Seven places your website loses customers, and how to check each one

A business website has one job: to move the visitor to the next step, whether that is asking for a quote, calling, booking or buying. When visitors arrive but that step does not happen, the problem is rarely how good the site looks. It is usually in a handful of predictable places. Here are the seven we see most often in UX audits, with a quick way to check each.

1. The first screen doesn't say what you do

Within a few seconds a visitor should know what you do, who it is for and what to do next. Abstract slogans and big images don't answer those questions.

• Check: show your site to someone who doesn't know you for five seconds, then ask what you do.

2. The main action is hidden, or there are too many

When "Get a quote", "Call us", "Download the brochure" and "Join the newsletter" carry the same weight, visitors pick none. One main action and at most one secondary action is enough.

• Check: write down the one step you want from visitors on each page. Is it the most prominent thing on screen?

3. Mobile is a shrunk desktop

Even on business sites a large share of visits come from phones. Small tap targets, menus that don't open and forms you can't fill in on a phone are the usual problems.

• Check: send a quote request from start to finish on your own phone.

4. The form is too long, or what happens next is unclear

Every extra field raises the chance of abandonment. Forms that don't say what happens after sending also cost trust.

• Check: for each field ask "could we reply without this?", and say in the confirmation message when you will get back to them.

5. Trust signals are missing

Visitors who don't know you look for references, client logos, real project examples, an address and a phone number. Without them the decision gets postponed.

• Check: is there at least one concrete proof (a project, a client, a result) on your home and service pages?

6. The site is slow

On mobile connections especially, a slow first screen makes people leave before they see your content. Heavy images, unnecessary plugins and animation are the usual causes.

• Check: look at your mobile result in Google PageSpeed Insights, focusing on how long the first screen takes.

7. Visitors can't find what they came for

Internal jargon in the menu, services buried in deep pages and copy that gives no hint about price or process send visitors to a competitor.

• Check: write down the three questions you are asked most. Can a visitor find the answers within two clicks?

Where to start

You don't have to fix everything at once. Start with what affects the main flow (quote, contact or checkout) and leave cosmetic fixes for last. A full UX audit sets that order with data.

Curious which of these apply to your site? Request a free mini UX review: we'll look at your site and e-mail you the 3 findings that matter most, each with a suggested fix.