We look at business websites every day at Sphere AI, and we've noticed something: most business owners don't realize when their website has become a liability instead of an asset. Here are the warning signs we see most often—and what to do about them.
The Hard Truth
94% of first impressions are design-related. If your site looks outdated, visitors assume your business is too—even if that's completely unfair.
Your Site Doesn't Work on Phones
Pull out your phone right now and look at your website. Can you read text without zooming? Do buttons work with your thumb? Does everything fit the screen properly?
Over 60% of website traffic now comes from mobile devices. If your site was built before 2018-ish and hasn't been updated, there's a good chance it's not truly mobile-optimized. "It kind of works on mobile" isn't good enough anymore.
Quick Test:
Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test (search for it) to get an instant analysis of your site's mobile experience.
Your Site is Slow
If your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, you're losing visitors before they even see your content. And Google penalizes slow sites in search rankings, so fewer people find you in the first place.
Common speed killers: huge unoptimized images, outdated code, cheap hosting, and bloated plugins. A modern website should load in under 2 seconds on a decent connection.
The math: A 1-second delay in load time can reduce conversions by 7%. For a business doing $100K/year online, that's $7,000 lost annually from slow loading alone.
People Leave Immediately (High Bounce Rate)
If you have Google Analytics (you should), check your bounce rate. That's the percentage of visitors who leave without clicking anything. A bounce rate over 60% usually means something's wrong.
High bounces typically mean: confusing navigation, outdated appearance that kills trust, slow loading, content that doesn't match what visitors expected, or no clear next step.
You're Getting Traffic But Not Leads
Your website should be working for you 24/7. If people are visiting but not contacting you, booking appointments, or buying, your site isn't doing its job.
Common conversion killers:
- ×Contact info buried or hard to find
- ×No clear call-to-action on each page
- ×Forms that ask for too much information
- ×No social proof (reviews, testimonials, case studies)
- ×Missing trust signals (credentials, guarantees, secure badges)
Your Competitors Have Better Sites
Here's a test: Google your main service or product. Look at the top 3 competitors. How does your site compare?
When customers compare options (and they always do), your website is part of the evaluation. If competitors look polished and professional while you look dated, guess who gets the business. It's not fair, but it's reality.
What a Good Redesign Actually Fixes
A proper redesign isn't just making things prettier. It should address all these issues: