The cost of a poorly designed website (like running a shop with the lights off)
If you want to understand the cost of a poorly designed website, imagine this.
You’ve got a lovely little shop on a busy high street. But:
- The lights are off
- The door is half‑stuck
- The sign is faded and crooked
- The prices aren’t clear
- Staff are hiding in the back, hoping someone shouts loud enough
People do walk past. A few even try the door. But most shrug and move on.
That’s what a bad website does to your business – quietly, every day.
In this post, we’ll break down the real cost of a poorly designed website, how to spot if yours is leaking money, and what to do about it.
1. The invisible bill: what a bad website really costs you
A poor website rarely sends you a clear invoice.
You don’t get a bill that says:
“You lost 17 enquiries and £3,200 in potential revenue this month because your contact form was confusing.”
Instead, you just feel:
- Fewer calls
- Fewer email enquiries
- Fewer online bookings
- More people saying “I went with someone else”
The costs usually show up in five places:
1. Lost enquiries (people who give up halfway)
If your website is hard to use, slow, or confusing, visitors leave.
Common culprits:
- Cluttered pages – too much text, not enough clarity
- No obvious next step – visitors don’t know what to click
- Complicated forms – asking for 15 bits of information just to get a quote
Think of it like a shop where the till is hidden behind a curtain. Some determined souls will find it. Most won’t bother.
2. Lost trust (you look less professional than you are)
People judge your business in seconds. If your website looks dated or broken, they don’t say:
“Ah, I’m sure they’re brilliant but just haven’t updated their site.”
They think:
“If they cut corners here, where else are they cutting corners?”
A poorly designed website can make you look:
- Smaller than you are
- Less reliable than you are
- Less modern than your competitors
That’s painful when you know you do great work.
3. Lost repeat business (no reason to come back)
A good website works like a friendly local – people want to return.
A bad one is like a pub with sticky tables and no atmosphere. You only go once.
If your site doesn’t:
- Make it easy to re‑order
- Offer helpful content or resources
- Let people book or contact you quickly
…then even happy customers might drift away to someone who makes life easier.
4. Wasted marketing spend (you’re paying to send people to a dead end)
Running Google Ads? Posting on social media? Sending email newsletters?
If all those efforts send people to a poorly designed website, you’re effectively paying to show people the lights‑off shop.
You’re not just losing money on ads – you’re also:
- Getting fewer leads per pound spent
- Making it harder to measure what’s working
- Blaming the marketing instead of the website
5. Missed opportunities (things you could be doing, but can’t)
An outdated or clunky site often can’t:
- Take online bookings
- Sell products or gift vouchers
- Capture email addresses properly
- Integrate with your CRM or booking system
That’s like having a shop that can only take cash and shuts at 3pm. You’re limiting yourself for no good reason.
2. Red flags: is your website quietly scaring people off?
Most business owners have a gut feeling their website isn’t quite right. Here are some practical signs it’s costing you.
Ask yourself (and be honest):
- Do you feel slightly embarrassed sending people to your site?
- Do you think “it does the job” but can’t remember the last time it actually brought in a lead?
- Do customers often say “I couldn’t find that on your website”?
- Have you avoided looking at it on your phone because you know it’s awkward?
If you’re nodding along, there’s a good chance your site is more of a liability than an asset.
Check the basics
You don’t need to be technical. Just try this:
-
Open your website on your phone
- Is the text big enough to read?
- Do you have to pinch and zoom?
- Is the menu easy to use?
-
Time how long it takes to load
- If it feels slow to you, it’s even worse for a new visitor
-
Try to make an enquiry
- How many clicks does it take?
- Do you feel slightly irritated by the end?
-
Compare with a competitor
- Not the giant in your industry – just someone local you respect
- Does your site feel as clear, modern and easy to use as theirs?
If your website feels like hard work, your visitors definitely feel it too.
3. The numbers: how small problems add up to big losses
Let’s put some simple maths to it.
Imagine:
- 500 people visit your website each month
- 5% currently contact you (that’s 25 enquiries)
- You convert 40% of those into paying customers (10 sales)
- Each new customer is worth £300 on average
That’s £3,000 per month from your website.
Now imagine your website is confusing, slow, or badly designed, so only 2% of visitors enquire instead of 5%.
- 500 visits
- 2% enquire = 10 enquiries
- 40% convert = 4 sales
That’s £1,200 per month.
You’ve just lost £1,800 every month because your website makes life harder than it should.
Over a year, that’s £21,600.
