10 Common Website Mistakes North East Businesses Make and How to Fix Them

A website is one of the most valuable tools your business has. It is usually the first place a customer lands, and in many cases, the deciding factor in whether they get in touch, book a service or move on to a competitor. But a website only works when it is built with purpose, kept up to date, and genuinely supports the way customers behave online.

Because we work with businesses every day across North Tyneside, Newcastle and the wider North East, we see the same issues cropping up repeatedly. These affect trades, salons, cafés, training providers, local retailers and even long established companies who assume their website is fine because it was redesigned a few years ago.

Here are ten of the most common mistakes we come across, why they matter, and how to fix them.

1. Not mobile friendly

Mobile traffic is no longer a trend. It is the default. For many of our clients, especially trades and local service businesses, more than 70 percent of website visits come from mobile devices.

Yet many websites still

• Break on smaller screens
• Use old themes that do not adjust properly
• Hide key information below large hero images
• Offer difficult navigation on mobile

A recent example involved a tradesman in Whitley Bay whose mobile site buried the Call now button far below the fold. Desktop users saw it immediately, but mobile users never reached it. Once we rebuilt the layout with mobile first thinking, enquiries increased almost instantly.

2. Too much jargon and not enough clarity

It is easy for businesses to write in a way that makes sense internally but confuses customers.

We frequently see websites full of industry terms or technical explanations that mean very little to the person trying to understand what you offer. When we redesigned a roofing company website, one of the first improvements we made was replacing jargon with clear, straightforward language focused on customer questions and concerns.

Customers want clarity, not complexity.

3. Not enough meaningful content

Content should not exist just to fill space. It should answer questions, remove doubts and help customers understand what you do.

One example. While building a new website for a North East financial services firm, we encouraged them to create guides and practical articles based on what their clients actually search for. These pages now bring in consistent organic traffic and convert well because they solve real problems.

Good content builds trust and helps turn visitors into enquiries.

4. Hiding essential information

This is one of the quickest ways to lose a potential customer.

We often come across websites with

• No phone number in a visible location
• No email address
• No working contact form
• No opening hours
• No clear description of where the business is based

A Tynemouth café we worked with had no visible opening times anywhere on their site. Customers kept messaging them to ask, and some assumed they were closed. Simply adding a clear information panel made a measurable difference to their footfall and online bookings.

Make the basics impossible to miss.

5. Slow loading speed

Slow websites frustrate users and create a poor impression.

Images are often the problem. Oversized files, uncompressed images and outdated plugins all slow things down. A local ecommerce client approached us after noticing falling sales. Their site was loading slowly on mobile, and nearly every product image was far too large. After optimising images, removing bloated plugins and improving caching, the site loaded almost three seconds faster.

Customers stayed longer and completed more purchases.

6. Weak or unclear calls to action

A website should guide visitors towards the next step.

If customers are left guessing, they will not take action. Clear calls to action make a significant difference, for example:

• Book now
• Request a quote
• Call today
• View pricing
• Download a guide

When we redesigned a beauty salon website for a business in North Shields, we added strong calls to action across every service page. Their online bookings increased because customers immediately understood what to do next.

Direction increases conversion.

7. Outdated design and layout

Your website does not need a full redesign every year, but it does need to look fresh and current.

Design standards change, and customers judge your professionalism partly by how your website looks. When we redesigned a training provider website that had not changed for nearly a decade, the improvement in credibility was immediate. The content was already good, but the outdated look held the business back.

A modern layout helps users trust your brand.

8. Cluttered pages and poor user experience

Some websites still suffer from:

• Excessive pop ups
• Autoplay videos
• Overly bright colours
• Flashing banners
• Heavy animations
• Confusing layouts

These not only distract customers but slow everything down.

When we rebuilt a local retailer website on Shopify, one of the biggest improvements came from simplifying the layout and removing unnecessary elements. Navigation became clearer, pages loaded faster and sales increased without additional marketing.

Clean, focused websites always perform better.

9. Faulty forms, booking systems or checkout journeys

We regularly find broken contact forms, abandoned booking widgets or checkout journeys that simply do not work.

Businesses often assume everything is functioning until they realise enquiries have quietly stopped.

A home services client recently came to us because they had not received any leads for weeks. Their contact form was broken after a plugin update. Once we fixed it, added proper validation and set up form tracking, new enquiries started coming through the same day.

Always test how customers contact you.

10. Sending all traffic to the homepage

Many businesses rely heavily on the homepage instead of using dedicated service pages or landing pages. The homepage has a purpose, but it should not try to do everything.

When someone searches for web design North Tyneside, they want a page that talks specifically about web design, not a generic introduction to your business.

When we rebuilt the NE1 Web Design & SEO website, we created clear service pages, resource articles and landing pages for different customer needs. This structure supports SEO more effectively and helps visitors land exactly where they expect to be.

Focused pages convert better than a catch all homepage.

Final thoughts

A successful website is not defined by how it looks at first glance. It is defined by how well it helps your customers, how easy it is to use, how fast it loads and how effectively it supports your wider marketing.

The mistakes we see most often are all avoidable

• Build for mobile first
• Keep loading times low
• Make key information obvious
• Use clear, helpful content
• Give users a direct next step
• Structure your site so people land on the right page

Whether you are planning a redesign or want a second opinion on how your current website performs, we are always happy to take a look and offer honest recommendations.