11 website problems lowering conversions – and how to spot them

There are a lot of little things that can go wrong with your website. A few small hiccups here and there can quickly lead to a drop in conversions, and you might not even notice. That’s why it’s important to regularly audit your website for small problems that could be having a big impact.

1. Your website is slow

The speed at which your website loads is one of the most important factors in determining your conversion rate.

In fact, a 1-second delay in page load time can reduce your conversions by up to 7%. And, 40% of people will abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load.

So, if your website is slow, you could be losing a lot of potential customers.

To spot this problem, you can use a free tool like Google’s PageSpeed Insights. This tool will analyze your website’s speed and give you a score out of 100. If your score is below 90, you’ll need to take some steps to improve your website’s speed.

2. Your website isn’t mobile-friendly

Mobile internet usage has been on the rise for years, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. In 2021, over half of all web traffic came from mobile devices.

If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re likely missing out on a significant portion of your potential customers.

So, what makes a website mobile-friendly? In short, a mobile-friendly website is one that looks and functions well on small screens.

You can check your website’s mobile-friendliness using Google’s free Mobile-Friendly Test tool. Simply enter your website’s URL, and Google will let you know if your website is mobile-friendly and highlight any issues that need to be fixed.

If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re at risk of losing potential customers to your competitors. That’s why it’s crucial to make sure your website looks and functions well on all devices.

3. Your website is too complicated

The problem: Your website is too complicated

When you look at your website, it’s easy to see how everything is connected and where to find what you’re looking for. But when a potential customer comes to your website for the first time, they have to figure all of that out.

If your website is too complicated, you risk overwhelming potential customers and driving them away.

The solution: Design your website for your customers

When you design your website, it’s important to keep your customers in mind. That means making sure your website is easy to navigate and that potential customers can find what they’re looking for without getting overwhelmed.

One way to do this is by using a simple website design that makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. Another way is by using a clear call to action on every page of your website, so potential customers know what to do next.

4. Your website doesn’t have a clear call to action

You might have a great looking website that is easy to navigate and has a fast load time, but if you don’t have a clear call to action, you are missing out on potential conversions.

A call to action is a prompt that tells website visitors what to do next. It could be as simple as “click here to learn more” or “sign up for our newsletter.” Whatever it is, make sure it is clear and easy to find.

If your website doesn’t have a clear call to action, website visitors may not know what you want them to do, and you could be missing out on potential leads and sales.

5. Your website doesn’t build trust

If someone doesn’t trust your business, they won’t buy from you. It’s as simple as that.

Your website’s design, content, and functionality all play a part in how much trust potential customers have in your business.

One of the best ways to build trust is to include social proof on your website. Social proof is anything that shows potential customers that other people have bought from you and had a good experience.

Customer reviews, case studies, and testimonials are all examples of social proof that you can include on your website.

6. Your website isn’t search engine friendly

You might have the most beautiful website in the world, but if it’s not optimized for search engines, no one will ever find it.

Even if you’re driving traffic to your website through other means, like social media or email marketing, you’re missing out on a huge potential audience if your website isn’t search engine friendly.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of making your website more likely to show up in search engine results. This includes things like using the right keywords, creating high-quality content, and making sure your website is mobile-friendly.

If you’re not sure if your website is search engine friendly, there are a few things you can do to check. First, try searching for your website on Google. If it doesn’t show up on the first page of results, that’s a good indication that your website isn’t optimized for search engines.

You can also use free tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test or SEMrush’s Site Audit to get a better idea of how well your website is optimized.

7. Your website has a poor layout

Your website layout can make or break your user experience. A website with a poor layout is confusing and difficult to navigate, which can lead to a higher bounce rate and lower conversion rate. Improving layout clarity is a foundational step in eCommerce conversion optimization, as users are more likely to convert when the interface feels predictable and intuitive.

If your website has a poor layout, you may notice that users spend less time on your site. You may also notice that users have trouble finding what they’re looking for and that they don’t convert.

To spot a poor website layout, ask yourself these questions:

• Is my website easy to navigate?

• Is my website organized in a way that makes sense?

• Is my website cluttered with too much information?

• Is my website designed with the user in mind?

• Is my website responsive on all devices?

8. Your website has too much text

You have a lot to say about your business, but your website may not be the best place to say it all. Too much text can overwhelm visitors, especially if they’re visiting your website from a mobile device.

Instead, keep your text short and sweet, and use images (which can be created with AI image prompts), videos and infographics to help tell your brand’s story. Not only can these visuals help break up the text on your website, but they can also make your website more engaging and improve the user experience.

If you’re not sure if there’s too much text on your website, take a step back and ask yourself if you’re giving visitors the information they need to convert. If the answer is yes, you’re good to go. If the answer is no, it’s time to simplify.

9. Your website has poor quality images

Images play a huge role in the overall look and feel of a website. They help to break up text and keep visitors engaged, and they can be used to show off your products and services.

If your website is using low-quality, blurry, or pixelated images, it can make your business look unprofessional and like you don’t care about your website or your customers.

To avoid using poor quality images, make sure you are using high-resolution images that are the correct size for your website. If you have to resize an image, use a tool like Canva to make sure it doesn’t look stretched or distorted.

10. Your website has too many pop-ups

Pop-ups are a great way to grab a website visitor’s attention and get them to take action, like signing up for your email list or taking advantage of a special offer. But, if you have too many pop-ups on your website, it can be overwhelming for visitors and lead to a high bounce rate.

A high bounce rate is a signal to search engines that your website isn’t meeting the needs of users, which can hurt your SEO. Plus, you could be missing out on potential conversions.

To see if your website has too many pop-ups, try visiting it in an incognito window. An incognito window won’t have your cookies, so any pop-ups you have set to only appear once will show up again. If you find that you have to close multiple pop-ups before you can even see your website, you have a problem.

11. Your website doesn’t promote referrals or word-of-mouth

If your customers love your product but your website doesn’t encourage them to share it, you’re leaving conversions on the table.

Referral programs are one of the highest-converting acquisition channels because they rely on trust. When visitors see that existing customers actively recommend your product, it reinforces credibility and reduces hesitation. But if your referral program is buried, hard to find, or doesn’t exist at all, most users will never take part.

To spot this issue, ask yourself:

• Is there a clear referral or “invite a friend” option visible on your site?
• Do you highlight referral incentives or customer advocacy anywhere in the user journey?
• Is it easy for happy customers to share your product in just a few clicks?

Tools like ReferralCandy make it easy to add and manage referral programs directly on your website, track referrals automatically, and reward customers for successful recommendations. By giving referrals a visible place on your site—such as a dashboard, thank-you page, or account area—you can turn satisfied customers into a consistent source of high-quality conversions.

Spotting website problems

The best way to spot website problems is to look at your website. It sounds obvious, but many business owners are too busy to spend time on their own website.

If you don’t have time to review your website, then you should use a website grader tool. Website graders will test your website and show you where you can make improvements.

You can also look at your analytics to find problems. If you see a drop in traffic or a high bounce rate, then that is a sign that something is wrong with your website.

Conclusion

Don’t let a slow website hold you back. If you’re not sure where to start, we can help. Our team of web experts can build you a website that loads in 3 seconds or less.