Website Mistakes That Might Be Costing You Clients (And How We Fix Them)

Most people judge a business by its website — even if they don’t realise they’re doing it. A clunky layout, confusing copy, or missing information can quietly drive potential clients away before they ever get in touch. And the worst part? You might not even know it’s happening.

‍

We’ve worked with dozens of small businesses who were doing everything right offline — great service, loyal customers, good reputation — but their websites were letting them down. The good news? Most website issues are fixable, and often, small changes make a big difference.

‍

One of the most common problems we see is lack of clarity. If someone lands on your site and can’t immediately understand what you do, who it’s for, or how to take the next step — they’ll leave. Your homepage should answer those three things within the first few seconds: what you do, who it’s for, and what to do next. Clear headings, simple language, and a visible call-to-action go a long way.

‍

Next up: information overload. Many small business owners try to cram everything they do onto a single page. The result? A wall of text, and a user who’s completely overwhelmed. We help structure content in a way that’s easy to skim and highlights the most important bits first. Think short sections, bullet points, and helpful headings — not endless paragraphs of explanation.

‍

Then there’s mobile. Over half of all web traffic now comes from phones. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly — if the text is tiny, buttons are hard to click, or images don’t load properly — people will bounce right off. Every site we build at Shy Hedgehog is fully responsive, so it looks great on any screen.

‍

Sometimes, the issue isn’t the site’s design — it’s that it hasn’t been updated in years. Maybe the pricing is outdated. Maybe the business has grown, but the site still says “coming soon.” This gives off a bad impression, even if everything behind the scenes is thriving. We help businesses refresh and relaunch without starting from scratch.

‍

SEO is another hidden factor. If your site isn’t structured correctly (titles, descriptions, page names), it might never show up in search results — no matter how great it looks. We include basic search-friendly structure in all our builds, and we offer SEO copywriting as an add-on for those who want to take it further.

‍

Case in point: a local therapist we worked with had a beautiful DIY site but wasn’t getting any new enquiries. We cleaned up her layout, simplified her services page, added search-friendly headings, and made the contact form easy to find. Within a month, she had four new bookings directly through her website — the first in over a year.

‍

If you’re wondering whether your website might be losing you business, here are a few quick checks:

– Can someone figure out what you do in under 5 seconds?

– Does your website work well on a phone?

– Is it clear how to contact or book you?

– Do all the links and buttons work?

– Does it feel up-to-date?

‍

If you answered “no” to any of those, you’re not alone — and we’re here to help.

‍

At Shy Hedgehog, we don’t just make websites look good — we make sure they work for your business. Whether you need a simple refresh or a brand new site, we’ll guide you through it all, without the tech overwhelm.

‍

Let’s fix what’s holding you back — and get your business online, looking its best.