Your website looks fine. It loads, the design is decent, and you're getting traffic. But something's wrong—visitors aren't converting. The problem? Hidden conversion killers are working silently in the background, sabotaging your efforts before visitors even realise they want to take action. Here are 10 of the most common conversion killers hiding on websites right now, and exactly how to fix them.
1. Forms That Look Broken (Even When They Work)
You've tested your contact form, and it sends emails correctly. But visitors don't know that. If your form looks outdated, uses poor styling, or appears untrustworthy, visitors will assume it's broken and won't even try to use it.
The Problem: Forms that look unprofessional or outdated create immediate distrust. Visitors see a form that looks like it's from 2010 and assume your business is outdated too. Even worse, if the form styling is inconsistent with the rest of your site, it feels like a security risk.
How to Fix It: Modernise your form design. Use clean, modern styling that matches your site's design system. Add clear labels, helpful placeholder text, and visual feedback. Most importantly, add a success message that confirms submission—visitors need to know their enquiry was received.
Quick Check: Look at your form on mobile. If it's difficult to fill out on a phone, you're losing mobile conversions. Forms should be thumb-friendly with large tap targets and proper input types (email fields should bring up the email keyboard).
2. Trust Signals That Are Missing or Hidden
Visitors need proof that you're legitimate before they'll hand over their contact details or make a purchase. Without visible trust signals, visitors will hesitate—and hesitation leads to abandonment.
The Problem: Your testimonials are buried on a separate page. Your security badges are tiny and hidden in the footer. Your contact information is hard to find. Visitors can't quickly verify that you're trustworthy, so they leave.
How to Fix It: Place trust signals where they matter most—near your call-to-action buttons and on key decision-making pages. Add testimonials or reviews to your homepage. Display client logos if you have them. Make your contact information easily accessible. Add security badges near forms. Include an "About" page that builds credibility.
Quick Check: Can a visitor verify your legitimacy within 10 seconds of landing on your homepage? If not, add more prominent trust signals.
3. Slow Mobile Performance
Your site might load quickly on your office Wi-Fi, but that's not how most visitors experience it. Slow mobile performance is one of the biggest conversion killers, especially since over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices.
The Problem: Pages that take more than 3 seconds to load on mobile lose over half of their visitors. Even if pages eventually load, slow performance creates frustration that makes visitors less likely to convert. Google also penalises slow sites in search rankings.
How to Fix It: Optimise images (compress them and use modern formats like WebP). Enable browser caching. Minify CSS and JavaScript. Remove unused plugins and scripts. Consider using a Content Delivery Network (CDN). Test your site's speed using Google PageSpeed Insights and address the specific issues it identifies.
Quick Check: Test your homepage on a 4G connection using your phone. If it takes more than 3 seconds to become usable, you're losing conversions.
4. Confusing Navigation That Hides Important Pages
If visitors can't find what they're looking for, they'll leave. Confusing navigation is a silent conversion killer because visitors don't complain about it—they just go elsewhere.
The Problem: Too many menu items, unclear labels, or important pages buried in submenus. Visitors arrive looking for something specific, can't find it quickly, and assume you don't offer it. They leave without ever seeing your services or contact form.
How to Fix It: Simplify your navigation. Limit main menu items to 5-7 options. Use clear, descriptive labels (not clever or vague ones). Put your most important pages (like "Contact" or "Services") in the main navigation, not hidden in a footer. Add a search function if you have many pages. Test your navigation with real users—ask them to find specific information and see where they struggle.
Quick Check: Can a first-time visitor find your contact information in under 10 seconds? If not, your navigation needs work.
5. Generic, Uninspiring Call-to-Action Buttons
Your call-to-action (CTA) buttons tell visitors what to do next. If they're generic, poorly designed, or unclear, visitors won't click them. Invisible or weak CTAs are conversion killers because they don't guide visitors toward action.
The Problem: CTAs that say "Click Here" or "Learn More" don't tell visitors what will happen. CTAs that blend into the background or are too small to notice get ignored. CTAs placed below the fold on long pages get missed entirely.
How to Fix It: Make your CTAs specific and action-oriented. Instead of "Learn More," use "Book Your Free Consultation" or "Get Your Website Diagnosis." Make them visually prominent with contrasting colours, adequate size, and whitespace around them. Place your primary CTA above the fold where visitors can see it without scrolling. Use benefit-focused copy that tells visitors what they'll get.
Quick Check: Look at your homepage. Is there a clear, prominent button telling visitors what to do next? If not, add one.
6. Too Much Information, Not Enough Focus
Visitors don't want to read everything about your business on one page. Overwhelming them with too much information causes decision paralysis and makes it harder to focus on what matters.
The Problem: Homepages that try to say everything at once. Long paragraphs of text that visitors won't read. Too many options competing for attention. Visitors feel overwhelmed and leave without taking action.
