5 Website Mistakes That Are Costing You Customers

(And How to Fix Them)

Let’s face it — having a website isn’t enough anymore. Everyone and their dog has one. The real question is: is your website actually helping your business… or quietly sabotaging your success behind the scenes?

No sugar-coating here — let’s cut through the BS and talk about the five most common website mistakes that are costing you customers right now (and how to fix them without dropping your life savings or losing your mind).

1. Your Site Loads Slower Than My Morning Coffee Routine

We've all been there. You click on a website link and... wait... and wait... and fuck it, you're gone.

The brutal truth: If your site takes longer than 3 seconds to load, you’re losing about 40% of your visitors — instantly. Yep, THREE SECONDS. That’s how long you've got.

Why it happens:

• Uncompressed, giant-ass images

• Too many plugins or third-party embeds

• Over-the-top animations that look cool but act like molasses

• Bargain-bin hosting that couldn’t load a text file on time

The Squarespace Fix:

• Compress images before uploading (I like TinyPNG – it’s free and stupid easy)

• Stick to Squarespace’s native features when possible

• Remove extra animations/videos on your mobile version

• Clean out any unnecessary custom code

‼️ Real Talk: Google’s research says properly compressed images can slash load times by up to 60%. Pingdom’s data shows that shaving load times from 6 seconds to under 3 can drop bounce rates by 25%. Worth it? Hell yes.

2. Your Mobile Site Looks Like It Was Designed in 1999

Do me a favor: grab your phone and look at your website.
Is it easy to read? Easy to click? Or is it a pinch-and-zoom nightmare?

The harsh truth: Over 60% of web traffic is mobile. If your mobile site sucks, you’re basically ghosting most of your visitors.

Why it happens:

• Designing only on desktop (been there)

• Not testing on real phones

• Using templates that aren’t fully responsive

The Squarespace Fix:

• Good news: Squarespace is mobile-responsive by default (part of why I love it)

• But still: check every page on your actual phone

• Use the mobile editor to tweak as needed

• Make sure buttons are big enough (44x44 pixels is the gold standard)

• Simplify navigation and forms — mobile users hate fiddly stuff

‼️ Google stats say optimizing for mobile can boost mobile conversions by 65–70%. Translation? Leaving it unoptimized = burning potential sales.

3. Your Navigation Is a Maze of Mayhem

If people need a treasure map to find your contact page, we’ve got a problem.

The honest truth: If visitors can’t find what they need in 2–3 clicks, they’re out. And trust me — they’re not coming back.

Why it happens:

• Too many menu items

• Confusing or "clever" labels (don’t be cute, be clear)

• No clear hierarchy of pages

• Important stuff buried like it’s part of an escape room

The Squarespace Fix:

• Keep main nav to 5–7 items max

• Use plain, direct labels (seriously, don’t reinvent the wheel here)

• Use dropdowns for secondary pages if needed

• Add a search bar if you’ve got lots of content

• Feature your key page (like “Services” or “Shop”) right up front

‼️ Nielsen Norman Group says simplifying nav from 10+ to 5–7 well-labeled options can boost engagement by up to 40%. Let people find the good stuff!

4. Your Calls-to-Action Are Weak AF (Or MIA)

Every page needs to answer this: What should the visitor do next? If the answer is "uhhh...", you're leaving conversions on the table.

The painful truth: If you’re not clearly guiding people, they’ll do... nothing. Or worse, leave.

Why it happens:

• Vague goals for the site

• Fear of being “too salesy”

• Forgetting to lead the user journey

The Squarespace Fix:

• Add one strong CTA per page (no wishy-washy stuff)

• Use button colors that stand out from your background

• Write bold, specific copy (“Book Your Free Call” > “Submit”)

• Use secondary CTAs for folks not quite ready yet

• Test what works — button text, color, placement, etc.

‼️ ContentVerve found that swapping “Click Here” for something specific boosted conversions by 30%. And HubSpot says buttons that pop can lift conversions 20–30%. Small tweak = big impact.

5. Your Design Screams “Template” (Or Worse, 2015)

Look — there’s nothing wrong with using a template. But when your site looks templated? That’s when the trouble starts.

The cold hard truth: People judge your biz in under a second. And if your site looks dated or bland, you’ve already lost their trust.

Why it happens:

• Using a template without customizing it

• Outdated design trends (hello, skeuomorphism?)

• DIY-ing with no real design experience

• Letting the site collect dust for years

The Squarespace Fix:

• Pick a template that fits, then make it yours — colors, fonts, layout, everything

• Ditch stock photos where you can — show your real business!

• Add brand personality with custom touches (icons, textures, graphics)

• Embrace white space — clutter = stress

• Refresh your design every 2–3 years (minimum)

‼️ Stanford research shows 75% of users judge credibility based on design. MUST researchers found users form a first impression in 0.2 seconds. And in service industries, modern design can boost inquiries by 200%. Facts.

So... Now What?

If any of this hit a little too close to home — don’t panic.
The beauty of Squarespace is that you can fix these issues fast, without rebuilding your entire site or hiring a whole dev team.

Start with the biggest pain points — speed and mobile usually come first — and then tackle the rest.

👉 Need a roadmap? I made you a free Mini Website Audit Checklist you can download and use to give your site a no-BS once-over.
It covers everything we just talked about, plus a few extra goodies.

Download Your Free Mini Website Audit →

Try it, use it, and let me know what you find! I'm always here to help — whether it's a small tweak or a total glow-up.