10 Things on Your Website That Make You Look Less Professional

You know that feeling when you’re about to share your website link with someone and you pause, just for a second, before hitting send? That little hesitation is telling you something. It’s not that your business isn’t professional, or that you don’t know your stuff. It’s that your website doesn’t look like it knows what it’s doing, and that gap between who you are and what your site says about you is eating at you.

I see this all the time, and here’s what I want you to know: this is fixable. Not just fixable, but actually an exciting opportunity to finally let your website catch up to where you’ve grown. When I look at a website that feels a little off, I’m not seeing failure. I’m seeing places where small changes are going to make a huge difference in how people perceive you.

Let’s talk about the things I notice most often that create that “hmm, something feels a little outdated here” vibe, even when the actual content is solid. Because sometimes it’s not the words that need fixing. Sometimes it’s the details.

1. Your “About Me” Photo Doesn’t Look Like You Anymore

This is the number one thing I notice, and it’s because it matters so much. Your photo is often the first place someone really looks at you, and if that photo is from five years ago, or ten, or even just from a different chapter of your life, there’s a disconnect happening.

I’m not saying you need a professional headshot or a glamour shoot. I’m saying your photo should feel current and authentic to who you are right now. If you’re a coach who’s been in business for fifteen years and your photo still looks like it’s from your first business launch, there’s a conversation happening in your visitor’s head without you knowing it. They’re wondering if anything here has been updated recently.

The opportunity here is simple: get a photo that actually looks like you in 2024 or 2025. Your phone camera is probably good enough. Natural light, genuine expression, current hairstyle, current wardrobe. That’s all you need. This single change sends a signal: “I’m still here, I’m still current, and I know what I’m doing.”

2. Your Copy Sounds Like Someone Else Wrote It

When I read someone’s website and it sounds professional but impersonal, it tells me they’ve been trying too hard to sound like they think a business owner should sound. They’ve added words they never use. They’ve created distance between themselves and their audience. And here’s the thing: people can tell.

A lot of business owners I talk to are worried that if they sound too casual or too real, they won’t seem credible. The opposite is actually true. When your website sounds like you, people trust you more. Not less.

I’m talking about the difference between, “I utilize my extensive background in strategic marketing to empower clients” versus “I help coaches understand what their audience actually wants and why that matters.” One sounds like a corporate website from 2008. The other sounds like someone who actually knows what they’re talking about.

Your website is the place to own your voice. Not the voice you think you should have, but the voice you actually use when you’re talking to a friend about your work. The one where you’re warm but direct, helpful but not preachy. Your website should fit you, and that starts with how you sound.

3. Your Contact Information Is Scattered or Buried

I’ve visited websites where I wanted to reach out and I had to hunt for an email address or a contact form. And every second that someone spends looking for a way to contact you is a second they might change their mind.

The opportunity here is about making it easy. Your contact information should be somewhere obvious, ideally in more than one place. In your footer, sure. But also maybe on a dedicated contact page, or as a button in your navigation, or both. Don’t make someone work to find you. People are busy and they move fast. If you seem hard to reach, some of them will just move on to someone easier.

This doesn’t have to be complicated. An email address with a simple form, or a link to a scheduling tool, or both. The goal is to remove any friction between someone deciding they want to talk to you and actually being able to take that step.

4. Your Navigation Menu Feels Cluttered or Vague

When someone lands on your site, they should know in about five seconds where to go based on what they’re looking for. If your navigation menu has eight items, or the labels are unclear, that split-second moment of orientation becomes confusing instead.

I see a lot of websites with menu items like “Services,” “Process,” “About,” “FAQ,” “Resources,” “Blog,” “Work With Me,” “Testimonials,” and “More.” That’s not a roadmap anymore, that’s information overload. The person visiting doesn’t know which button to click first.

The opportunity is to think about your navigation from your visitor’s perspective, not from yours. What does someone need to know first? That usually goes at the top. What’s the next logical question? That goes next. You don’t need to feature everything on your main menu. You really don’t. A tight, clear navigation actually increases the chances that someone finds what they’re looking for, and that matters.

5. Your Website Still Uses Flash, Outdated Technology, or Broken Elements

Flash is dead. Seriously, it’s been dead for about a decade. And yet, I still occasionally come across websites that have elements that don’t work, images that won’t load, or features that only function properly on desktop and break on mobile.

Here’s what someone thinks when they visit a website with broken elements: “This person probably doesn’t check their site very often. What else might not be working?” It’s a credibility killer because it signals neglect, not on purpose, but simply because you’re not maintaining it regularly.

The opportunity here is to audit your website for broken links, images that don’t load, features that don’t work on phones, slow loading times, or outdated technology. These are solvable problems, and fixing them sends a completely different message: “I care about this, and I keep it in good shape.”

6. Your Homepage Tries to Explain Everything at Once

Many women solopreneurs I work with have a homepage that tells your whole story, all your services, your certifications, your process, your testimonials, and your call to action all on one very long page. It’s like trying to introduce yourself to someone by listing your entire resume instead of just saying, “Hi, I’m a business coach.”

