Many business websites fail, not because of design, but because of poor strategy. Here are my top mistakes to avoid.
No Clear Call-to-Action (Buttons)
Visitors should know exactly what to do next. Make sure you have plenty of calls to action across your site that are clear, consistent, and ultimately drive the user to what you want them to do next. This can include making a purchase, filling out a contact form, viewing your portfolio, etc.
Slow Load Times
Speed affects both SEO and user experience. When adding images to your website, they should first be optimized. Keeping images under 1MB will go a long way to help with page load times. There are a myriad of other technical things you can do, but this will be a huge help for your website.
Not Mobile-Friendly
In 2026, if you are working with a web designer who doesn’t mention optimizing your site for all devices, then run for the hills. What should be common practice in our industry, there are still some web designers out there designing for desktop/laptop screens only. Although most WordPress themes will adapt to any screen, there still needs to be some tweaking involved to ensure continuity across all devices. Make sure you are testing for this before you launch.
Poor SEO Structure
No keywords = no traffic. Make sure your web designer is using headings, and keeping a structure that is easily digestible by Google and other search engines. When developing your content, it is important to keep this top of mind.
Too Much Text
The biggest I see today is businesses/organziations wanting to say too much on their website. In a short-form video world, it is important to keep your content clear and scannable. People do not want to read paragraphs; they want the most important information, as quickly as possible.
No Local SEO
Missing location-based keywords is a huge mistake for a lot of businesses (hence, the title of this blog, even!). If you are looking to connect with your local community, it is important to understand what people are searching for in your area, and take that into consideration when developing content for your website.
Weak Branding
Consistency builds trust. Investing in a brand before building your website will go along way. Do not underestimate this important step to help build trust with your customers/community.
No Analytics
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Have your web designer include setting up Google Analytics (even a basic setup) so you can collect some data to use with future marketing efforts.
Final Thoughts
Avoiding these mistakes can dramatically improve your website’s performance. Have these conversations before deciding on who is going to help you build your website!
