Here's a hard truth most business owners don't want to hear: your website might be your biggest liability, not your biggest asset.
I've audited hundreds of websites over the years, and the pattern is always the same — business owners think their site is "fine" while it's quietly driving potential customers straight to their competitors. Let me show you the warning signs.
Sign #1: Your Website Takes More Than 3 Seconds to Load
This is the #1 killer. Google has confirmed that 53% of mobile visitors abandon a site that takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Three seconds. That's it.
What Causes Slow Loading
- Uncompressed images (the biggest culprit — I see 5MB images on small business sites constantly)
- Cheap, overcrowded hosting
- Bloated code from page builders and excessive plugins
- No caching or CDN setup
- Too many external scripts (tracking codes, chat widgets, social feeds)
How to Fix It
Test your site at PageSpeed Insights. If you score below 70 on mobile, you're losing customers. I optimize every site I build for 90+ scores.
Sign #2: It's Not Mobile-Friendly
Over 65% of all web traffic now comes from mobile devices. If your website doesn't look and work perfectly on a phone, you're ignoring the majority of your potential customers.
Mobile-friendly isn't just "it shrinks down" — it means:
- Text is readable without zooming
- Buttons are big enough to tap with a thumb
- Forms are easy to fill out on a phone
- Images scale properly
- Navigation is intuitive (hamburger menu, not a cluttered mess)
- Phone numbers are clickable for one-tap calling
Sign #3: There's No Clear Call-to-Action
When someone lands on your website, do they instantly know what to do next? If the answer is no, you're losing them.
Every page should have a clear, obvious call-to-action (CTA):
- "Get a Free Quote"
- "Book an Appointment"
- "Call Us Now"
- "Shop Now"
The CTA should be above the fold (visible without scrolling) and repeated throughout the page. Don't make people hunt for how to contact you.
Sign #4: Your Content Is Outdated
Does your website still say "Copyright 2019"? Does it reference services you no longer offer or staff who left years ago? Outdated content tells visitors you don't care about your business — so why should they?
I recommend updating your website content at least quarterly. At minimum, make sure:
- Business hours and contact info are current
- Service offerings and pricing are up to date
- Team photos and bios are current
- Your copyright year is current (this alone is a red flag)
- Blog posts (if you have them) have been published recently
Sign #5: It Looks Like It Was Built in 2015
Web design trends evolve, and visitors notice. Sites that looked modern five years ago now look dated. Key indicators of an outdated design:
- Tiny, hard-to-read text
- Flash animations or auto-playing music (yes, these still exist)
- Stock photos that look obviously fake
- Cluttered layouts with too much happening
- No white space — everything crammed together
- Inconsistent fonts and colors
Modern web design is clean, spacious, and focused. If your site feels cluttered or dated, it's time for a redesign.
Sign #6: You Can't Find It on Google
Google your business name. Google your main service + your city. If you're not showing up on the first page, you're invisible to the majority of potential customers.
Basic SEO that every website needs:
- Unique title tags and meta descriptions for every page
- Proper heading structure (H1, H2, H3)
- Alt text on all images
- Fast loading speed (Google uses this as a ranking factor)
- Mobile-friendly design (another ranking factor)
- Local business schema markup
- Google Business Profile linked and optimized
Sign #7: No Social Proof
People trust other people more than they trust businesses. If your website doesn't have:
- Customer testimonials
- Reviews from Google, Yelp, or industry sites
- Case studies or before/after examples
- Client logos or portfolio examples
...then you're asking visitors to take a leap of faith. Most won't.
Sign #8: Your Contact Form Is Broken (Or Missing)
I can't tell you how many times I've discovered that a business's contact form hasn't been working for months. Nobody checked. Nobody tested. All those leads? Gone.
Test your contact form right now. Fill it out yourself. Did you get the email? Does the confirmation page work? Is there an auto-response?
What to Do About It
If you recognized your website in two or more of these signs, it's costing you real money. Every day your site stays broken is another day of lost customers.
The good news? These problems are all fixable, and they don't have to cost a fortune. I specialize in taking underperforming websites and turning them into lead-generating machines.
Let me audit your website for free →
I'll tell you exactly what's wrong, what to fix first, and what it'll cost. No obligation, no pressure.
