: Portent). Google’s ranking systems explicitly look at user experience metrics like Core Web Vitals—loading, responsiveness and visual stability—so speed isn’t just UX, it’s visibility (src: Google Search Central and Page Experience).
Fix it: Compress images, lazy-load below-the-fold media, cache aggressively, eliminate render-blocking scripts, and measure with field data. Aim for LCP under 2.5s and INP under 200ms (src: Google Search Central).
Slow pages are leaking leads. I can audit your site, fix performance bottlenecks, and boost your Core Web Vitals. Book a 15-minute speed consult.
2) It’s not truly mobile-friendly
If your navigation, forms, or content break on small screens, visitors bounce and rankings suffer. Google uses the mobile version of your content for indexing and evaluation, and it has long boosted pages that are usable on phones (src: Mobile-first indexing and the mobile-friendly update).
Fix it: Test layouts on real devices, use responsive typography, larger tap targets, and avoid intrusive overlays. Validate with Chrome DevTools and Search Console.
If your site struggles on phones, you’re losing customers. I can clean up your mobile UX and strengthen your responsive design. Schedule a mobile UX tune-up.
3) The design looks dated or untrustworthy
First impressions shape credibility and usability judgments within seconds. Users weigh visual design heavily when deciding whether to trust a site; in one Stanford study, about 46% of participants’ credibility comments referenced the site’s look and layout (src: Stanford Web Credibility Project summary citing the study; primary: Consumer WebWatch/Stanford PDF). Design quality is a known credibility factor alongside clear disclosures and current content (src: Nielsen Norman Group; see also first-impressions research (src: Nielsen Norman Group)).
Fix it: Refresh layout and typography, tighten spacing, modernize imagery, and make contact details and policies obvious. Keep content up to date to match the polished surface.
If your site looks outdated, prospects won’t trust it. I can redesign for credibility, clarity, and conversions. Book a design review.
4) Your navigation and forms are working against you
Confusing menus and bloated forms make people bail. For ecommerce, 18% of U.S. shoppers have abandoned orders due to long or complicated checkout processes, and the average checkout exposes far more form elements than necessary (src: Baymard Institute; deeper research: Checkout Usability).
Fix it: Use clear IA (information architecture), predictable labels, and visible search. Trim fields to the minimum, support autofill, and let guests check out. Save progress and show progress.
Cluttered menus and long forms crush conversions. I can streamline your navigation and rebuild your forms so people actually complete them. Get a UX teardown.
5) Accessibility gaps are blocking customers (and inviting risk)
Missing alt text, poor contrast, keyboard traps, and unlabeled inputs shut out buyers and can trigger lawsuits. Courts have held that websites and apps must be accessible under the ADA, as in Robles v. Domino’s (src: Ninth Circuit decision; overview: ADA Southeast). Accessibility also improves SEO and customer loyalty (src: W3C WAI Business Case).
Fix it: Audit against WCAG 2.2 AA with automated and manual testing, fix critical blockers, and build a simple policy and process so regressions don’t creep back in (resources: W3C WAI).
Accessibility issues exclude customers and create legal exposure. I can help you meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards and make your site usable for everyone. Book an accessibility audit.
Quick self-audit checklist
- Do your primary pages hit good Core Web Vitals in real-user data? (src: Search Console Core Web Vitals report)
- Can a first-time visitor on a phone complete your top task in under 60 seconds without pinching or hunting?
- Would your design still look current if you removed hero stock photos?
- Are critical forms under 8 required fields with autofill, clear errors, and logical tab order? (src: Baymard Institute)
- Can you navigate the site with only a keyboard and still perceive all content? (src: W3C WAI)
Need a second set of expert eyes? I can run a quick diagnostic and deliver a prioritized fix list. Book a free website audit.
Bottom line
Tidy the friction, and you don’t just stop losing clients—you start compounding trust, traffic, and conversions.
Ready to stop losing clients to preventable website issues? Let’s fix what matters first and prove it with metrics. Grab your spot now.