Your Website Is Giving Customers the Ick — Here's Why
Your business might be brilliant. Your team might be fantastic. Your service might be the best thing since sliced bread. But if your website looks like it hasn't been touched since the days of dial-up internet, we need to have a little chat.
Picture this.
Somebody recommends your business to a potential customer.
Brilliant. A warm lead. The sort of customer businesses spend good money trying to attract.
They pull out their phone, Google your company, and click onto your website.
And then it happens.
The text is tiny. The menu is doing something strange. The homepage takes an eternity to load. There's a stock photo of three people in suits laughing at a laptop.
Nobody has ever been that excited about a laptop.
Nobody.
Your potential customer quietly presses Back and visits a competitor.
That's the website ick.
And the problem is that business owners often don't notice it.
You know where everything is, how the website works, and which buttons people are supposed to press.
Your customers don't.
So let's look at ten signs your website might be quietly putting people off, and more importantly, what you can do about them.
Your Website Looks Like It's Still Waiting for the London Olympics
Remember when websites had glossy buttons, enormous sliders, strange shadows, and enough different fonts to open a stationery shop?
There's nothing wrong with nostalgia.
But your business website probably shouldn't look as though somebody has opened a time capsule from 2012.
Customers make judgements about businesses based on what they see.
An outdated-looking website can create doubts about whether a business is active, professional, or keeping up with its industry.
Of course, looking modern doesn't automatically make a website any good.
There are plenty of beautiful websites that are an absolute nightmare to use.
The goal isn't to follow every fashionable design trend.
The goal is to make your business look credible, current, and easy to deal with.
Use consistent typography, clear navigation, modern spacing, high-quality visuals, and layouts that actually make sense. A proper website redesign should improve the experience and help customers take action, not simply change the colours.
Your Mobile Website Requires the Fingers of a Brain Surgeon
Here's a challenge.
Open your website on your phone.
Don't use a massive desktop monitor. Don't turn your phone sideways. Don't cheat.
Just use it like a normal customer.
Can you read the text without zooming?
Can you press the buttons without accidentally opening something else?
Is the contact form easy to complete?
Does the navigation actually work?
Or do you need the hand-eye coordination of a professional darts player just to select the correct menu item?
A website that looks fantastic on a desktop can be virtually unusable on a mobile phone.
This matters because customers aren't always sitting in front of a computer when they find you.
They might be travelling, sitting on the sofa, or quickly comparing suppliers during their lunch break.
If your website makes those visitors work harder than necessary, you've introduced a problem before they've even spoken to you.
Design and test the mobile experience properly. Buttons should be easy to tap, content should resize naturally, forms should be straightforward, and important information should be visible without a treasure hunt. Our Web Design & Development service takes responsive layouts into account from the outset.
Your Website Loads Slower Than Someone Explaining Their Entire Dream
We've all been there.
You click on a website. Nothing happens.
You wait.
A little loading symbol spins.
Eventually a massive image appears. Then the entire page jumps because something else has loaded.
By this point, you've forgotten why you visited.
Slow websites create unnecessary friction.
They frustrate visitors, make important tasks harder, and can affect the overall experience of using the website.
Performance also matters for search visibility.
Google's Core Web Vitals measure aspects of loading, responsiveness, and visual stability.
But improving performance isn't about chasing a perfect test score at the expense of everything else.
It's about making the website feel quick, reliable, and comfortable to use.
Common Reasons Websites Are Slow
- Enormous, unoptimised images.
- Unnecessary plugins and scripts.
- Poor hosting performance.
- Overcomplicated page builders.
- Heavy animations adding little value.
- Too many third-party integrations.
- Slow server responses.
Test important pages on mobile and desktop. Optimise images, review unnecessary scripts, and investigate actual performance problems. Our Digital Audit service reviews website performance alongside the wider digital customer journey.
Your Team Apparently Consists of Six American Stock Photo Models
You know the pictures.
A perfectly cheerful group of impossibly enthusiastic people standing around a computer.
They're pointing at a graph and laughing like they've just discovered the world's funniest spreadsheet.
Stock photography isn't inherently bad.
It can be useful when chosen carefully.
The problem starts when the images tell customers absolutely nothing about the actual business.
If you've got a fantastic team, show them.
If you've completed brilliant projects, show them.
If you have genuine premises, interesting products, or a unique process, let people see them.
