We've roasted over 500 websites through our AI tool. After analysing all that brutal, unfiltered feedback, a pattern emerged: the same design mistakes appeared again and again. On startup sites. On agency portfolios. On e-commerce stores. On SaaS landing pages. The painful part? Most of these mistakes are completely avoidable.
Mistake #1: No Clear Visual Hierarchy
When everything fights for attention, nothing wins. If your H1, subheadline, CTA, navigation and body copy all appear at similar visual weights, visitors' eyes don't know where to land first — so they bounce.
Establish a clear type scale. Your H1 should be 3–5× larger than body text. One CTA should dominate above the fold.
Mistake #2: Weak Above-the-Fold Headline
You have 3 seconds. If your headline doesn't immediately communicate what you do and why it matters, visitors leave. Generic headlines like "Welcome to our website" or "We help businesses grow" tell visitors nothing.
Your headline should answer: What do you do? Who is it for? What's the outcome? In one sentence.
Mistake #3: Too Many CTAs
Choice paralysis is real. When visitors see "Sign Up", "Learn More", "Watch Demo", "Contact Us" and "Start Free Trial" all above the fold, they freeze — and leave.
One primary CTA per section. Everything else is secondary and should look it.
Mistake #4: Poor Colour Contrast
Light grey text on white backgrounds. Orange text on red backgrounds. These aren't design choices — they're conversion killers. If your text is hard to read, people don't read it.
Use a contrast checker. Aim for WCAG AA (4.5:1) minimum for body text.
Mistake #5: No Social Proof Above the Fold
Trust is the #1 conversion barrier. If visitors can't find proof that others have used and loved your product within seconds, they assume risk — and bounce.
Add a testimonial, star rating, or customer count directly below your headline.
Mistake #6: Walls of Text
Nobody reads paragraphs on the web. They scan. If your copy is dense blocks of text with no breaks, subheadings, or bullet points, it's invisible.
Break content into scannable chunks. Max 3 sentences per paragraph. Use subheadings every 150–200 words.
Mistake #7: Slow Load Time
53% of mobile users abandon a page that takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Every second of load time costs you conversions — measurably.
Compress images, use a CDN, defer non-critical JavaScript. Run Google PageSpeed and fix the top 3 issues.
Mistake #8: No Mobile Optimisation
Over 60% of web traffic is mobile. Yet most sites are still designed desktop-first, then awkwardly squeezed for mobile. Tiny tap targets, horizontal scrolling, text that requires pinching — all conversion killers.
Design mobile-first. Test every page on a real device, not just a browser resize.
Mistake #9: No Clear Value Proposition
Your value proposition isn't your tagline. It's the specific, concrete answer to "Why should I choose you over everyone else?" Most websites never answer this question.
Use the formula: We help [WHO] do [WHAT] so they can [OUTCOME]. Make it the most prominent copy on your page.
Mistake #10: Ignoring the Footer
Visitors who scroll to the footer are highly engaged. Yet most footers are graveyards of forgotten links. This is prime conversion real estate most sites waste entirely.
Add a CTA, testimonial, or newsletter signup to your footer. Capture interest before they leave.