Is your website on the naughty or nice list? Just like a candy cane, you want your website to be in mint condition and not broken. Some website elements help convert visitors into customers, while others drive people away before they ever contact you.
In this guide, we’ll walk through the seven most common website mistakes (the naughty list) and the seven best practices that actually work (the nice list). Whether you’re planning a website redesign or just looking to improve your current site, this checklist will help you identify what’s working and what needs to change.
The Website Naughty List: 7 Mistakes to Avoid
1. Visual Bullying (Too Much Animation)
Have you ever landed on a website where there’s so much movement that you felt distracted or overwhelmed? This is referred to as visual bullying and it happens when you use excessive animation, auto-playing videos, or moving elements that compete for attention and distract visitors from your actual message.
The problem: When visitors are trying to read your content or understand what you offer, constant motion in their peripheral vision makes it impossible to focus. This creates frustration and often results in visitors leaving immediately.
The solution: Use animation sparingly and purposefully. Micro-animations (like subtle hover effects on buttons) can enhance the user experience, but large-scale animations should be used only when they add genuine value. Videos should never auto-play with sound, and sliders should be avoided entirely on critical pages.
2. Too Much Text (Walls of Words)
It’s snow joke: many websites suffer from too much text, especially on the homepage. When visitors land on your site and see massive paragraphs of dense text, they immediately feel overwhelmed and often leave without reading anything.
The problem: Website visitors typically scan and scroll vs. reading dense paragraphs of text. Studies show that people read only about 20% of the text on a web page. If your homepage looks like a research paper, visitors won’t bother.
The solution: Use short sentences and paragraphs. Break up text with headings, bullets, and white space. Get to the point quickly. Focus on what visitors need to know, not everything you want to say. Avoid industry jargon and write in plain English.
3. Too Many Pages (Navigation Overload)
If someone lands on your website and the navigation is overwhelming with dozens of pages and nested dropdown menus, they’ll probably leave immediately. Complex navigation creates decision paralysis and makes it impossible for visitors to find what they need.
The problem: Every additional menu item and dropdown makes it harder for visitors to make a decision about where to go. Mobile navigation is especially challenging when you have too many pages.
The solution: Simplify your navigation to 5-7 main pages maximum. Avoid dropdown menus when possible, especially on mobile. Focus on the pages that matter most for conversions: services, about, contact, and maybe a resources or case studies section. Everything else can be consolidated or removed.
4. Outdated or Inconsistent Branding
A beautiful website design can be ruined by an outdated logo, inconsistent colors, or mismatched branding. It’s similar to showing up for an interview wearing a sleek suit and torn sneakers. The inconsistency creates doubt about your professionalism.
The problem: Your logo, colors, fonts, and imagery should all work together to create a cohesive brand experience. When these elements clash or feel outdated, it makes visitors question whether your business is current and credible.
The solution: Invest in professional branding if you haven’t already. Ensure your logo, website design, and marketing materials all use consistent colors, fonts, and style. If your logo looks like it’s from 2005, it’s time for an update.
5. Mobile Issues (Poor Mobile Experience)
As more people use smartphones to browse the web, your website must work flawlessly on mobile devices. Web visitors have zero tolerance for pages that aren’t mobile-friendly. Learn more about creating mobile-wise design that goes beyond responsive.
The problem: Even if your website is technically mobile responsive, it might still have mobile usability issues like tiny tap targets, hard-to-read text, horizontal scrolling, or navigation that doesn’t work properly on touchscreens.
The solution: Test your website on actual mobile devices, not just by resizing your browser. Make sure buttons are large enough to tap easily, text is readable without zooming, and navigation works intuitively on touch screens. Consider a mobile-first design approach where you design for mobile first, then scale up to desktop.
6. Security Vulnerabilities (Not Secure)
There’s nothing that will drive away web visitors faster than a security warning. Modern browsers now flag non-secure websites prominently, and visitors have learned to avoid sites that aren’t properly secured.
The problem: Security is critical for WordPress sites, which are frequently targeted by hackers. Outdated plugins, weak passwords, and lack of SSL certificates all create security risks. If your site gets hacked, you could lose data, damage your reputation, and face significant downtime.
The solution: Install an SSL certificate (most hosting providers include this for free). Keep WordPress, plugins, and themes updated regularly. Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication. Implement security monitoring and daily backups. If you don’t handle this yourself, hire a professional maintenance service.
7. Cliché Stock Images (Generic Photos)
Stock images can be great when used thoughtfully, but generic, overused stock photos make your website look cheap and unoriginal. Everyone has seen the same photos of people in business attire having unrealistically enthusiastic meetings.
The problem: Cliché stock images don’t build trust or create emotional connection. They signal that you didn’t invest in your website and don’t have authentic content to share.
The solution: Invest in custom photography when possible, even if it’s just iPhone photos of your actual team and workspace. Authentic images of real people always outperform generic stock photos. Most websites will need to have some stock images, choose images that feel authentic and consider having your designer enhance them with filters or unique presentations.
The Website Nice List: 7 Best Practices
1. A Clear Value Proposition
One of the best things you can do on your website is communicate a clear value proposition. This is where you explain who you are, what you do, and why someone should choose you instead of a competitor.
