Websites can be messy creatures. Some are sleek, fast, and a joy to use. Others… well, they’re like a digital dumpster fire that nobody wants to approach. Most sites are guilty of at least a few sins, whether it’s clutter, broken links, or flashing animations that feel like an assault on the eyes.
Think of your website like a living thing – it has habits, personality, and yes, vices. Some of these vices are obvious, like pages that take forever to load or forms that nobody can figure out. Others are sneakier, like cluttered layouts or a homepage that screams “look at me” instead of helping your visitors.
We’re going to take a little tour of the seven deadly sins of websites. Don’t worry – you don’t need a degree in web design to fix them. I’ll show you exactly what’s going wrong and how to make it better, even if you just want to poke around and tidy things up yourself.
Sloth – Slow-loading sites
Nobody’s sticking around while your homepage crawls like a drunk snail. Images that are too big, plugins that hog resources, or unnecessary clutter can all slow things down. Resize your images before uploading them (there are free tools that do this in seconds), and remove any widgets or plugins you don’t actually use. Even small tweaks can make your site feel snappy again.
Gluttony – Too much crap
Clutter, random widgets, walls of text. Stop stuffing your site like a Christmas turkey. Pick your most important 3-5 pieces of content – the stuff visitors actually need – and highlight that on your homepage. Everything else can go on subpages or in a “more info” section. It’s amazing how much cleaner a site feels when you stop trying to shove everything at people at once.
Wrath – Infuriating navigation & broken links
Sites that make you want to throw your laptop out the window. Click through every link on your site and make sure it actually goes somewhere. Rename menu items so they make sense, simplify dropdowns, and remove any dead ends. If your visitors can find what they’re looking for in two clicks or less, you’re winning.
Pride – Your site is not a shrine to your ego
Users don’t care how fabulous you are – they want to know why your site exists for them. Add short, clear headings and a simple intro that tells visitors exactly how you can help. Move awards, personal accolades, or “look at me” sections further down, or sprinkle them subtly. Your visitors should feel like the website is speaking to them, not your reflection in the mirror.
Envy – Copying your neighbour
It’s tempting to swipe inspiration from other sites, but trying to be someone else never works. Instead, highlight one thing that’s unique about you or your business. Maybe it’s a quirky service, a signature style, or just your personality. Put it front and centre so visitors remember you, not someone else’s homepage.
Greed – Money over user experience
Don’t make your visitors miserable just to make a quick sale. That means no pop-up hell, no forms that ask for everything under the sun before they can read a word, and no sneaky redirects. Make it easy for people to take action, whether that’s booking a call, signing up, or just finding info. When it’s simple, they’re happier – and more likely to hand over the cash themselves.
Lust – Distracting visuals
Sexy animations, sliders, or giant banners can look cool, but not if they steal attention from the important stuff. Keep flashy elements to a minimum and make sure your key info – contact details, calls to action, main content – is front and centre. A few well-placed visuals are far more effective than an orgy of movement that gives your visitors motion sickness.
Taken together, these seven sins might make your site feel like a bit of a horror show – but fixing even a few of them can make a huge difference. A faster, cleaner, and more focused website keeps visitors happy, builds trust, and actually gets them to do what you want them to do (without throwing their laptops out the window).
If all that sounds like too much, or you just can’t be bothered, I can do it for you. I offer a website review where I dig through your site, point out what’s working, what’s broken, and give you practical fixes (no techy nonsense).
Consider it your website’s personal spring clean- minus the scrubbing and elbow grease. You get a smoother, happier site, and you get to keep sipping your tea.