What I Learned from Auditing Websites (And How to Fix the Most Common Mistakes)

27 May

Over the past few weeks, I offered free website audits to the lovely people on my email list - creative business owners, ecommerce shops, service providers, coaches and consultants who wanted a second set of eyes on their sites.

I saw a lot of good things: passion, talent, personality. But I also saw some consistent patterns holding those websites back from doing the heavy lifting they’re meant to do, which is attracting and converting ideal clients.

Whether you participated in the audits or not, these are the most common issues I came across, plus how to fix them if your site is guilty of the same.

1. It’s not clear who the website is for

This is one of the biggest blockers I see. Many websites look nice, but they don't speak to anyone in particular.

There’s no clear message, no defined niche, and no sign of who the service is meant for. The copy is generic. The visuals are vague. If a potential client can't quickly tell whether your offer is meant for them, they’ll bounce.

Fix it:
Get ultra-clear on who your ideal client is, and reflect that in your messaging. Use language they’d use. Show visuals that feel familiar to them. Make sure your headline and subhead speak to their needs, not just your title or job description.

2. Keywords are missing in action

Most of the sites I reviewed weren’t thinking about SEO at all. No keywords in the page titles, headings, meta descriptions, or URLs. Which means search engines have no idea what the site is about—and that’s a problem.

Fix it:
You don’t need to become an SEO expert. Just identify a few keywords your ideal client might use to search for your service (e.g., “copywriter for coaches” or “interior designer in Dublin”) and include them naturally in your H1s, meta data, and body copy. Bonus points if your images are named and alt-tagged with relevant terms too.

3. Weak page structure = poor user experience (and bad SEO)

I saw missing or multiple H1s, paragraphs with no hierarchy and URLs that look like: yourdomain.com/page-2 (instead of something descriptive).

This kind of structure makes it harder for both users and Google to understand your content.

Fix it:
Each page should have one H1 (your main headline), supported by H2s and H3s as needed. Use clean, readable URLs that describe the content (e.g., /services or /about). And make sure your formatting helps guide the eye—, not confuse it.

4. Cluttered navigation menus

Your navigation is like a map. If it’s cluttered or confusing, people get lost.

I saw menus with too many options, inconsistent labels, and dropdowns that felt more like mazes.

Fix it:
Stick to 5–7 primary menu items, labelled clearly and simply. Group related pages under logical categories if needed. Prioritise the pages that drive action (your services, about, and contact) and ditch the rest from the top-level nav and into your footer.

5. No email list functionality or lead magnet

This one stings a little because I know how much effort goes into creating a site. But several of the websites I reviewed didn’t have any way to capture leads. No opt-in form, no freebie, not even a newsletter sign-up.

Your website should not be a static brochure. It should be an invitation to stay in touch.

Fix it:
Create a simple, valuable lead magnet, something like a checklist, guide, or mini-training, and offer it in exchange for an email address. Even a “Get tips about (whatever your area of expertise is) straight to your inbox” sign-up form is better than nothing.

6. Centred text everywhere

Design-wise, this came up again and again: walls of centreed text. It might feel balanced or “clean,” but it’s actually hard to read, especially on mobile.

Centered text is best reserved for headlines, callouts or short quotes.

Fix it:
Align body copy to the left left. Use proper line height, paragraph spacing and legible font sizes. Your content should be easy to scan, nobody is squinting through your poetic formatting.

7. Missing Calls to Action

I was surprised at the number of website pages that had few or no Calls to Action on them. If you don’t tell people what to do, they won’t do it! I recently signed up for a webinar hosted by a professional speaker and the CTAs on her sales page were massive! Too big for my liking but there was no doubt about what action to take on the page!

Fix it:

Ensure at least the bottom of all your pages, including blog posts, have a CTA to tell people where to go next on your site. Don’t leave them hanging, they won’t hang around for long.

8. Inconsistent branding and inaccessible colours

Some sites had gorgeous colour palettes, but the contrast was too low to be legible. Others had branding that looked like it came from three different businesses stitched together.

Your brand doesn’t need to be flashy, but it does need to be intentional and accessible.

Fix it:
Stick to a defined brand style: consistent fonts, colours and imagery. Use tools like WebAIM’s contrast checker to make sure your text is readable against background colours. Accessibility isn’t just a bonus, it’s good design and smart business. It’s also going to be a legal requirement under the EU Accessibility Directive from 28th of June of this year.

Final Thoughts

If you’re reading this and thinking, “yep… I’m making at least three of those mistakes,”you’re not alone.

The good news? Every one of these problems is fixable. And when you do fix them, your website becomes way more effective at doing what it’s meant to do: turning browsers into buyers.

If you’re ready for a site that reflects your value and attracts the right people, I’d love to help.

Contact me for a website audit and I’ll give you my honest, professional feedback.