The benefit: Visitors should understand what you offer within 5 seconds of landing on your homepage. A strong value proposition answers the visitor’s most important question: ‘What’s in it for me?’
How to implement it: Create a headline that states what you do and who you help. Follow it with 2-3 sentences that explain your unique value. Focus on benefits, not features. Make it about the customer, not about your company.
2. Clean User Experience (UX)
A better user experience leads to conversions. Think of the last time you went to a new restaurant. A lot of factors besides the food determined whether you had a good experience: ambiance, service, cleanliness, ease of ordering. A website user experience is very similar.
The benefit: Good UX means visitors can find what they need quickly, understand your content easily, and take action without friction. Poor UX drives people away even if you have a beautiful design.
How to implement it: Simplify navigation. Use consistent design patterns. Make important information easy to find. Test your site with real users. Pay attention to page load time, mobile usability, and accessibility. Remove anything that doesn’t serve the visitor’s needs.
3. Strong Calls to Action (CTAs)
Calls to action are like good driving directions. Even with excellent navigation skills, you still need clear guidance about where to go next. Without strong CTAs, visitors are left to figure things out on their own, and if they get lost, they leave.
The benefit: Clear CTAs guide visitors through your website and toward conversion. They reduce confusion and make it obvious what action you want visitors to take.
How to implement it: Use action-oriented language (Get Started, Schedule a Call, Download Guide). Make buttons visually prominent. Place CTAs in logical locations throughout the page. Repeat your primary CTA multiple times. Make sure CTAs are specific about what happens next.
4. Fast Page Speed and Load Time
You want your site load time to be speedy. Studies show that visitors will leave if a page takes longer than 3 seconds to load, and that threshold gets shorter every year. For a complete guide, see our 6 steps to optimize WordPress website performance and speed.
The benefit: Fast websites rank higher in search results, convert better, and create a better user experience. Slow websites frustrate visitors and hurt your bottom line.
How to implement it: Optimize images before uploading (compress them without losing quality). Use a content delivery network (CDN). Enable caching. Minimize plugins. Choose quality hosting. Remove unnecessary scripts and code. Test your site speed regularly using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.
5. Proper Website Security
A secure website protects both your business and your visitors. Security should be an ongoing priority, not a one-time setup.
The benefit: Secure websites build trust, protect customer data, prevent downtime from hacks, and avoid legal liability. Security also impacts SEO as search engines favor secure sites.
How to implement it: Install and maintain an SSL certificate. Keep WordPress, plugins, and themes updated. Use strong, unique passwords. Enable two-factor authentication. Implement daily backups. Use security monitoring software. Remove unused plugins and themes. Consider professional maintenance if you don’t have technical expertise.
6. Regular Maintenance and Updates
Maintaining a website is like maintaining a car. If you keep skipping oil changes and tune-ups, your car will eventually break down. The same is true for your website. Discover why you need a dedicated maintenance team for your WordPress site.
The benefit: Regular maintenance prevents security vulnerabilities, keeps your site running smoothly, fixes bugs before they impact visitors, and ensures compatibility with new browsers and devices.
How to implement it: Update WordPress core, plugins, and themes monthly at minimum. Check for broken links quarterly. Review and refresh content annually. Monitor site speed and uptime. Test forms and functionality regularly. Consider a professional maintenance plan if you don’t have time or expertise.
7. Accessible Design
An accessible website ensures everyone can use your site, including people with disabilities. Accessibility is not only the right thing to do, it’s also increasingly a legal requirement and expands your potential audience.
The benefit: Accessible websites reach more people, reduce legal risk, improve SEO, and demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity.
How to implement it: Use sufficient color contrast between text and backgrounds. Add alt text to images. Ensure all interactive elements work with a keyboard. Add captions to videos. Use semantic HTML headings. Make sure forms have proper labels. Test your site with accessibility tools like WAVE or Lighthouse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I redesign my entire website if it has items on the naughty list?
Not necessarily. Many of these issues can be fixed incrementally without a full redesign. Start with the highest-impact changes like improving page speed, fixing mobile issues, or clarifying your value proposition. If you have multiple major issues, a redesign might be more cost-effective than piecemeal fixes.
Q: How often should I review my website against this checklist?
Review your website at least annually, but ideally quarterly. Web design best practices evolve, user expectations change, and your business offerings shift over time. Regular reviews help you stay current and catch small issues before they become big problems.
Q: What’s the most important item on the nice list?
A clear value proposition combined with strong calls to action. If visitors don’t immediately understand what you offer and what they should do next, nothing else matters. You can have the most beautiful, fast, secure website, but if your messaging is unclear, you won’t convert visitors.
Q: Can I fix these issues myself or do I need a web developer?
It depends on your technical skill level and the specific issues. Some fixes like adding alt text, improving content clarity, or removing excessive text can be done by anyone. Others like improving site speed, fixing mobile issues, or implementing proper security require technical expertise. Start with what you can do yourself, then bring in professionals for the rest.
Get Your Website on the Nice List
If you’ve identified items from the naughty list on your website, TinyFrog Technologies can help. We specialize in WordPress website design, development, and maintenance with a focus on user experience, security, and performance.
Whether you need a quick audit, targeted fixes, or a complete website redesign, our team can get your site performing at its best. Contact TinyFrog to discuss your website challenges and discover how we can help you move from the naughty list to the nice list.