Your website might be costing you customers without you even realising it. After years of building and reviewing websites for Irish businesses, I keep seeing the same mistakes over and over.
The good news? Most of these are fixable. Here are the top 10 mistakes and what to do about them.
1. No Clear Call-to-Action
The mistake: Visitors land on your site but don't know what to do next. There's no obvious button or link guiding them to take action.
The fix: Every page should have a clear, visible call-to-action. "Get a Quote", "Book Now", "Call Us Today"—make it obvious and easy.
2. Slow Loading Speed
The mistake: Your site takes more than 3 seconds to load. By then, most visitors have already left.
The fix: Compress images, use good hosting, and remove unnecessary plugins. Test your speed at PageSpeed Insights.
3. Not Mobile-Friendly
The mistake: The site looks fine on desktop but is unusable on phones—tiny text, buttons too small to tap, horizontal scrolling.
The fix: Use responsive design. Test your site on actual mobile devices. Over 60% of your traffic is probably mobile. This is one of the key signs you need a new website.
4. Hidden Contact Information
The mistake: Your phone number and email are buried in the footer or only on a Contact page three clicks deep.
The fix: Put contact details in the header and footer of every page. Make the phone number clickable on mobile.
5. No Social Proof
The mistake: No testimonials, reviews, case studies, or logos of clients you've worked with.
The fix: Add customer testimonials, Google review ratings, and examples of your work. People trust other people's opinions.
6. Stock Photo Overload
The mistake: Every image is an obvious stock photo—people shaking hands, smiling at laptops, generic office scenes.
The fix: Use real photos of your team, premises, and work. If you must use stock photos, choose authentic-looking ones and use them sparingly.
7. Outdated Design
The mistake: Your site looks like it was built in 2010—dated fonts, cluttered layout, tiny text, Flash elements.
The fix: If your site is more than 3-4 years old, it's probably time for a refresh. Read about what a new website costs.
8. No SEO Basics
The mistake: Page titles all say "Home" or your company name. No meta descriptions. No local keywords.
The fix: Each page should have a unique title tag and meta description including relevant keywords and location. See my local SEO guide for more.
9. Complicated Forms
The mistake: Your contact form asks for 10+ fields including fax number, company size, and how they heard about you.
The fix: Ask for the minimum: name, email/phone, and message. Every extra field reduces conversions. You can get more info later.
10. "Set It and Forget It" Mentality
The mistake: The website was built 5 years ago and hasn't been touched since. Information is outdated, team members have left, services have changed.
The fix: Schedule a monthly review of your website. Update content, check for broken links, and ensure all information is current.
Free Website Audit
Not sure if your website has these issues? I offer professional web design services and free website audits — I'll review your site and tell you exactly what's working and what needs improvement. I can also help with SEO to get you ranking on Google.