1. Slow loading speeds
In an age of fibre internet and 5G where people live on their phones, there's little excuse for a slow-loading website. And yet, we still find many sites taking far too long to load. Users have become increasingly impatient and expect content to appear instantly on their device. If your homepage takes more than a couple of seconds to load, you're likely losing visitors before they even see what you're all about.
Large image files, bloated scripts, outdated code and an over-reliance on third-party plug-ins can all drag down your site’s performance. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix are a great way to assess where your site stands. Aim for green scores when you're looking at your performance metrics, and consider moving away from heavy plugin-based platforms and more towards lean visual builders like Webflow, which keeps clean HTML and CSS to ensure speed is tip-top.
2. Non-responsive design
If your website still doesn’t adapt smoothly to different screen sizes, you're alienating more than half of your audience. From smartphones and tablets to ultra-wide desktop monitors... a good website should respond properly and display on every screen.
A non-responsive site forces users to pinch, zoom and scroll sideways, none of which create a positive impression or a good user experience. Imagine a potential client trying to click a tiny mobile menu item, or reading text that bleeds off the side of their phone. It's frustrating and damages your site's credibility. Our creative agency in Suffolk builds every site to be responsive so your layout automatically rearranges itself to fit whatever device your visitor happens to be holding.
3. Vague messaging
If a visitor lands on your homepage and can't immediately see where to go to find what your brand is about and why it matters, you've already lost them. Vague, generic messaging is one of the fastest ways to confuse and lose a potential customer. Clear copywriting that creates a true connection with your customer is really important if you're to stand a chance of convincing them to buy your goods or services.
Clarity should live right at the top of your site, ideally in the hero section. When a prospective client lands on a homepage, they want to know what a product or service is, what problem it solves for them, and how to get it, all within three seconds. We often see businesses fall into the trap of trying to sound overly clever, preferring corporate jargon or trendy buzzwords over plain, compelling language. What you offer shouldn't be shrouded in mystery.
4. Weak calls to action
A beautifully designed website with no clear next step is like a shop with no staff. Visitors need clear guidance on what to do next. Calls to action (CTAs) should be specific, visually obvious and goal-driven.
'Learn more' or 'Click here' might sound familiar, but they don’t tell the user what they’re actually clicking for, where it will take them, or what will happen next. Instead, use specific language that tells the user what will happen when they click, such as 'Download pricing guide' or 'Schedule your discovery call'. Make your CTAs clear, relevant and make them stand out visually. Clear phrasing based on best practice UX and design tweaks can dramatically boost your conversion rates.
5. Cluttered interfaces
Less really is more. One of the most common design mistakes is trying to cram too much into a single view, like multiple competing banners, sticky pop-ups, autoplay videos and crowded menus. It’s overwhelming and distracts users from your primary message.
Whitespace isn't wasted space – it's breathing room that gives your content hierarchy. A clean, spacious visual layout directs attention directly where it matters most. By reducing visual clutter and focusing each page section on a single core message, bounce rates drop and engagement improves naturally.
6. Poor typography and readability
Typography should never get in the way of understanding your message. Fonts that are too small, overly decorative or lacking proper contrast can make even great content completely unreadable.
Legibility varies by screen size and font choice. Setting your base body font around 16px to 18px on mobile and scaling up appropriately for desktop screens creates a comfortable reading experience. Make sure to establish a clear typographical hierarchy using contrasting font weights for headings versus body text. We always stress that it's important to test font scale and line height across devices before launching any site so that no-one has to squint to read your content!
7. Wall-of-text syndrome
Keep in mind that not every single word on your website will be read by users. Most visitors scan first. If your content is delivered in dense, uninterrupted blocks – the chances are they’ll skip over it entirely. Chunk your content into small, digestible paragraphs. Use clear subheadings, bold lead-in phrases and generous line spacing to allow people to skim and scan easily. Feel free to also break up longer articles with relevant visual elements, custom illustrations or interactive pull-out quotes to give eyes a break as visitors scroll down the page.
8. Hidden or confusing navigation
If a user can’t find what they’re looking for in a few seconds, they'll head straight back to the search results or AI tool that recommended your site in the first place. Navigation should be intuitive, visible and consistent across every single page.
Creative experimentations like non-standard scrolling, hidden burger menus on desktop or overly deep drop-down menus often confuse visitors. A great way to test your navigation is to ask someone unfamiliar with your website to find your contact details or pricing page in under five seconds. If they struggle, your navigation architecture needs simplifying.
9. Forgettable 404 pages
A broken link or wrong URL doesn’t have to result in a dead end. Most brands leave the default server error page intact, which feels cold, broken and unhelpful. Instead, treat your 404 page as a fun way to showcase your company's personality while guiding lost visitors back to safety.
For instance, Airbnb uses a lighthearted animated illustration of a broken suitcase with quick links back to their main search options, instantly turning a slight hiccup into a helpful experience. A custom 404 page with a search bar, main menu links or a splash of humour keeps visitors on your site rather than leaving in frustration.
10. Accessibility oversights
Designing for digital accessibility is essential for reaching your full audience while meeting modern compliance standards. Unfortunately, many sites still ignore core accessibility practices, creating unnecessary barriers for users who rely on assistive technologies.
Building an accessible site means ensuring strong colour contrast between text and backgrounds, adding meaningful alt text to descriptive images, maintaining clear heading order and supporting full keyboard navigation. Captions for media files and clean semantic markup also make a huge difference. An accessible website ultimately delivers a smoother, faster and more user-friendly experience for everyone, while also providing a welcome boost to your search engine visibility.