A homepage doesn’t need to explain everything. It needs to answer one simple question clearly: “Who is this for, and why should I care?” The details come later. On your services page. On your about page. On the pages people navigate to when they’re ready to go deeper.

The opportunity is to give your homepage room to breathe. Lead with who you serve and what you help them with. Make your call to action clear. Keep it short enough that someone doesn’t have to scroll for three minutes to get the basics. Everything else can live elsewhere on the site.

7. Your Testimonials or Social Proof Are Vague or Missing Entirely

A lot of accomplished professionals I talk to feel uncomfortable talking about their results or sharing what clients say about them. But here’s the thing: when someone lands on your site, they’re deciding if they trust you. Testimonials aren’t bragging. They’re proof that you’ve helped people before.

If you have zero testimonials, or if the ones you have are generic (“She’s amazing!” without any context), that’s an opportunity waiting. You don’t need dozens. You need a few real ones that show what you actually helped someone with. “She helped me understand my pricing strategy, and I raised my rates by 25 percent” is infinitely more powerful than “I love working with her.”

The opportunity is to ask your recent clients for specific feedback about what changed for them after working with you. Not “Did you like it?” but “What was different?” Specific proof of your work makes a massive difference in how credible you seem.

8. Your Website Isn’t Mobile-Friendly

It’s 2024 going into 2025, and I’m still finding websites that don’t work well on phones. That’s wild to me, because a huge percentage of people are visiting on mobile devices. If your site is hard to read on a phone, breaks on tablets, or has buttons that are impossible to click without zooming in, you’re immediately telling people “this website isn’t current.”

The opportunity is to actually visit your website on your phone and scroll through it the way a visitor would. Does it look good? Are the buttons clickable? Can you read the text without squinting? Does it work on a tablet? If you’re not sure how to test this, ask someone. It matters, and it’s simpler to fix than you’d think.

9. Your Copy Has Typos, Grammar Errors, or Inconsistent Formatting

This one might sound like the smallest thing, but it’s not. When someone reads a typo on your website, they think one of three things: either you didn’t notice it, you didn’t care, or you don’t know better. None of those are thoughts you want them having about a professional.

I’m not saying you need to be a perfect grammarian. I’m saying you need a second set of eyes. Read your website out loud. Use a spell-check tool. Ask someone to review it. Inconsistent capitalization, random line breaks, or sloppy formatting all send the same message: this wasn’t carefully put together.

The opportunity is a simple audit. Go through your site page by page. Read every word. Fix what you find. Have someone else read it too. This is the kind of detail that makes a massive difference in how professional your site feels, and it takes a few hours of focused work.

10. Your Call to Action Isn’t Clear or It Doesn’t Match What You Actually Do

I see a lot of websites with a call to action like “Schedule Now” that links to a calendar, when what the person actually does is have a consultation conversation first before anyone ever schedules. Or a “Buy Now” button on a services website where the service is actually custom and personalized, not a product you click and buy.

When your call to action doesn’t match your business model, it creates confusion. Someone might click it and then be confused about what happens next. Or they might get to your calendar and realize it doesn’t match their expectations and leave.

The opportunity is to be clear about exactly what the next step is. If it’s a free consultation call, say that. If it’s getting on your email list, say that. If it’s booking a strategy session that costs money, say that. Your call to action should be honest about what happens next. When it is, people trust you more because they know what to expect.

The beautiful thing about all of these is that none of them require a complete website rebuild. I make it easy, and that’s exactly what these fixes are. They’re adjustments. Details. Small changes that add up to your website finally feeling like it belongs to someone who knows what she’s doing, because it does.

Your website doesn’t need to be fancy. It doesn’t need to be trendy. It just needs to feel current, clear, and authentically you. And the moment it does, you’re going to feel different about sharing it. That little hesitation before you send the link? It’s going to disappear.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know which of these things are actually holding back my website?

The best way is to visit your site with fresh eyes, ideally on both desktop and mobile. Take notes on what feels off, outdated, or unclear. You can also ask a couple of trusted people to spend five minutes on your site and tell you what they notice. Sometimes an outside perspective shows you exactly what you’ve been walking past for months.

Do I need to fix all of these things at once?

No. Pick the one or two that feel most obvious to you right now. Fix those first. Then move to the next. Small, consistent improvements add up much faster than you’d think, and you won’t feel overwhelmed doing it that way.

My website is old enough that I’m wondering if I should just start over. How do I know?

If you’re only fixing a few details, you can probably update your current site. But if you’re finding yourself wanting to change the layout, the structure, the navigation, or the overall feel, that might be a sign that a redesign would serve you better. It depends on what you’re working with and where you want to go. Let’s talk about it.

What if I can’t afford to hire someone to fix my website?

Some of these fixes you can do yourself, especially the ones about copy, photos, and broken elements. Some of them might require a little learning, but they’re learnable. The ones about technical elements like mobile responsiveness or site speed might require help, but there are lots of affordable options out there. Start with what you can do, then ask for help on the rest.

If your website no longer feels like you, let’s talk about it – Book a Free Website Clarity Call with Beth →