Top 10 Reasons You May Have A Bad Website

There are many types of problems bad websites can suffer from and they don’t always stand out on the surface but they can hurt your business in the background. Bad websites don’t always start out bad, but evolve as such over time and they usually result in these three categories: user experience (UX) issues, content issues or problems with design issues.

Let’s break down the top 10 bad website issues by category.

Contents

1 - Bad website UX problems

• 1. Too Many Menu Options
• 2. Can’t Find Most Important Information
• 3. Lack Of Next Steps Or Lateral Opportunities

2 - Bad website content issues

• 4. Purpose Is Unclearly Defined
• 5. Bad Grammar
• 6. Poor Visual Content
• 7. Incorrect Or Ignored Search Engine Optimization

3 - Bad website design issues

• 8. Not Mobile Friendly
• 9. Too Slow
• 10. Not Secure

Bad website UX issues

1. Too Many Menu Options

Studies show that when confronted with too many options, the brain gets anxious and won’t select any. The old saying, “less is more” is true and never more true than in a website’s menu navigation or architecture. Menus and options all over the page will cause the eyes to glaze over and shut down causing the user to likely bounce from your site.

2. Can’t Find Most Important Information

Just as too many menu options are a problem, not being able to find options or key links, is a problem as well and will kill your bottom line. Don’t bury key information behind too many clicks or in odd locations. That’s a sure way to have your visitors hightail it straight to your competition.

3. Lack Of Next Steps Or Lateral Opportunities

One of the biggest “bad website mistakes” when it comes to UX is when the user comes to the end of a post or page and it lacks more enticing or related content. Not allowing the user to discover more related content will cause a dead end or the end of the journey without a conversion.

Bad website content issues

4. Purpose Is Unclearly Defined

When a user comes to your site, they should be able to easily understand who you are and what services or products you offer. Don’t make them have to sift through unclear jargon, acronyms they don’t understand, or words that don’t say anything or speak to them. Have clear and visible content so they don’t have to hunt around to learn what it is you offer. Make your offer easy to understand and have concise details that convert into sales.

It takes about 50 milliseconds (that’s 0.05 seconds) for users to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they’ll stay or leave. Make that impression impressive and clear.

5. Bad Grammar

Conversational language on your website is fine, but unintentional bad grammar is not. Make no mistake about it, there’s no excuse for it with all the online tools available today. 

A couple of mistakes won’t hurt your search ranking. However, grammar and spelling are quality signals among Google’s 200+ ranking factors. If users often exit your website due to bad grammar giving a negative impression of your attention to detail, Google picks up on those signals.

6. Poor Visual Content

Outdated and inconsistent styling, low-quality stock photography, images or videos, and mismatched typography are huge huge telltale signs of a bad website. Outdated or low-quality visual content is often the reason we end up redesigning a new or existing client’s website. They may be great companies with great products or services but they’ve fallen victim to a bad website because they have missing key content or feel unprofessional due to an outdated design.

Your website needs to have a visual impact with compelling imagery, one that’s easily readable evokes a sense of trust, and says you’re a leader in your industry.

7. Incorrect Or Ignored Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Content plays a significant role when it comes to SEO. You can invest in a well-designed, well-planned website, but it will all be for naught if no one finds it and doesn’t rank well by neglecting SEO. And that will hurt your business. Google doesn’t care about your business, so you have to play by their rules to rank well and rank for the right searches. SEO is an ongoing strategy and discipline so you have to keep up and adapt to all the changes. It’s not a “do-it-once” and never re-optimize again situation. You also must optimize for the correct search intent.

Incorrect optimization brings in the wrong traffic, and that results in negative engagement signaling Google to rank you lower, and that will only result in lower conversions. Ignoring SEO takes control out of your hands and places it entirely up to the chance that users will find your website.

Bad website design issues

8. Not Mobile Friendly

More than 50% of your web traffic is likely coming from mobile so not having a website optimized for mobile is one of the worst web design mistakes you can make. Your users are experiencing great websites all day long. If they come to your site and the images and copy aren’t scaled down for a small screen, or some content doesn’t display properly, they’re gone. Besides, Google has shifted the playing field towards mobile, so it’s paramount that you have a mobile-friendly website to rank according to Google’s mobile-first indexing.

9. Too Slow

We’ve all been to the site that takes forever to load and let’s face it, no one likes it, including Google and it affects your search ranking, big time. Google makes it clear that page experience plays an essential role in Google Search ranking. This new page experience signal is a combination of Core Web Vitals. Website load time is vital from a UX and SEO standpoint. Google demands it, your users demand it, and you can’t afford not to bring it.

Slow page loads can be due to the server where your site is hosted, and you may need to run updates or get technical support. It could also be that you have large images or video slowing it down. Your site’s code can also impact speed. We can monitor and correct issues with our SEO maintenance plan. Whatever the reason, a slow website costs you visitors.

10. Not Secure

If your page URLs start with HTTP rather than HTTPS, your site isn’t securely hosted. This sends out warning signals to your customers. Plus, Google favors secure websites, so you’re sending negative ranking signals. Chrome and other browsers also warn your users if they’re about to visit a non-secure site. If your audience cares about their privacy and data (and who doesn’t?), this warning can drive them away. 

Site security extends beyond your hosting, and includes all aspects of your website. Learn how to protect your WordPress website in this article from Best VPN.

Ready to take the next step? Learn all about what makes a great website!

About the author:

Nick France has been designing everything from ads to websites for over thirty-five years and it’s obviously engrained in his DNA at this point. When he’s not designing or writing he’s usually found loving on his family or strapped to a guitar, singing his heart out.