I talk to business owners who know their website needs work.

The conversation starts the same way. "It's been a few years—maybe five, could be seven—and we just want to freshen it up. New content, updated photos, maybe a couple fresh headshots."

I ask questions.

Not much has changed. Same services, same clients, same industry. The business evolved in their head, but the website? Stuck in 2019.

Then I look at the site.

Headline says nothing. Homepage drowns in content or looks weirdly empty. Copy reads like filler, not persuasion.

When I ask how it's performing: "We get the odd enquiry, but most work comes through referrals."

The site isn't broken. It's just not doing anything.

A fresh coat of paint won't fix that. If the content is vague jargon, a new font won't change your enquiry rate.

You've got 10 seconds. You're wasting them.

Nielsen Norman Group found that visitors decide to stay or leave in the first 10 seconds. After that, you've got a shot. Before that? They're gone.

What are they judging? Not your branding. Not your photos.

Three questions:

1. What does this business do?
2. Is this relevant to me?
3. What should I do next?

If your homepage can't answer all three fast, you've lost them. Most sites fail because they try to look impressive instead of being clear.

Your headline says nothing

Look at your homepage headline.

Does it say:

• "Welcome to [Business Name]"
• "Your trusted partner for excellence"
• "Award-winning service you can rely on"
• "Family-run since 1993"

What do you do?

Vague headlines are the most common problem I see. You think they sound professional. They make you invisible. Anyone could write them.

A good headline tells me what you do and who it's for.

"We help businesses grow"—who doesn't?

"We build websites that turn clicks into customers for UK service businesses"—now I know if that's me.

Specificity makes headlines work.

Your navigation is a maze

Count your top-level menu items. More than five? Problem. Dropdowns with more dropdowns? You built a maze.

Navigation helps people find what they need without thinking. If they think, it's broken.

Ask yourself: "Could someone with a specific problem figure out where to go in under five seconds?"

If no, strip it back. Four to five items, clear labels, no nested menus.

Nobody talks like your copy

"We leverage cutting-edge methodologies to synergise cross-functional deliverables and drive stakeholder engagement."

I've seen that on real websites.

Jargon doesn't make you sound expert. It makes you sound evasive—like you're hiding behind big words because you can't explain what you do. People read that and switch off.

Think about explaining your business at a networking event. That's the tone. That's the language. If you wouldn't say "synergise deliverables" out loud, don't put it on your homepage.

"Contact Us" is not a call to action

Neither is "Learn More" or "Get Started." These are placeholders.

A real call to action removes uncertainty. I should know what I'm getting.

"Learn More"—more of what?

"See how we helped a landscaping company double their enquiries"—now that's something I might click.

"Get Started"—started with what?

"Book your free 30-minute call"—I know what that is.

Pretty doesn't mean clear

A beautiful website with a useless headline is still useless.

Good design supports clarity—makes things easier to read, navigate, act on. It's not a substitute. Simple sites outperform expensive ones when the simple ones answer the visitor's questions.

Clarity isn't about making your site boring. It's about not wasting time. Every second someone spends confused is a second closer to leaving.

You don't need a redesign

Most sites I look at don't need rebuilding. They need editing.

Go through your homepage:

• Does the headline tell someone what I do, immediately?
• Can a visitor figure out where to go in under five seconds?
• Is the copy in plain English, or am I hiding behind jargon?
• Do my CTAs tell people what they're clicking on?

If any answer is no, that's your problem. A clarity problem is cheaper to fix than a full redesign.

Not sure what's broken?

I'll go through your site and tell you straight—what works, what doesn't, what to fix. No vague suggestions.

Book your £249 site audit here.

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