When I land on a website I know pretty quickly if I will take action or leave, especially if it is loading slow. Most people feel the same way I do. In this blog I want to share from my experience why people are not doing what they should be on your website and how we can fix it. We will cover some simple principles that are highly effective, guiding visitors naturally, cutting the confusion and taking them exactly where you want.
When anyone lands on a website, they should not have to think at all about what to do next. If people feel unsure in any way, they are heading straight back to their search results and you have just lost a potential lead.
When someone visits your site, you need to be crystal clear about who you are, what you do, and the problem you will solve for them, with a big, clear button telling them exactly how to get help.A strong design uses colour and hierarchy to guide people naturally.
Titles and body text should be clearly defined. Headers should be short and sharp. Everything should be skimmable. People today have zero patience. They do not have time to figure things out. They have a problem and they want it solved quickly, so make it quick for them.
Colour plays a huge role in this. Use a clear contrast between text and background to make everything easy to read. You would not use light grey text on white, for example. Dark on light or light on dark is far easier on the eye. Accent colours should highlight key actions like your call to action (CTA), and a good principle to follow is the 60-30-10 rule: sixty percent dominant colour, thirty percent secondary, ten percent accents.
One of the best analogies I have read for UI design was about shop doors. You know, when you walk up to a door, do you instantly know if it is a pull or a push? That clarity is exactly what you need in your site design.
Key takeaways from point #1:
Another mistake I see all the time is too many options. We all want to be helpful on our websites, so we throw everything at visitors: a phone number, a contact form, a live chat box, and maybe even more ways to get in touch. It feels like we are making it easier for people, but it often actually has the opposite effect.
You should have one clear CTA. That single goal should drive the entire page. If your business works best over the phone, push users to call you as quickly and easily as possible. If you need details to follow up, make the quote form the main focus. If someone really wants a different method of contact, they will find it, but your main path should be obvious.
Your job is to guide visitors, not overwhelm them. Make their choice simple, make it clear, and use consistent colour and placement for your CTA so users always know where to click next.
Key takeaways from point #2:
Nothing will send a visitor running faster than a slow website. If your page takes more than a few seconds to load, most people will not stick around. In a world where attention spans are tiny, speed is everything.
A fast site is not just about keeping people happy; it also helps with search rankings and overall trust. People naturally feel uneasy on a site that lags or takes ages to load.
Optimising your site is straightforward. Compress images so they load quickly, reduce large file sizes, and make sure your hosting can handle your traffic. Test your site with free tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to see where you can improve. Every second shaved off load time is worth it.
Key takeaways from point #3:
People expect websites to work a certain way. They look for the logo in the top left, menus at the top right or centre, and buttons that look like buttons. These conventions exist because they work, and people are used to them. We don't need to reinvent the wheel!
When you try to be too clever and change these basics, you make visitors stop and think. Even a small hesitation is enough for someone to feel unsure and leave your site. A good design feels smooth, obvious, and comfortable.
Save your creativity for your brand visuals, your messaging, and your content. The structure of your site should feel predictable. Visitors should know where to look and what to do without thinking about it.
Key takeaways from point #4:
In my experience, most websites fail not because the business is bad, but because the website design is working against the user. Over the years, through research, testing, and building websites, its clear that simplicity, clarity, and familiarity are what make a website work. If your site is easy to use, feels natural to navigate, and clearly communicates who you are and what you do, people are far more likely to take action.
Good website design is not about being flashy or clever. It is not about cramming in every feature you can think of. It is about guiding people. Visitors come to your website because they have a problem that needs solving, and they want that solution quickly. If your design makes them stop and think, if it overwhelms them with choices, or if it loads too slowly, they will leave. People do not have the time or patience to figure out a confusing site, no matter how good your service is.
For me, the principles I have shared here, making a website effortless to use, giving visitors one clear path, optimising for speed, and designing for familiarity, are the foundation of every site I build. These ideas are not just opinions I have picked up along the way, they are fundamental principles in design that I have picked up from reading studies, books and from experience.
Website design is about confidence. It is about making your visitors feel they are in the right place, that you understand their needs, and that you are the best person to help them. When your design is simple, clear, and familiar, people feel comfortable. They stop hesitating. They start taking action.
If you take one thing away from this, let it be this: a good website design does not get in the way. It helps people. It makes their journey easy. And if your site can do that, your visitors will trust you, engage with your content, and be far more likely to become your customers.