5 mistakes that make you lose customers on your website

You’ve invested time and money in your website. Traffic arrives, but conversions don’t. What’s happening?

After auditing dozens of websites, I’ve identified 5 recurring mistakes that are costing you clients. The worst part: they’re easy to fix.

Mistake #1: Your site loads slowly (and people leave)

The problem: According to Google, 53% of visitors abandon a site that takes more than 3 seconds to load.

Real case: An e-commerce client had a loading time of 8.5 seconds. We optimized the site to 1.2 seconds and their sales increased by 34% in the first month.

Why does it happen?

• Uncompressed images (culprit #1)
• Too many plugins or scripts
• Cheap or poorly configured hosting
• No browser cache

How to fix it:

1. Compress your images

   • Use TinyPNG or Squoosh
   • Modern formats: WebP or AVIF
   • Maximum size: 100-200KB per image

2. Activate cache

   • WordPress: WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache
   • Hosting: Cloudflare (free)

3. Eliminate the unnecessary

   • Plugins you don’t use
   • Excessive custom fonts
   • Heavy animations

4. Improve your hosting

   • Minimum recommended: SSD, PHP 8+, CDN
   • Options: Vercel (free), Cloudflare Pages, AWS

Test: Use PageSpeed Insights to measure your speed. Aim for +90 points.

Mistake #2: It’s not clear what you do or sell

The problem: Your visitor has 3 seconds to understand what you offer. If they don’t get it, they leave.

Bad examples:

• “Innovative solutions for the digital future”
• “We transform ideas into reality”
• “Your technology partner”

Sounds nice but says nothing.

Good examples:

• “We create online stores that sell 24/7”
• “Web development for restaurants - Digital menu and online reservations”
• “Landing pages that convert visitors into customers”

How to fix it:

1. Clear title in the hero

   • What you do
   • For whom
   • What result they’ll get

2. Specific subtitle

   • More detail
   • Main benefit
   • No technical jargon

Before/after example:

Before:

“We boost your digital presence with innovative solutions”

After:

“I design fast websites for small businesses Increase your sales without technical complications”

Mistake #3: Impossible contact form

The problem: You ask for too much information or the form doesn’t work.

Real data:

• For each extra field you add, you lose 10-20% of conversions
• 67% of users abandon forms they consider “too long”

Common mistakes:

❌ Full name
❌ Last name
❌ Phone (required)
❌ Company
❌ Position
❌ Industry
❌ Budget
❌ Start date
❌ How did you hear about us?

Optimized version:

✅ Name
✅ Email
✅ How can I help you?
✅ [Button: Send]

Bonus: Add a clear success message and redirect to a “thank you” page with the next step.

How to fix it:

1. Bare minimum

   • Name (or “What should I call you”)
   • Email
   • Message

2. Test that it works

   • Send yourself a test message
   • Verify it arrives correctly
   • Respond quickly (maximum 24 hours)

3. Alternatives to the form

   • WhatsApp Business button
   • Calendly for scheduling calls
   • Live chat (if you can attend to it)

Mistake #4: No clear call to action (CTA)

The problem: Your visitor arrives, reads, but doesn’t know what to do next.

Symptoms:

• You don’t have prominent buttons
• Buttons say “More information” (boring)
• The CTA is hidden at the end
• You have 10 different CTAs and the user doesn’t know which to choose

Generic CTAs (don’t use these):

• “Submit”
• “Click here”
• “More information”
• “Get started”

Effective CTAs:

• “See plans and pricing”
• “Schedule free call (15 min)”
• “Calculate my project cost”
• “Request demo now”
• “Download free PDF guide”

How to fix it:

1. One main CTA per page

   • Clear and visible
   • Contrasting colors
   • Above the fold (visible without scrolling)

2. Use action verbs

   • “Request”, “Download”, “Schedule”, “Start”
   • Specify the benefit
   • Generate urgency (optional)

3. Repeat the CTA

   • Hero (top)
   • Middle of the page
   • End of the page
   • Sticky button (optional)

Example: Instead of “Submit”, use:

“Request free quote (I respond within 24h)“

Mistake #5: Design that doesn’t inspire trust

The problem: Your site looks like it’s from 2010 or doesn’t convey professionalism.

Warning signs:

• Pixelated or amateur logo
• Fonts difficult to read
• Colors that don’t match
• Obviously generic stock photos
• No footer with contact information
• No privacy policy or terms
• No SSL certificate (https://)

Elements that generate trust:

1. Real testimonials

   • With photo and real name
   • Specific (“increased sales 40%”)
   • From recognizable people/companies

2. Portfolio/Success cases

   • With measurable results
   • Screenshots or real photos
   • Client names (with permission)

3. Visible contact information

   • Professional email (@yourcompany.com)
   • Phone/WhatsApp
   • Address (if applicable)
   • Active social networks

4. Modern and clean design

   • White space
   • Readable typography
   • Quality images
   • Mobile responsive

5. Legal pages

   • Privacy policy
   • Terms and conditions
   • Cookie policy

How to fix it:

If you don’t have testimonials yet:

• Offer discount in exchange for testimonial
• Show your work process
• Share your experience
• Use guarantees (“satisfaction guaranteed”)

Bonus: How to identify if you have these mistakes

Free tools you should use:

1. Google PageSpeed Insights

   • Measures speed
   • Gives specific recommendations
   • Free and easy

2. Hotjar (free plan)

   • See recordings of real users
   • Heatmaps: where they click
   • Identify friction points

3. Google Analytics

   • Bounce rate (if it’s +70%, you have problems)
   • Time on page
   • Pages where people leave

4. Ask for honest feedback

   • Friends/family (non-technical)
   • Current clients
   • Ask: “What don’t you understand?” “What stops you?”

Action plan: Where to start

You don’t need to fix everything at once. Prioritize:

Week 1: Quick wins

1. Compress all images
2. Verify the form works
3. Add a clear CTA in the hero

Week 2: Content

1. Rewrite your main title (clear and specific)
2. Simplify your contact form
3. Add SSL certificate if you don’t have it

Week 3: Trust

1. Ask satisfied clients for testimonials
2. Add basic legal pages
3. Update footer with complete contact

Week 4: Testing

1. Measure speed (goal: <3 seconds)
2. Ask 5 people for feedback
3. Implement improvements based on data

Conclusion

These 5 mistakes are costing you clients right now. The good news: they’re all fixable without spending much.

You don’t need a complete redesign. Start with quick wins and measure results.

Remember:

• Speed > Pretty design
• Clarity > Creativity
• Simple > Complex
• Tests > Assumptions

Want a professional audit of your site? I can review your website and give you specific feedback on what to improve. No commitment.