5 Things on Your Website That Make You Look Less Professional

You know that feeling when you’re getting ready to share your website link with someone, and you hesitate? You pull it up, you look at it one more time, and something inside you cracks a little. It’s not that your site is bad exactly. It’s that it doesn’t feel like you anymore. Or maybe it never did. And now you’re wondering if the person on the other end is seeing what you’re actually capable of, or if they’re seeing something that makes you look smaller than you are.

Here’s what I want you to know right now: that feeling is real, and it’s telling you something true. Your website is speaking a language, and sometimes that language is sending the wrong message about who you are and what you’re worth.

I’ve spent 30+ years in sales and marketing, and 15 of those years helping women redesign their websites. The thing I notice most often isn’t that something is broken. It’s that small, fixable details are quietly working against your credibility. And here’s the good news: once you see them, you can fix them. You don’t need to rebuild your entire website. You just need to shift a few things.

Let me walk you through five of the most common opportunities I see, and what they’re actually communicating to the people who land on your site.

1. Your Photos Are Dim, Blurry, or More Than Three Years Old

This is the one that gets me every single time, because women put so much care into everything else on their site, but then they use a photo that looks like it was taken in the 1990s.

Here’s what a dim or blurry photo says to a visitor: “I don’t think I’m worth a good photo.” Or worse, “I’m not paying attention to the details.” And if you’re a coach, consultant, or service provider, those details matter. People are buying you. They want to see you. A clear, well-lit photo of your actual face is not vanity, it’s credibility.

A lot of business owners I talk to think they need a professional headshot that costs thousands of dollars. You don’t. You need a clear, recent photo of you taken in natural light (or good indoor lighting), wearing something that makes you feel like yourself. That’s it. Your phone camera is probably better than you think it is. Even a $50 investment in a photographer friend or a local photographer just doing a quick session makes a massive difference.

The real opportunity here is this: your photo is your first handshake with someone who’s never met you. It should feel warm, approachable, and real. It should look like you today, not you from five years ago when you had a different business name, different energy, and a whole different chapter of your life.

If your current photo is dim, blurry, or from an era you’d rather forget, treat this as a gift to yourself, not a chore. You’ve grown. Your photo should reflect that.

2. Your “About” Page Reads Like a Resume

I see this constantly, and I understand why it happens. You’re accomplished. You have credentials, certifications, accomplishments. So you list them all. Your page becomes a timeline of jobs, degrees, and awards, and somewhere in the middle of it, your actual personality disappears.

Here’s what a resume-style About page communicates: “I’m impressive on paper.” But what your client actually wants to know is: “Will you understand me? Can I trust you? Do you get what I’m going through?”

A resume answers the question: What have you done? An About page that actually works answers the question: Why should I work with you?

The opportunity is to reframe your About page as a story, not a credential list. Share a moment when you realized what you were actually here to do. Talk about a struggle you had that led you to what you do now. Tell the truth about why you’re passionate about this work. Then, you can talk about your qualifications, but they live in service of your story, not instead of it.

I’m not asking you to delete your credentials. I’m asking you to make them a supporting character, not the main character. Your humanity is the main character.

3. Your Copy Sounds Like Someone Else Wrote It

This one breaks my heart a little bit, because it tells me a woman has spent hours reading what other coaches or consultants are saying, and then she’s tried to sound like them. Professional. Polished. Generic.

When I read your website, should I be able to hear your actual voice in it? Absolutely. If you talk about things in a playful way in real life, your website should sound playful. If you’re direct and to-the-point with your clients, why would your website be flowery and vague? If you use humor, use it. If you’re more serious, be serious. But be you.

Many women I talk to worry that sounding like themselves isn’t professional enough. And I’m going to tell you something that comes from 15 years of watching websites work (and not work): your actual voice is more professional. It’s more trustworthy. It’s more credible. It’s the thing that makes someone think, “Oh, she gets me. I want to work with her.”

