I had a coffee chat with someone whose website I’d actually discovered before we connected. I found her site because it was built by a web designer I follow and admire…someone who creates absolutely beautiful, out-of-the-box designs that really stand out.
During our conversation, I complimented her gorgeous website and asked how it was working for her business. Her response surprised me. She loves how it looks and thinks it’s pretty, but she hasn’t had a single inquiry from the website in months. She’s wondering what she needs to change to make it work better.
Here’s the thing that not enough people talk about when it comes to websites that actually make you money — often it’s not about what you add to your website, it’s about what you remove, or better yet, what you never put there in the first place.
If you’re wondering why your beautiful website isn’t bringing in clients or why visitors aren’t taking action on your site, this episode is for you. I’m sharing 15 things that high-converting websites simply don’t do, and some of these might surprise you because they go against everything you’ve probably been told about good website design.
The Foundation Issues That Kill Conversions
1. They Don’t Try to Impress with Flashy Animations
Movement for movement’s sake actually distracts from conversions. Your website needs to guide people through your site to take the action you want them to take…you’re not there to entertain someone.
I see this frequently with horizontal scrolls where instead of scrolling down vertically, the page scrolls sideways when you scroll down. There are animations and backgrounds moving everywhere. It’s overwhelming.
I also see this with sliders on homepages, especially in the nonprofit world. Images and text are constantly changing because organizations want to showcase everything they do, volunteers, events, programs. Interior designers do this too, trying to show their entire portfolio upfront.
When you add too much movement, it gets distracting and hurts conversions. A little animation here and there is good – a button that pops on hover, an image that moves slightly as you scroll, a logo that turns slightly, or a fixed background image. But avoid those flashy, distracting animations.
2. They Don’t Make Visitors Hunt for Information
No buried contact information. No confusing navigation. Think about the three-click rule, everything should be findable within three clicks. Someone needs to get from your homepage to your contact page, or to your services page to learn how to work with you, within three clicks.
People are busy. Respect their time. Keep your navigation clean and simple. I suggest five options or fewer in your main navigation. Less is more. Don’t make visitors work to find what they need.
3. They Don’t Overwhelm with Too Many Choices
Decision paralysis is real and it kills conversions. You want one clear step per page. What do you want someone to do on each page?
On the homepage, you’re typically driving people to the services page to learn how to work with you. From the services page, you’re driving people to the contact page to take action and reach out. When you have too many calls to action, conversions don’t happen. People get overwhelmed.
The same applies to your navigation. For service providers, you typically need About, Services, Contact, and maybe Resources if you have a blog or podcast. If you have both, put them under Resources with a dropdown. Five or fewer options – less is more.
Visual Elements That Hurt Trust
4. They Don’t Use Generic Stock Photos
You need personality today. You cannot use standard stock photos like the team sitting around a conference table or the computer with pink flowers that I see constantly on women service providers’ websites.
Use something that brings out your personality, your face. Personal photos build trust much faster than generic images. If you can schedule a brand shoot or even a mini shoot, get photos of you and your team actually working, not in standard corporate poses.
Instead of standing against a wall with arms crossed looking straight at the camera, try sitting at your desk smiling at the camera, or if you’re a designer, show yourself working with samples on the wall. Think about how you can incorporate the transformation you give clients into these photos.
5. They Don’t Forget About Mobile Users
Most likely 60% or more of your traffic is on mobile phones. People are busy and when they’re on their phones, they want a simple mobile experience instead of a complex desktop experience.
This means removing some imagery when viewing on phones. Maybe you don’t need as many pictures or as many words on a page. Perhaps visitors just need the essence of what’s happening on that page and that call-to-action button driving them to the next step.
Think about what your mobile user experiences when they visit from their phone and the mindset they’re in. They’re probably waiting in the pickup line or running errands with a few minutes to check things out. They’re busy and want answers quickly. Optimize your website for mobile users.
Messaging Mistakes That Confuse Visitors
6. They Don’t Use Industry Jargon or Vague Language
Speak like your client, not your competitor. Focus on transformation language. I always say clear over clever, especially in that hero section when someone first lands on your website.
Look at your hero section copy – those first two sentences visitors see. Do you have industry jargon there? Can potential clients understand they’re in the right place and that you can solve their problem?
Try putting your copy into AI with a prompt asking if it can be simplified or made clearer. Ask if it’s clear to a seventh grader. Make sure your messaging doesn’t include confusing industry terms.
7. They Don’t Apologize for Their Business
I see this mostly with smaller companies showing up in copy with words like “we’re new” or “we’re still growing” or “we’re just a small company of five people.” These disclaimers make it sound like you’re apologizing for the stage your business is in.
Own your expertise from day one. Be positive and know that you’re making a difference. It doesn’t matter the size of your team or how long you’ve been doing something – you have the expertise and knowledge to serve clients. Use that in your messaging instead of apologizing for where your business is right now.
