One of the first steps we take when onboarding a new client is to audit their website if they have one, and these three critical mistakes are the ones I see the most!
Visitor attention spans are fleeting, and once you’ve got someone on your website, you don’t want to put them off with these common pitfalls that could be silently sabotaging your potential.
You can check the speed of your site using GTMetrix, you should aim for an A, anything less than a B isn’t acceptable.
The main culprit of a slow website is unoptimised images; check out my tutorial for help if you don’t know how to optimise images but, in a nutshell, you shouldn’t have any photos over 2000 pixels wide, try to use a webp format, or if you don’t have the tools for this, use a jpg over a png as they are smaller and load more quickly. After saying your image, you can put it through TinyPNG to ensure it’s as small as possible.
If you have a WordPress website, consider using a plugin like WPRocket, which will instantly speed up your website straight out of the box without any tech knowledge required!
Think of your navigation as a friendly guide, leading visitors to their destination effortlessly. Streamline your navigation menu, utilising clear and concise labels, and trying to allow visitors to find every piece of info within two clicks. Create an intuitive site structure that mirrors the logical flow of information. If you’ve got a site that requires a lot of pages, don’t forget the search function – it’s a valuable tool that helps users quickly find what they’re looking for, preventing them from sailing away to a smoother digital journey elsewhere.
Put the most important pages first and last in your menu, as these are the most clicked on spots.
Sign up for our FREE online
Website Audit Workshop
on 5th December at 2.00 pm
Hi, I’m Kelly
Web designer, SEO strategist and founder of Sparks Web Studio. I help service-based businesses build websites that not only look the part but actually do the work. That means attracting the right people, appearing in search results, and converting clicks into clients.
I’ll handle the tech, design and SEO strategy so you can focus on growing your business. Let’s turn your website into something that works hard behind the scenes and supports your next stage of growth.
Grab my free guide: 10 Easy Tips to Improve Your Website for quick, practical wins you can use today to keep visitors on your site longer and turn clicks into clients.
You’ll also have the option to confirm if you’d like to receive my occasional newsletter, packed with website tips, behind-the-scenes peeks, and small biz support.
No spam, no salesy stuff, and your data’s safe with me — always.
