5 Signs Your Website is Hurting Your Business

Having a website is important. But having a bad website might actually be worse than having no website at all. Here's why—and what to look for.

Sign #1: It's Not Mobile-Friendly

Pull up your website on your phone right now. What do you see?

If you have to pinch and zoom to read text, or if buttons are too small to tap, you have a problem. Over 60% of local searches happen on mobile devices, and Google now uses mobile-first indexing.

The fix: Your website needs to be responsive—meaning it automatically adjusts to look great on any screen size.

Sign #2: It Takes Forever to Load

How long does your website take to load? If it's more than 3 seconds, you're losing customers.

40% of visitors abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load
Every 1-second delay reduces conversions by 7%
Google considers page speed in search rankings

The fix: Optimize images, use modern hosting, and eliminate unnecessary code. A professional web developer can audit your site and identify the bottlenecks.

Sign #3: No Clear Call to Action

When someone lands on your website, do they know what to do next? If you have to think about it, that's a problem.

A visitor should be able to:

Understand what you offer within 5 seconds
Know how to contact you immediately
Take action with one click

The fix: Add clear, prominent buttons like "Call Now," "Book Online," or "Get a Quote." Make your phone number visible on every page.

Sign #4: Outdated Design

Web design trends evolve. A website that looked modern in 2018 now looks dated. And customers notice.

Signs of an outdated design:

Stock photos that look obviously fake
Cluttered layouts with too much text
Flash elements (yes, some sites still have these)
Design that doesn't match your brand

The fix: A fresh, modern design doesn't have to be expensive. Focus on clean layouts, authentic imagery, and consistent branding.

Sign #5: No SSL Certificate

Look at your website URL. Does it start with "https://" or "http://"? If it's the latter (without the 's'), you have a security issue.

Browsers now show warnings for non-secure sites
Customers won't trust entering their information
Google ranks secure sites higher

The fix: Get an SSL certificate. Most modern hosting providers include this for free.

How to Know for Sure

Not sure if your website is helping or hurting? Here's a simple test:

Ask a friend to find your business on Google and try to book an appointment or contact you
Watch them do it - Where do they struggle? What confuses them?
Time them - How long does it take from search to action?

If they can't complete the task in under 2 minutes, your website needs work.