How to Fix It: Use progressive disclosure—reveal information as visitors need it. Keep your homepage focused on one primary message. Break up long text with headings, bullet points, and white space. Use visuals to communicate quickly. Guide visitors through your content step by step rather than dumping everything on them at once.
Quick Check: Can someone understand what you do and why they should care within 10 seconds of landing on your homepage? If not, simplify your messaging.
7. Forms That Ask for Too Much Information
Every additional field in your contact form reduces the likelihood that someone will complete it. Forms that ask for unnecessary information are conversion killers because they create friction.
The Problem: Forms that ask for phone numbers, company names, job titles, and other details before visitors are ready to commit. Visitors see a long form and think "this will take too long" or "they want too much information." They abandon the form and look for a competitor with a simpler process.
How to Fix It: Only ask for essential information. For initial contact forms, name and email are usually enough. You can collect additional details later in the process. If you need more information, explain why you need it. Use multi-step forms for longer processes, breaking them into manageable chunks. Make it clear how long the form will take to complete.
Quick Check: Count the fields in your contact form. If there are more than 4-5 fields, you're likely asking for too much.
8. No Clear Value Proposition
Visitors need to understand what you do and why they should choose you within seconds of landing on your site. If your value proposition is unclear, visitors will leave before they even consider taking action.
The Problem: Vague headlines like "We're the best" or "Leading provider" don't tell visitors anything. Jargon and industry terms that your target audience doesn't understand. Trying to appeal to everyone, which means you appeal to no one. Visitors can't quickly determine if you solve their problem, so they leave.
How to Fix It: Write a clear value proposition that answers three questions: What do you do? Who do you help? What problem do you solve? Use simple, direct language. Focus on benefits, not features. Make it specific to your target audience. Place it prominently on your homepage where visitors see it immediately.
Quick Check: Can a stranger understand what you do and who you help just by reading your homepage headline? If not, rewrite it.
9. Inconsistent Design That Feels Unprofessional
Inconsistent design—different fonts, colours, and styles across pages—makes your site feel unprofessional and untrustworthy. Visitors notice these inconsistencies and assume your business is disorganised.
The Problem: Different fonts on different pages. Inconsistent colour schemes. Buttons that look different from page to page. Spacing and layout that changes randomly. These inconsistencies create a sense of chaos that makes visitors uncomfortable and less likely to convert.
How to Fix It: Create a design system and stick to it. Use consistent fonts, colours, button styles, and spacing throughout your site. If you're using a content management system, use templates that enforce consistency. Review your site page by page and fix any inconsistencies you find.
Quick Check: Look at three random pages on your site. Do they feel like they're from the same website? If not, standardise your design.
10. No Clear Next Step After Reading Content
Visitors read your content, understand your services, and are ready to take action. But then... nothing. There's no clear next step, so they leave. This is one of the most frustrating conversion killers because you've done everything right except guide visitors to the finish line.
The Problem: Blog posts or service pages that end without a call-to-action. Visitors who are ready to convert but don't know how. Pages that assume visitors will figure out what to do next. Every page should guide visitors toward the next step in their journey.
How to Fix It: Add a clear call-to-action at the end of every page. For blog posts, invite readers to book a consultation or download a resource. For service pages, make it easy to get in touch or request a quote. Use contextual CTAs that match where visitors are in their journey. Don't assume visitors will navigate to your contact page—make it easy for them.
Quick Check: Look at your most popular pages. Do they all have a clear next step at the end? If not, add one.
How to Find These Conversion Killers on Your Site
Now that you know what to look for, here's how to systematically identify these problems on your own website:
- Test Your Forms: Fill out every form on your site as if you're a customer. Do they work? Do they look professional? Are they easy to complete on mobile?
- Check Mobile Experience: Visit your site on an actual mobile device (not just a responsive preview). Test navigation, forms, and page load speed.
- Review Analytics: Look at your bounce rates, time on page, and conversion rates. High bounce rates or low time on page often indicate one of these conversion killers.
- Ask for Feedback: Show your site to people who aren't familiar with your business. Ask them to find specific information or complete a task. Watch where they struggle.
- Test Page Speed: Use Google PageSpeed Insights to identify performance issues that are slowing down your site.
- Audit Your CTAs: Go through every page and check if there's a clear call-to-action. Are they visible? Are they clear? Do they tell visitors what will happen?
When to Get Professional Help
While you can fix many of these conversion killers yourself, some require deeper expertise. If you've identified multiple issues, or if fixing them requires technical skills you don't have, it's worth bringing in professionals.
At Webclinic, we specialise in diagnosing and fixing conversion problems. We conduct comprehensive audits that identify not just these obvious issues, but also hidden problems you might not notice. Then we fix them systematically, often without requiring a full redesign.
Our conversion-focused approach means we don't just make your site look better—we make it work better. The result? Websites that don't just attract visitors, but actually convert them into customers.
Ready to find and fix the conversion killers on your website? Book a free website health check with us. We'll review your site, identify the main issues, and outline a clear plan to fix them.