8. They Don’t Hide Behind Professional Corporate Speak
This goes hand-in-hand with industry jargon. Many corporate clients approach website messaging from a corporate lens, using jargon like “synergistic solutions” and other corporate speak that potential clients aren’t using.
You need to sound like a person, not a formal robot or press release. Even if you are a corporation, bring human personality into it. You need to build emotional connections because people want to buy from other people.
Nothing will set you apart more than having professional yet personal copy mixed with professional yet personal imagery.
Strategic Missteps That Repel Ideal Clients
9. They Don’t Try to Be Everything to Everyone
When you try to serve everyone, you’re actually serving no one. Specific messaging is important – you want to call in ideal clients, those people you really want to work with. You also want to repel the wrong clients.
I want people to come to your website and say, “No, this service provider isn’t for me. We’re not the right fit.” This saves everyone’s time and ensures you work with clients you truly love and are excited to work with. Be specific.
10. They Don’t Hide Pricing or Investment Information
Transparency builds trust. I firmly believe you need to list your prices. We’re all busy and time is valuable. When someone visits your website and you don’t have pricing, the first thing they think is that you’re too expensive.
If you don’t want to include exact pricing because you do custom proposals, include a starting range or “clients typically pay…” Give people something so they can self-identify if it’s the right financial fit.
This actually attracts higher-paying clients. Higher-paying clients value transparency, and when they see something valued appropriately – even if it’s higher than competitors – and your copy supports this value, it attracts the clients you want to work with.
11. They Don’t Treat Every Visitor the Same
There are different entry points for different types of clients, and not everyone visits your website the same way. Some enter through blog posts that rank in Google, others through your homepage from searches, and some through your services page from referrals.
Think about the experience for someone landing on any page of your website. If you have different ways to work with you or different commitment levels, accommodate that.
When someone visits my website, I have a high investment service, and not everyone is ready to work with me immediately. But they might want website conversion information. I have blog content, my podcast, and tips I share. I invite them to join my weekly newsletter where I send one website tip every Thursday, subscribe to my podcast, and eventually reach out for a discovery call.
There are different ways people can work with me, and I don’t treat every visitor the same.
12. They Don’t Pretend Problems Don’t Exist
I know when someone comes to me, they have a problem – their website isn’t converting visitors into clients. They’re not making money with their website. I also know my investment differs from typical developers.
I address this head-on in my FAQs about what it’s like working with me. I address potential objections directly. My messaging explains why you’d want to work with me over someone else, what makes me different, and why you might not want to work with me – that’s okay too.
Don’t pretend potential objections don’t exist. Address them proactively.
Conversion Killers in Website Strategy
13. They Don’t Rely on Hope-Based Marketing
The “if you build it, they will come” mentality happens frequently when launching new websites. You think because you have a fantastic new website, everyone will automatically come.
There’s significant work involved in getting people to visit. That involves marketing, getting the word out, and sending people to your website. Every page needs a purpose, a clear next step, and you need to look at the data.
Use data-driven decisions over gut feelings and make changes based on actual analytics. Don’t rely on hope-based marketing.
14. They Don’t Treat Their About Page Like a Resume
Your life story starting from college won’t convert visitors. Listing accomplishments and achievements in bullet points won’t work either.
Your about page needs to be about them, the client. The story should explain why you’re best suited to solve their problems, not just list things you’ve done. Focus on why someone should choose to work with you based on how you can help them.
15. They Don’t Assume People Will Read Everything
We don’t read everything. We’re busy. People skim and scan. This means avoiding walls of text without visual breaks. Use bullets and lists, break things up with imagery and slight animation.
Try this test – go to any page on your website and read just the headlines. Does the page make sense reading only the headlines? It should, so someone can get what they need without reading every single word.
Of course, include clear calls-to-action guiding visitors to their next step.
The Big Picture
High-converting websites understand that less is more and focus on what visitors need to take the next step, not what looks impressive in a portfolio. This goes back to my opening example – I saw a beautiful website, but it wasn’t doing its job. If it’s not working to convert visitors, looking really cool isn’t valuable.
Your website needs to work 24/7 to attract ideal clients and move them toward working with you.
Where to Start
I just listed 15 things. Pick one of these “don’ts” that resonated, something you thought “oh, I do that on my website.” Pick one and see if you can remove or simplify something related to that one thing this week. It doesn’t have to take long – make one small change.
If this episode has you looking at your website with fresh eyes, that’s exactly what I wanted. Often we get so close to our own businesses that we can’t see what’s stopping our websites from converting.
This is where professional eyes can make all the difference. I offer website audits where I can look at your site and give you a clear plan for turning it into a conversion machine.
If you want more tips like this delivered to your inbox, join my Website Design Made Simple newsletter where I give you one actionable tip each week to help you make more money with your website.
Remember, your website needs to work for your business, not against it. Sometimes the most powerful changes come from what you don’t do rather than what you add.
