10 mistakes that kill your website's conversion
Most sites have 'leaks' - places where a visitor who showed interest (clicked an ad, browsed products, entered the cart) suddenly leaves. These 10 mistakes are the most common culprits. The good news is that 8 out of 10 can be fixed in a week, without a big redesign - and each one improves conversion by 10-30%.
Table of contents:
1. The site is too slow
Stat: 53% of users leave a site that takes longer than 3 seconds to load (Google). Each additional second of load time reduces conversion by 7%. More on this in the article Site speed and Core Web Vitals.
Most common culprits: uncompressed images (often 2-5 MB each, should be under 200 KB), too many plugins on WordPress, lack of caching, autoplay video on the hero section.
Quick fix: optimize images (Squoosh, TinyPNG), activate caching plugin (WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache), check speed on PageSpeed Insights.
2. Unclear or hidden CTAs
The user shouldn't have to look for what to do - a 'Send inquiry', 'Buy now' or 'Book a free call' button must be clearly visible, contrast color, above the fold, and repeated at the bottom.
Mistake #1: CTA button the same color as the header navigation (it blends in completely, no one sees it). Mistake #2: 'Learn more' as button text - generic, doesn't say what the user gets. Better text: 'See pricing', 'Book a free consultation', 'Download the free guide'.
3. Forms with too many fields
Stat: reducing form fields from 11 to 4 increases conversion by 120% (HubSpot study). Every field the user has to fill is additional friction.
Ask yourself: what minimum information do I need to respond to an inquiry? Most often it's: name, email, brief project description. Phone, company, budget, deadline - you can ask in the first email, not in the form.
Rule: never more than 5 fields in the first form. If you need more, use a multi-step form (3 fields per step, with a progress bar).
4. Poor mobile experience
More than 65% of traffic in Serbia comes from mobile devices - meaning the mobile version isn't 'extra', it's the primary version. All about it in the article Mobile-first design. Our web design service builds every site mobile-first.
Most common mobile mistakes: buttons under 44x44px (can't be tapped with a finger), text smaller than 16px (needs zoom), forms with inputs that don't 'match' the type (e.g. text instead of tel for a phone number). Quick test: open your site on a phone, try to fill out the contact form - if you need to zoom in, mobile UX is broken.
5. Missing 'trust' signals
A user visiting your site for the first time isn't sure you're legitimate. Trust signals reduce 'risk' and increase conversion.
What to add: SSL certificate (green padlock in browser), reviews and testimonials (with name and photo), known client logos, number of clients/projects, years in the industry, physical address and phone, photo of team/owner (not stock photos).
Specific to e-commerce: money-back guarantee, secure payment methods (Visa, Mastercard, IPS logos), shipping and timing information.
6. Hidden price or shipping
Mistake: the user goes through the process, adds product to cart, fills in details - and only at the last step sees that shipping costs 800 RSD. Abandonment rate: 70%+.
Solution: shipping cost must be visible as early as possible - on the product page itself, if not, then at cart entry. If you have free shipping over a threshold, show it (e.g. 'Free shipping over 3,000 RSD - you need 450 RSD more!').
7. Bad product photography
In an e-shop, the photo IS the product - the user can't pick it up, so all decisions are made based on images. Stock photos from Google, blurry photos, one photo per product - all of that kills conversion.
Rule: minimum 5 photos per product (multiple angles, details, on a person/in use, with size scale). Professional, on a clean background, large enough for zoom (minimum 1500x1500px).
8. Overloaded pages
A site that shows 'everything at once' - hero section, 5 rows of products, blog, testimonials, FAQ, social feed - on one page. The user arrives and doesn't know where to look.
Rule: one page = one main goal. Home page leads to services. Service page leads to contact. Product page leads to cart. Every additional element that doesn't support that goal - is noise.
9. Dead links and 404 errors
User clicks a link in the menu and gets '404 - page not found'. Chance they come back: 30%. 404 errors happen for various reasons - deleted page, redesign without 301 redirects, typos in links.
Quick check: Google Search Console shows all 404 errors. Check once a month, set up 301 redirects or fix the links. A custom 404 page with links to popular sections can catch even those 30% of 'lost' users.
10. No feedback after action
User clicks 'Send' on a form - and nothing happens. No 'Thanks, we'll respond in 24h', no animation, no toast notification. The user clicks twice, sends 5 emails, or - worst case - thinks something doesn't work and leaves.
Rule: every user action gets feedback within 0.5 seconds. Click on button = animation or spinner. Form submit = 'Thanks' message. Validation error = clear description of what to fix.
Need a UX audit of your site? We do a deep review (heatmap, session recording, prioritized list of issues) - see web design service for details, or send an inquiry through the contact form.
Let's talk about your project!