We build websites for small businesses. After auditing hundreds of them, we see the same problems everywhere. The good news: most fixes take under an hour.
Here are the 10 mistakes, ranked by impact, with exact solutions. Slow Loading Speed (The #1 Killer)
53% of mobile users abandon a site that takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Every additional second reduces conversions by 7%.
Common causes: Uncompressed images (PNG instead of WebP) Too many third-party scripts (analytics, chat widgets, social embeds) No caching headers Bloated CSS/JS bundles
Target: 90+ on PageSpeed Insights. If you're below 50, you're losing half your visitors. No Clear Call to Action
The most common CTA sins: "Learn more" (learn what? about what?) "Submit" (submit what?) CTA buried below the fold CTA the same color as the background
Fix: One prominent CTA above the fold. Use action language: "Get a free quote," "Start your trial," "Order now." Make it a contrasting color with enough padding to tap on mobile. Not Mobile-Friendly
60%+ of web traffic is mobile. Google uses mobile-first indexing. If your site isn't responsive, you're invisible.
Test it yourself: Open your site on your phone. Can you read text without zooming? Are buttons big enough to tap? Can you fill out forms?
Common mobile issues: Font size below 14px Buttons smaller than 44x44px Horizontal scrolling Forms that don't trigger the right keyboard Poor SEO Fundamentals
The minimum SEO checklist: [ ] Unique tag on every page (50–60 characters) [ ] Unique (150–160 characters) [ ] One per page [ ] Heading hierarchy: H1 → H2 → H3 (no skipping) [ ] alt text on every image [ ] sitemap.xml submitted to Google Search Console [ ] No broken links (check with wget --spider) No Trust Signals
People buy from businesses they trust. Your website is often the first interaction. Without trust signals, visitors have no reason to choose you.
What to add: Real customer testimonials (with names and photos) Client logos (even 3–4 makes a difference) Security badges (especially for payments) Physical address and phone number An "About" page with real people Confusing Navigation
Rules: 5–7 items max in main navigation Descriptive labels: "Services," "Portfolio," "Contact" — not creative alternatives Contact info always accessible Search function for content-heavy sites
Test: Show your site to someone who's never seen it. Ask them to find your pricing. If they can't in 10 seconds, your navigation is broken. Weak Content
Thin content = thin rankings. Google favors comprehensive, valuable content. Users expect detailed answers.
Minimum content per page: Service pages: 500+ words explaining what you do, who it's for, and results Blog: 1–2 articles per month on topics your audience searches for FAQ: answer the top 5–10 questions you get from clients Case studies: real numbers, real outcomes Ignoring Analytics
Check weekly: Traffic sources (where do visitors come from?) Bounce rate (are they leaving immediately?) Conversion rate (are they doing what you want?) No SSL Certificate