Original photography, real screenshots, and examples of your work can help customers understand who they're dealing with.
And unlike the man in that stock photo, your team probably doesn't laugh every time somebody opens Excel.
Replace generic imagery where possible with real people, projects, and visuals that support the content. Every image should have a purpose, even if that purpose is simply helping visitors trust your business.
Your Contact Form Asks More Questions Than a Mortgage Application
Someone wants to ask how much your services cost.
Simple enough.
Except your contact form wants their full name, company name, job title, annual turnover, telephone number, email address, postcode, department, preferred contact method, and a detailed explanation of their five-year business strategy.
All they wanted was a quote.
They're now questioning their entire decision to contact you.
Every form field should have a reason to exist.
Sometimes a longer form is necessary, particularly for complex enquiries.
But unnecessary questions create friction.
It's also important to explain what happens after the customer presses Submit.
Will somebody call them? Email them? When should they expect to hear back?
If you leave customers guessing, you make the experience harder than it needs to be.
Ask for the information you genuinely need. Make forms easy to complete on mobile devices. Explain the next step. Review whether visitors are abandoning important forms. This is exactly the sort of problem addressed through Conversion Rate Optimisation .
Your Website Says Lots of Words Without Actually Saying Anything
Let's play a game.
What does this sentence mean?
Answers on a postcard.
Your website isn't a competition to see how many business buzzwords you can squeeze into one paragraph.
Visitors want straightforward answers.
Customers Want to Know:
- What do you actually do?
- Who do you help?
- What problems can you solve?
- Why should someone choose you?
- What should they do next?
If somebody has to read your homepage three times to understand what you sell, something needs changing.
Clear website content isn't about making everything incredibly short.
It's about communicating useful information in a way customers can understand.
It can also help search engines understand the relevance of your pages.
That means creating specific, helpful content rather than stuffing the same keywords into every paragraph.
Write like a human. Explain services in normal language. Give examples. Answer real questions. Combine clear copywriting with a sensible SEO strategy so your website communicates effectively with both customers and search engines.
Nobody Can Tell Whether Your Business Actually Exists
Imagine visiting a website with no real company information.
There's no team.
No examples of completed work.
No clear contact details.
And the testimonials all sound suspiciously like they were written by exactly the same person.
One reads:
— John S.
Helpful, John. Really convincing.
People want reassurance before trusting a business with their money.
What counts as useful proof will vary by industry.
It might include genuine customer reviews, relevant qualifications, case studies, examples of completed projects, or straightforward information about the company.
Don't invent reviews or exaggerate results.
Authenticity matters far more than filling your website with impressive-looking claims.
Add genuine evidence of your work. Explain the people and experience behind the business. Make contact details easy to find and keep important information accurate and up to date.
You've Built a Lovely Website That Google Can Barely Understand
Having a beautiful website is great.
Having a beautiful website that potential customers can actually discover is even better.
Some websites are built almost entirely around appearance.
The design looks impressive, but basic search visibility gets forgotten.
Service pages have vague headings.
Important information is missing.
Every page targets exactly the same topic.
Internal linking is almost non-existent.
Sometimes pages are difficult for search engines to crawl, or technical settings prevent them from being indexed.
It's a bit like opening a brilliant new shop and forgetting to tell anybody where it is.
SEO isn't simply adding a few keywords once the website is finished.
It should influence the structure, content, navigation, technical setup, and ongoing development of the site.
Build search visibility into the website from the beginning. Create useful service pages, descriptive headings, sensible internal links, and a technically sound foundation. Explore our SEO services to understand how the different elements work together.
Your Website Has Absolutely No Idea What It Wants Visitors to Do
Your homepage explains the business.
Great.
It lists your services.
Lovely.
It has some nice pictures.
Fantastic.
Then the visitor reaches the bottom of the page.
And that's it.
No helpful next step.
No obvious contact option.
No booking link.
No clear route towards becoming a customer.
It's like a salesperson giving an absolutely wonderful presentation, then walking out of the room before asking for the sale.
Calls to action don't need to be aggressive.
They don't need to be plastered across every spare inch of the screen.
They simply need to help somebody move forward.
Examples of Helpful Next Steps
- Request a quote.
- Book a consultation.
- Explore relevant services.
- View previous projects.
- Ask a question.
- Download a helpful guide.
