In today’s digital-first world, your website is often the first impression potential clients have of your business. But what if that first impression is turning people away? If your website is outdated, difficult to navigate, or fails to represent your brand, it could be costing you valuable clients. Here are five common signs that your website might be doing more harm than good—and what you can do to turn things around.

1. Your Website Looks Outdated

Imagine landing on a website that looks like it’s from the early 2000s: clunky design, hard-to-read fonts, and pixelated images. Not exactly inspiring.

An outdated website can give potential clients the impression that your business isn’t keeping up with the times. They might wonder if your services are equally outdated or if they’ll have a subpar experience working with you.

Solution: Invest in a Modern, Professional Redesign

Hire a Professional Designer: If your site hasn’t been updated in several years, consider working with a website designer who understands modern aesthetics and UX best practices. They’ll be able to bring a fresh, contemporary look to your site while ensuring it aligns with your brand.
Focus on Clean Layouts: A modern website should have a clean, uncluttered layout with ample white space. This enhances readability and makes it easy for visitors to focus on your core messages and calls-to-action.
Use High-Quality Images and Graphics: Outdated images or low-resolution graphics can make your website look unprofessional. Replace these with high-quality images that represent your brand and service offerings.
Incorporate a Consistent Colour Scheme and Fonts: Choose a colour palette and font family that align with your brand’s identity and stick with them across the site for a polished, cohesive look.

2. It’s Hard to Navigate

Think of your website as a digital storefront—if visitors can’t find what they’re looking for quickly and easily, they’ll leave.

If your website has a confusing layout, cluttered menus, or too many pages to sift through, it could be costing you leads. Clients want information fast, and if they have to hunt for it, they may look elsewhere.

Solution: Streamline Your User Experience

Conduct a Navigation Audit: Go through your website as if you were a visitor. Identify areas where it feels challenging or unclear to find information. Do this with a team member or friend to get unbiased feedback.
Limit Your Main Menu Options: Aim to keep your primary navigation simple, with around 5-7 options that lead to your most important pages (e.g., Home, About, Services, Blog, Contact).
Use Clear, Descriptive Labels: Ensure menu labels are straightforward and descriptive. For example, “Our Services” is more informative than “What We Do.”
Add a Search Function: For larger sites, consider adding a search bar so users can quickly find what they’re looking for without needing to scroll through multiple pages.
Create a Clear Path to Contact You: Your contact or inquiry form should be easy to locate from any page. Consider placing a “Contact Us” button in the header and footer to make reaching out effortless.

3. Your Site Isn’t Mobile-Friendly

With over half of all web traffic coming from mobile devices, a mobile-friendly website is no longer optional – it’s essential.

If potential clients visit your site on their phone and find it hard to read, slow to load, or frustrating to navigate, they’re unlikely to stick around. A site that isn’t optimised for mobile can lead to higher bounce rates and lost leads.

Solution: Implement a Responsive Design

Choose a Responsive Theme: If your site is built on WordPress, ensure your theme is responsive, meaning it adapts to various screen sizes. Many modern WordPress themes come with responsive capabilities, but it’s worth checking.
Use Mobile-Friendly Features: Avoid pop-ups or elements that are hard to click on mobile devices. Instead, design for touchscreens with features like easily tappable buttons.
Optimise Images for Faster Load Times: Large images can slow down your site, especially on mobile. Use image optimization plugins like Smush or TinyPNG to compress images without sacrificing quality.
Test Across Multiple Devices: Use tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test or BrowserStack to see how your site performs on different devices and screen sizes. Adjust layouts and features based on the results to ensure a seamless experience for all users.
Implement AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages): If you publish blog content, consider using AMP to load pages faster on mobile. This can improve user experience and even boost your rankings on mobile search results.

4. You’re Not Tracking Performance or Leads

A website isn’t just a digital brochure—it should be a tool that helps you grow your business.

If you don’t know how many people are visiting your site, where they’re coming from, or how many are converting into leads, you’re missing out on valuable insights. Without tracking and analytics, it’s nearly impossible to know if your website is actually bringing in clients.

Solution: Set Up Analytics and Lead Capture Tools

Install Google Analytics: Set up Google Analytics to track site traffic, popular pages, user behaviour, and conversion rates. This tool can help you understand where leads are coming from and which pages are most effective at converting visitors.
Set Up Conversion Goals: Within Google Analytics, configure goals to track specific actions, such as form submissions, downloads, or clicks on a call-to-action button. This will give you insights into how many visitors are becoming leads.
Add Lead Capture Forms: Use forms that capture essential contact details (like name, email, and a brief description of their needs). Place these forms strategically on high-traffic pages, like your homepage or service pages.
Offer Lead Magnets: Provide a free resource (e.g., a checklist or eBook) that visitors can download in exchange for their email address. This helps you capture leads while delivering value.
Set Up Tracking Pixels: Install Facebook or LinkedIn tracking pixels to retarget visitors with ads if they didn’t convert on their first visit. Retargeting can remind them of your services when they’re ready to take action

5. Your Branding Is Inconsistent

If your website doesn’t look and feel like the rest of your brand, it can create confusion and make your business appear unprofessional.

From colours and fonts to messaging and tone, everything on your site should reflect who you are as a business. If your website doesn’t align with your brand, clients might have trouble trusting that you’ll deliver the quality and experience they expect.

Solution: Create a Cohesive Brand Experience

Conduct a Brand Audit: Review your website to ensure consistency with your overall brand identity. Look at colours, fonts, logos, and the tone of voice across all pages.
Develop a Style Guide: Create a brand style guide that outlines your colours, fonts, logo usage, and preferred messaging style. This document can guide any future updates and ensure a consistent look and feel.
Align Messaging with Brand Values: Use language that reflects your brand’s personality, whether it’s professional, friendly, or innovative. Consistency in tone helps build trust and recognition with your audience.
Check Visual Consistency: Make sure images, icons, and graphics are aligned with your brand’s look and feel. For example, if your brand is minimalist, avoid overly colorful or busy images that clash with your visual identity.
Ensure Cross-Platform Consistency: Make sure your website aligns with other touchpoints, like your social media profiles, email newsletters, and printed materials. This reinforces brand recognition and establishes credibility.

Final Step: Audit, Test, and Improve Regularly

Don’t be like this guy! Improving your website doesn’t have to be a one-time project. Periodic audits ensure your site continues to perform well, looks up-to-date, and remains in sync with your business goals.

By addressing these five areas- design, navigation, mobile experience, lead tracking, and branding – you’ll create a website that attracts, engages, and converts new clients effectively.

Each of these steps helps demonstrate your expertise and gives potential clients actionable ways to improve their own website experience. Let us know if you’d like more details or further tips on any specific area!

5 signs your website could be costing you new clients