Design & UX
Common Website Usability Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
Small usability problems quietly push visitors away. Here are the ones that appear most often on business websites, with straightforward fixes.
Usability is simply how easy it is for people to do what they came to do. Visitors rarely complain about a confusing website — they just leave. The good news is that most usability problems are well known and fixable without a complete redesign.
1. A first screen that doesn’t say what you do
Visitors should understand what your business offers within a few seconds of arriving. Clever slogans and large decorative images often push the important information out of sight.
Fix: state plainly what you offer and who it is for at the top of the homepage, and give one clear next step, such as viewing products or getting in touch.
2. Navigation that uses internal language
Menu labels often reflect how a business is organised internally rather than how customers think. Visitors won’t click on a label they don’t understand.
Fix: use the words your customers use. Keep the main menu short, and group related pages under clear headings.
3. Contact details that are hard to find
If someone is ready to get in touch, the website should make it effortless. Contact details hidden at the bottom of one page cost enquiries.
- Put a contact link or button in the header.
- Make phone numbers and email addresses tappable on mobile.
- Repeat a short call to action at the end of key pages.
4. Forms that are long or unforgiving
Every extra field is a reason to give up. Forms that clear everything after an error, or show vague messages like “invalid input”, are especially frustrating.
Fix: ask only for what you need, label every field clearly, mark optional fields, keep what the person typed when there is an error, and explain exactly what needs to change.
5. Buttons and links that are hard to tap
On a phone, small links placed close together lead to mis-taps. Text that only looks clickable on hover gives no clue at all on a touch screen.
Fix: make buttons comfortably large, leave space between tappable items and make sure links look like links without needing a mouse.
6. Walls of text
People scan before they read. Long, unbroken paragraphs make even useful information feel like hard work.
Fix: use descriptive headings, short paragraphs and lists where they genuinely help. Keep line lengths comfortable, and put the most important point first.
7. Motion and pop-ups that get in the way
Fast sliders, pop-ups that appear immediately and animation that delays content all compete with what the visitor came for.