Suddenly, investing in a well‑designed website doesn’t seem expensive. Not investing does.
4. Common design mistakes that quietly kill results
You don’t need a designer’s eye to spot these. They’re the usual suspects on underperforming sites.
1. Confusing navigation
If your menu reads like this:
Solutions · Services · Products · About · Resources · Insights · Blog · Knowledge Hub
…no one really knows where to click.
Keep it simple and obvious, like:
- Home
- Services
- Prices
- About
- Contact
2. Walls of text
Big, dense paragraphs feel like homework.
Most visitors skim. If they can’t quickly see:
- What you do
- Who it’s for
- Why you’re good at it
- How to get it
…they’re gone.
Use:
- Short paragraphs
- Clear headings
- Bullet points
- Plain language
3. No clear call to action
A lot of websites are shy.
They explain what they do, then sort of… stop. No clear next step.
Every page should make it obvious what you want people to do:
- Call you
- Book a consultation
- Request a quote
- Make a booking
Think of it as a friendly “Over here!” rather than a pushy sales pitch.
4. Inconsistent or clashing design
Five different fonts, seven shades of blue, clip‑art style icons and a logo that looks stretched – it all adds up.
People might not consciously notice, but they’ll feel it’s a bit amateur.
Consistency builds trust. Your website should look like one joined‑up brand, not a collage over several years.
5. Ignoring mobile users
In the UK, more than half of web traffic is on mobile.
If your site only really works on a laptop, you’re effectively telling half your visitors:
“Come back later on a bigger screen.”
Most won’t.
5. How to turn your website from cost centre into sales asset
The good news: you don’t always need to burn everything down and start again.
Here’s a simple, business‑friendly way to approach it.
Step 1: Decide what your website is for
Your website can’t do everything brilliantly. Pick its main job:
- Generate enquiries?
- Take bookings?
- Sell products?
- Educate and qualify leads?
Once you know the main job, you can design around it.
Step 2: Map a simple journey
Imagine a stranger landing on your site for the first time.
Ask:
- What’s the first thing they need to see?
- What questions do they have next?
- What reassurance do they need?
- What’s the easiest next step?
Design your pages like a conversation, not a brochure.
Step 3: Fix the worst friction first
You don’t have to do everything at once. Start with the bits that hurt most:
- Make the phone number and contact button obvious
- Shorten forms – only ask for what you actually need
- Improve headings so they clearly say what you do and for whom
- Make sure it works properly on mobile
Step 4: Add trust signals
If your website currently just says “We’re great, trust us”, it’s time to back it up:
- Testimonials with real names and photos
- Before/after photos or case studies
- Logos of partners, accreditations or associations
- Clear guarantees or promises
These don’t just make the site look nicer – they directly affect conversions.
Step 5: Measure something (even one thing)
You don’t need fancy dashboards. Start simple.
Track just one or two numbers:
- Enquiries per month from the website
- Online bookings per month
Make some improvements, then see what happens over 2–3 months. If the numbers go up, you’re on the right track.
6. When it’s time to stop patching and start again
Sometimes a site is like a 20‑year‑old boiler. You can keep repairing it, but you probably shouldn’t.
It might be time for a proper redesign if:
- It’s not mobile‑friendly and can’t easily be made so
- It takes forever to update anything
- The design looks obviously dated compared to competitors
- You’re embarrassed to show it to potential clients
- Different developers have bolted bits on over the years and it now feels like a jumble
A modern, well‑planned website isn’t just a “new coat of paint”. It’s a chance to:
- Re‑think how you present your services
- Make it easier for people to buy or enquire
- Build something that can grow with your business
7. Turning the lights on: how Los Webos can help
At Los Webos, we build websites for UK SMEs that actually earn their keep.
We focus on:
- Clear, simple design that makes it obvious what you do and how to get it
- Fast, mobile‑friendly builds so visitors aren’t left waiting or pinching and zooming
- SEO‑friendly structure so you’re easier to find on Google
- Conversion‑focused layouts that gently guide visitors towards calling, booking or buying
No jargon, no fluff – just a website that stops quietly losing you money and starts pulling its weight.
If you suspect your current site is more like a dark, confusing shop than a welcoming front window, we can help you fix that.
Want to find out what your poorly designed website might be costing you?
Get in touch with Los Webos for a friendly, no‑pressure chat and a practical review of your current site. We’ll show you where it’s leaking leads – and how to turn it into the 24/7 salesperson your business deserves.