The opportunity here is to audit your own website copy and ask: Is this how I actually talk? Would I say this in a conversation with a potential client? If the answer is no, rewrite it in your own words. Use contractions. Use shorter sentences. Say “I” instead of “the business.” Make it sound like the smartest, most capable version of you is just talking to someone directly.

You don’t need corporate-speak to be professional. You just need to be clear, honest, and good at what you do. Your voice is actually your competitive advantage.

4. Your Contact Information Is Hidden or Unclear

I’m amazed at how often I land on a website and I can’t figure out how to contact the person. The contact button is buried in a footer. There’s an email address hidden on a page that most people never find. Or there’s a form, but it doesn’t say what happens after you submit it.

Here’s what this communicates: “I’m not sure if I want to hear from you.” And that’s the opposite of what you want to say.

This is one of the easiest wins on this list, because the fix is simple. Make it obvious how someone reaches you. Put a clear call to action above the fold (the part of your website you see before you scroll). If you use a contact form, add a line that says “I’ll get back to you within 24 hours” or whatever your actual timeline is. Remove the mystery.

The opportunity is permission to make yourself available. Not invasive, not spammy, just clear. Someone who wants to work with you shouldn’t have to turn your website into a treasure map to figure out how to hire you.

5. Your Website Hasn’t Been Updated in Years (and It Shows)

This one includes outdated information, old testimonials from 2015, a “latest blog post from 2020” section, or technology that just feels… old. Maybe your site still has outdated pricing. Maybe your navigation is confusing because you added new services but never reorganized the structure. Maybe there’s a dead link or a broken button.

Small things, but together? They add up to a message: “I’m not paying attention anymore.”

The opportunity is to do an audit. Go through your site like you’re visiting it for the first time. What’s outdated? What’s confusing? What doesn’t reflect who you are or what you do right now? You don’t need to rebuild everything. You might just need to update your bio, refresh a few photos, add your current testimonials, check that all your links work, and make sure your services section accurately describes what you offer.

In my experience, a lot of women avoid this because they think they need a complete redesign when really they just need a refresh. A refresh is a gift you can give yourself in a weekend (or call someone like me to help you do it faster). It’s not reinvention. It’s just making sure your website matches the woman who’s actually running the business.

The Real Opportunity

All five of these things have something in common: they’re not about being perfect. They’re about being real. They’re about making sure the website you’re sharing actually represents the woman you’ve become, the work you’re doing right now, and the value you’re actually delivering.

Your website should fit you. Not the other way around. And when it does, you stop hesitating before you share the link. You stop feeling like a fraud. You stop making excuses about it being outdated.

You just feel like yourself.

That’s when the real work begins. Not because your site suddenly turns into a sales machine (that’s not what this is about), but because you’re finally claiming the professional credibility that you actually deserve. You’re letting people see you the way you see yourself.

That exhale you feel? That’s relief. And it’s available to you right now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this mean I need to spend thousands of dollars on a website redesign?

Not at all. Most of what I’m talking about here costs you time, not money. A better photo might be $50 to $100 if you hire a friend. Updating your copy is free. Fixing outdated information is free. Sometimes the biggest shifts come from doing small things really well, not from starting over.

What if I’m worried about sounding unprofessional if I write like myself?

That worry makes sense, but here’s the truth: clarity and authenticity are the actual foundations of professionalism. When you sound like yourself, people trust you. When you sound generic, people wonder if you’re hiding something.

Should I update my entire website at once or make small changes?

Start small. Pick one or two of these five things and fix them. See how it feels. Then pick another. Websites don’t have to change all at once to have an impact. Sometimes one great photo and updated copy is enough to shift how people perceive you.

How often should I update my website to keep it current?

At minimum, do a quick audit every six months and check: Are your testimonials current? Does your copy reflect what you’re doing right now? Are all your links working? Do your photos feel like you? You don’t need constant updates, but you do need to keep it honest.

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