Give every important page a clear purpose and a relevant next action. Review the complete customer journey rather than treating each page in isolation. Our Conversion Rate Optimisation service focuses on reducing these obstacles and improving how website visitors become enquiries or customers.
The DigitalBooth Website Ick Test
Right.
We've been a little harsh on websites today.
Now it's time to find out whether yours deserves the criticism.
Open your website on your phone and imagine you're visiting it for the very first time.
Ask Yourself These 10 Questions
- Can I understand what the business does within a few seconds?
- Can I navigate without confusion?
- Is the website comfortable to use on my phone?
- Does the main content load quickly and remain stable?
- Can I easily find contact details?
- Does the business look trustworthy?
- Are the services properly explained?
- Can I see genuine examples of work?
- Are the enquiry forms simple?
- Is it obvious what I should do next?
If you answered "no" to several questions, that doesn't necessarily mean you need an entirely new website.
Sometimes improving navigation, rewriting content, simplifying forms, or sorting out mobile layouts can make a meaningful difference.
In other cases, the underlying design or technology might be holding the business back.
The important thing is to identify the real problems before throwing money at a redesign.
So, Do You Need a New Website or Just a Proper Tidy-Up?
Here's something you might not expect a website development company to say.
Not every business needs a brand-new website.
If your existing website has a solid technical foundation, loads reasonably well, and already supports your business, targeted improvements might be the smartest option.
A full rebuild becomes more attractive when the existing design is fundamentally unsuitable, the platform is difficult to maintain, or important business requirements cannot be delivered reliably.
There's also the question of choosing the right technology.
WordPress can be an excellent option for businesses wanting a flexible content-managed website.
A custom-coded website may make more sense when requirements, integrations, or functionality justify a bespoke approach.
Neither is automatically better for everyone.
The right answer depends on what the website actually needs to achieve.
When to Consider a Full Redesign
- The design cannot properly support mobile users.
- The website is difficult or expensive to maintain.
- Important features cannot be added reliably.
- The structure no longer matches the business.
- Fundamental usability problems cannot be fixed sensibly.
When Targeted Improvements Might Be Enough
- Navigation needs simplifying.
- Existing content needs rewriting.
- Images require optimisation.
- Forms need improving.
- SEO issues can be fixed without rebuilding everything.
At DigitalBooth, we look at both WordPress and bespoke website development , with the aim of selecting an appropriate solution rather than forcing every business into the same template.
Final Thoughts: Your Website Shouldn't Be Scaring Customers Away
The uncomfortable truth is that potential customers don't always tell you when your website puts them off.
They don't send an email saying:
They just leave.
And if somebody else's website is easier to understand, easier to navigate, and easier to enquire through, that business may win the customer.
That's why a good website isn't simply a digital brochure or somewhere to display your logo.
It's part of how your business communicates, builds trust, attracts enquiries, and helps customers make decisions.
It doesn't need to be the flashiest website on the internet.
It needs to do its job.
And ideally, without giving anybody the ick.
Is Your Website Helping Your Business or Quietly Holding It Back?
DigitalBooth helps businesses improve existing websites, build new WordPress or custom-coded websites, strengthen SEO, and create better customer journeys.
Whether your website needs a few sensible improvements or a complete rethink, it starts with understanding what's actually going wrong.
Explore Our Web Design Services →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my website needs redesigning?
Look for recurring usability problems, poor mobile layouts, confusing navigation, outdated content, technical difficulties, and friction in the enquiry process. A digital audit can help determine whether improvements or a full redesign would be more appropriate.
Can an outdated website affect SEO?
An old-looking design alone doesn't automatically damage rankings. However, technical problems, poor mobile usability, weak content, and difficult site structures can affect search performance or make it harder to attract and retain visitors.
Is WordPress suitable for a modern business website?
Yes. WordPress can be suitable for many businesses when built, configured, maintained, and secured properly. The decision between WordPress and a bespoke website should be based on business requirements rather than trends.
Will a website redesign automatically bring more customers?
No. A redesign can address important problems, but increased enquiries are not guaranteed. Website performance also depends on traffic quality, customer demand, messaging, trust, and how the website is used.
Should I have a digital audit before redesigning my website?
It's often sensible to understand the existing website's performance, customer journey, technical issues, and search visibility first. This can help avoid unnecessary spending and prioritise improvements more effectively.
